No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, not things present, nor things to come, nor powers, not height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)
Several months ago, I spent an afternoon with a woman to plan her funeral. After fighting cancer for many years, she was ready to let go of this life.
As we talked about her service, she requested that we read Romans chapter 8, which includes these words: “If God is for us, who is against us? (8:31)”
Just think of the power of these words. God’s on our side. If we want proof of that, we only need to remember this: “He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him give us everything else? (8:32)”
Jesus didn’t die so that we would live in fear. Just as He conquered sin, death, and Satan, so we can in Him conquer temptation, separation, and condemnation.
Jesus conquered sin by reconciling us to the Father. He conquered death by being raised from the dead and by giving us the hope that He will raise us from death to everlasting life. And He conquered the Evil One because His faithfulness to God was stronger than Satan’s wiles.
Because Jesus conquered sin, death, and Satan, we can, by grace, be conquerors ourselves. Death? Conquered. Fear? Conquered. Sin? Conquered. Cancer? Conquered. With Jesus as our Champion and Savior no disease, no power, no past, no present, no future, can separate us from God’s love.
When this woman died, those who knew her had many feelings. We were sad that she was no longer with us. We were grateful that we had shared so much joy with her. And for those who shared her deep faith, we were filled with hope that we would someday see her again.
That’s how Jesus encourages us to die—with gladness and gratitude, trusting that in Him we will be conquerors over all that could ever separate us from His love.
Reflection Questions:
- Do you really believe that God is for you, on your side, has your back? If so, how did you come to have such deep faith? If not, why don’t you believe God’s promises to you?
- If you truly believed and always remembered that nothing could separate you from the love of Christ Jesus, how would your life be different?
- Because Jesus conquered sin and death, He makes us conquerors. By His grace, what do you need to conquer in order to live with more strength and peace?