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October 5, 2014 |
| What Can Separate Us | ||
There are some Christians who frequently worry that they may have done something that would separate them from God. There are other Christians who believe that nothing they could do would separate them from God. In this lesson we will look at what can separate us from God.
One of the main texts on what can separate us from God comes from the following verses from Romans 8. Unfortunately many people do not understand them correctly and make more out them than they are saying. Yet these verses are a great comfort to those in need of assurance.
28 And we know that [the Spirit] helps those who love God in everything for good, those whom he preordained to be called.
This is a commonly quoted verse but it's a little hard to recognize in this translation. The verse is good by itself but it is just the beginning of a much larger point that the Apostle Paul is going to make.
Digging into this verse we see that the Holy Spirit, who is God, helps those who love God. He helps them in everything. He does this to achieve good. Now this good is not necessarily our own personal good in this world. He works for the ultimate good of God and for our own spiritual good.
Some people might read this verse as a promise that only good things will happen to those who love God and wonder why bad things happen to them. They might think they have done something wrong or that they aren't following the Holy Spirit. Remember that the apostles themselves suffered persecution, hardships, jail and most were killed. They followed the Holy Spirit who led them to do the greater good of God, which was to spread the gospel.
In the last clause of that verse Paul clarifies who he is speaking about - "those whom God preordained to be called." This is going to lead us into the next few verses so we need to understand the word preordain. It means to decide in advance or to arrange in advance.
We also need to understand that God is omniscient, which means that he knows all things, past, present and future. Therefore he knew from before the creation of the universe who were his that he would call to him.
29 And those whom he foreknew, he also fashioned in the likeness of the image of his Son, that he would be the firstborn of many brethren.
30 And those whom he pre-fashioned, he called, and those whom he called, he made righteous, and those whom he made righteous, he glorified.
Paul links together a number of steps which I've broken up for clarity below
| Those he foreknew | He fashioned | In the likeness of the image of his Son, that he would be the firstborn of many brethren |
| Those he pre-fashioned | He called | |
| Those he called | He made righteous | |
| Those he made righteous | He glorified |
Paul makes it clear that God is doing everything here. He knew you before you existed, that you would be one of his, and therefore he built you to be like Jesus, and therefore he called you, made you righteous by faith and righteous in works, and he glorified you. All you need to do is to choose to follow.
From God's perspective he sees and knows all of this. But from our perspective we don't know that that we are one of his chosen, those whom he knew from before the world. So what are we to do? The answer is the same as above. All you need to do is to choose to follow. If you will hold on to that you will prove that you are one of his.
There is no point in wondering if you are one of God's chosen or not. Continue in faith and continue to follow God's Son. Just because God knows if you are his chosen does not change anything. You must still choose to follow. God knows the choices you will make and he knew them before the world was created and he fashioned you to make those righteous choices that he might glorify you.
31 What therefore shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
32 And if he did not show pity upon his Son, but he handed him over for the sake of us all, how shall he not give us everything with him?
Paul asks, if God has fashioned you, called you, made you righteous, and glorified you will he be against you? If he gave up his own Son for you will he be against you? The answer is obviously no. God has shown his love for you in all of this and he will not separate his love from you.
33 Who shall accuse the elect of God? God is he who declares righteous.
34 Who is condemning? The Messiah has died and he is risen, and he is at the right hand of God and he prays for us.
Now Paul asks who will accuse God's chosen. He answers his question by saying it won't be God because God is the one who has declared you righteous. Next Paul asks who will condemn God's chosen. He answers the question much the same as the previous question. It won't be the Messiah because he died for us and rose and now sits at the right hand of God praying for us, to benefit us.
So, having dispensed with the notion that God or the Messiah might separate themselves from us, Paul now asks the question what else is there that might separate us from God and his love.
35 What will separate me from the love of the Messiah: suffering, or imprisonment, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we are killed every day, and we are accounted as sheep for slaughter." 37 But in all these things we are victorious by him who has loved us.
Paul asks if any of the things that we suffer for God in this life can separate us. He quotes Psalm 44:22 to show that we should expect these things to come upon us in our service of God. He says that instead of these hardships separating us from God, in fact, we are made victorious by them. This victory comes by God who loves us.
So the hardships we suffer are not a sign that God has rejected us but are to be expected and they make us stronger with the help of God.
Having shown so far that God and the Messiah will not separate us and that none of the hardships that come upon us will separate us, Paul addresses whether anything else can separate us.
38 I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor Angels, nor Authorities, nor Powers, nor things present, nor things future, 39 nor height, nor depth, neither any other created thing, shall be able to sever me from the love of God, which is in Our Lord [Jesus] The Messiah.
Paul lists other beings and powers, time and space, and every other created thing. Of them he says that none of these can separate us from the love of God which is in the Messiah.
It might seem that Paul has addressed everything and therefore once we choose to follow the Messiah there is no way we can be separated from God. He has talked about all these external actors and influences and said that they cannot separate us from God. But he has left out one little thing that can separate us from God - us. We can make the choice not to follow him.
Nowhere is this said more clearly than in Hebrews 10:26-31
26 For if a man shall sin by his will after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there is no sacrifice to be offered afterward for sins, 27 but that terrible judgment is ready and the zeal of fire which consumes the enemies.
28 For if any violated the law of Moses, he would die without mercy by the mouth of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more do you think he will receive capital punishment, he who has trampled upon the Son of God and esteemed the blood of his covenant to be like that of every person, who also was made holy by it, and he has despised the spirit of grace?
30 For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine, and I shall give payment." And again, "the Lord Yahweh will judge his people." 31 It is very terrible to fall into the hands of the living God.
These are also verses that people have trouble understanding. The point here is not that a single willful sin will result in that terrible judgment. What is described is a person who has turned away from God. This is someone who no longer values Jesus' sacrifice and "esteem[s] the blood of his covenant to be like that of every person." This is someone who ignores the grace that God has given us and "despise[s] the spirit of grace."
One of the best examples from the Bible to explain this comes from 2 Samuel 22:22 where King David is recounting his life in a song.
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I am not guilty of turning from my God.
23 All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees.
24 I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.
Anyone knowing of David's adultery with Bathsheba and of David's murder of her husband Uriah would question what David is saying. Look closely at what he says though. He has not turned away from God or from God's decrees. David had certainly slipped and fallen but it was not because he had turned away from God. It's important to understand the difference.
We all make mistakes but that is different from turning away. But for some people the shame of what they've done can cause them to turn away and give up. Forgiveness is always available for those who truly repent.
The rest of us must however be watchful that things in our lives are not slowly causing us to turn away. In most cases that's the way it happens. In a series of small steps we can find ourselves not praying, not reading the Bible, not attending church, and not living the Christian life.
The Apostle John has a slightly different way of looking at this as we see in 1 John 3. These verses cause some people trouble as well so we will look at them also. To understand completely what John is saying, we need to start by looking at what he says in verses 2 and 3.
2 Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it has not been revealed until now what we are going to be, but we know that when he has been revealed, we shall be in his likeness, and we shall see him just as what he is. 3 And everyone who has this hope upon him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
John is comparing what we are now with what we will be when the Messiah returns. In this time we work to purify ourselves using God as the model of purity.
4 But whoever commits sin commits evil, for sin is entirely evil.
5 And you know that he was revealed to take away our sins and there is no sin in him.
We sin and his sacrifice is there to take away our sins. But there is no sin in him.
6 No one who remains in him commits sin, and no one who sins has seen him, neither has he known him.
If we had seen him and known him perfectly we would not sin and we would remain in him. But because we do not see him clearly and know him perfectly we do sin and we do not remain in him and thus need his sacrifice.
7 Children, let no one deceive you; he who does righteousness is righteous even as the Messiah also is righteous. 8 He who commits sin is from Satan, because Satan is a sinner from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this reason: to destroy the works of Satan.
In this time we try to walk in the light and do righteousness but sometimes we walk in the darkness (1 John 1:6-7) and are from Satan.
9 No one who is begotten from God commits sin, because his seed is in him and he is not able to sin because he has been begotten from God.
Now John begins to talk about what we will be like after the Messiah comes. He said earlier that we do not know what we will be like but we know that we will be like him. Here he now calls us "begotten of God" and says that we will not be able to sin just as there is no sin in the Messiah.
When we understand John correctly we see that what he says lines up with what Paul says. Paul also speaks of knowing God imperfectly and waiting for that time that we will know him perfectly (1 Corinthians 13:12)