Focal Passages: Romans 8:1-11, 31-39
If you were “into” tennis in the 1990’s, you might remember
the name David Wheaton.
David played with and against such greats as Pete Sampras
and Andre Agassi.
He rose as high as No. 12 in the world rankings in 1991, and
garnered the biggest paycheck known to tennis in 1991 when he won the Grand
Slam Cup in Munich, Germany.
One might think that victory would be remembered as the epic
moment in his life.
However, he explained that after the 12,000 fans filed out
of the arena that day, he realized for the first time how desperately empty he
was inside.
A couple of years later David Wheaton began reading the
Bible and found real life and “freedom” through a relationship with Jesus
Christ.
Although raised by a Christian family who regularly attended
church, David unfortunately let tennis become his god.
This passage is about victory and triumph.
It’s about real and permanent freedom.
But it is not victory, triumph and freedom for everyone. It
is about victory, triumph and freedom for the Christian.
One of the questions addressed here is this: Who or what can
separate us from the love of God? (v. 35)
For Paul, and for us, this is a powerful question. It is not
one for us to “gloss over;” it is a question for serious reflection.
The “love of God” issue is the most important issue in human
experience. Personally knowing and experiencing the love of God is the
“everything” that Paul wrote of in verse 32.
This passage is also the gospel in a nutshell. Without
Christ in our lives, we are sinners.
We are in spiritual bondage. But Christ came to “intercede”
(v. 34) between God and man, to become man’s righteousness, to set man free.
The great gift of salvation is knowing and living in the love of God.
Moreover, that relationship between the Christian believer
and God’s love is unbreakable.
If we were to put Paul’s words into 21st century terms, we
might say it like this: “No president, no judge, no congress, no friend, no
family member, no job, no physical enemy, no spiritual enemy, no false
religion, not even Satan and the forces of death has the power or ability to
separate the Christian from the love of God that is found in Christ Jesus (v.
38-39).
Each Christian has had that moment when he or she came to
grips with Jesus Christ and the “love of God.”
Maybe it was in life’s lowest moment, or maybe like David
Wheaton, when we thought we had reached the pinnacle of success.
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