“Yes, I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39, NCV
Paul has an incredible confidence in the words of these two verses. He is in a place where he has an exceptionally deep certitude in a profoundly deeper God. In the history of the Crusades, men would fanatically charge into battle. Not only did they carry their sword and shield, many carried holy relics. They believed that a special magic covered them, keeping away all harm and every evil.
But this is not how we are to understand and embrace these promises. They aren’t magical. When soldiers put a copy of the New Testament in his breast pocket he will be quite disappointed when the bullet just whizzes right through. He will end up dead. Honestly, there is nothing magical about our Bibles, but they are spiritual. And mixed with faith they are powerful.
The promises in Romans 8 won’t make you bulletproof. But they are certainly trustworthy to all who believe them. Paul declares, with no hesitation, exactly what has happened through our faith. In the strongest sense possible he works through a catalog of things which, (in the past especially) which are all very strong and intensely powerful.
“…neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the whole world…” 8:39
This pretty much covers everything (including IRS audits, and jury duty.) Nothing can move me from His love. It seems to me that this very love very aggressively penetrates everything. Love seems to be the way He works with humankind. He loves people.
As believers who struggle deeply, we would do well to think about these two verses (vv 38-39.) Perhaps even commit them to memory. They have carried the faith of generations. As we trust in these we will find “no magic.” But they are truly spirit, and they are life. These promises are wonderful, and the One who makes them is true. Your confidence in these two verses alone will make you ‘invincible.’
“God’s way is perfect.
All the Lord’s promises prove true.
He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.”Psalm 18:30, NLT
Broken Believers 