Romans: Assurance, Providence, and Life in the Spirit: Romans 8:28-39

Romans 8:28-39 Series - Part 18

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 1999-09-05

Synopsis: John Weaver concludes his series on Romans 8:28-39 by focusing on verses 35-39, where Paul addresses the final challenge to the perseverance of the saints: the possibility that external trials or our own weakness could separate us from Christ's love. Weaver explains that the question is not whether our love for Christ can endure, but whether Christ's love for us can be broken. He argues that God's bond with His elect is inseparable, grounded in God's love, power, oath, and unchanging character. Through historical examples of persecution and biblical exposition, Weaver assures believers that nothing in all creation can sever them from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

[John Weaver] Romans 8, 28, and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called, and whom He called, them He also justified, and whom He justified, them He also glorified. What shall we say, then, to these things? If God be for us, Who can be against us? He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

[John Weaver] Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword, as it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

[John Weaver] Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, after having dealt with Romans 8, 28 through 30, I told you that that section was where Paul was teaching positive doctrine. And then when I began in verses 31 through 39, I told you this was a negative section in the sense that Paul was dealing with the objections and the challenges to the truth that he was teaching in Proverbs 28, in Romans 8, 28 through 30. So the two verses 28 through 30 are positive and 31 through 39 then are negative. May I point out the fact in verse 31, I showed you here was an attack on God's person and Paul's answer was that the person of God is invincible. In verse 32 is an attack upon God's grace. And Paul's answer is that God's grace is inexhaustible. When you come to verse thirty three, here's an attack upon God's verdict. And the answer is God's verdict is incontrovertible. When you come to verse thirty four, here's an attack upon God's pardon. And the answer is God's pardon is incontestable. And now we come down to verse thirty five through verse thirty nine.

[John Weaver] I'm going to share with you today that God's bond is inseparable. Now this argument that the Apostle Paul gives us in verses 35-39 is in reality the climax to this entire argument listed in Romans chapter 8. In fact, the passage may be broken down as follows. You could say that verses 35-37 is the last challenge that the apostle undertakes to the final perseverance of the saints. Then verses 38-39 He not only finishes the particular argument, but at the same time, he is summarizing even the entirety of the argument, the argument that it began back in verse 31. I pointed out in verse 31, God's person is invincible. In verse 32, God's grace is inexhaustible. In verse 33, God's verdict is incontrovertible. And then in verse 34, God's pardon is incontestable. Now, in each of these, Here was a challenge to the perseverance of the saints. When we come down to verse 35, which is the final objection to the final challenge, I want you to notice something different.

[John Weaver] In all of these previous challenges, each of these challenges has been in reference to God. God's person, God's power, God's verdict, God's attitude. But when the Apostle Paul begins in verse 35 and verse 36, he now takes the challenge from a different perspective, and that is This challenge arises from our side. So the question then is, what if we should fail? What if we should falter? Well, what would make us fail or falter? We'll look in verse thirty five. The question is, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Now, watch shall tribulation. Or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword, in other words, here are some of the things that we might consider that would indeed make us fall and make us fail.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to pay close attention to verse 36. In verse 36, he quotes from the Old Testament. He quotes Psalm 44 and verse 22 when he says, as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Now, in quoting Psalm 44 and verse 22, Paul is emphasizing, now listen, that the trials and the persecution and the distress and the famine and the slaughter that comes to us in verse 35 arises from the fact that we are Christians. That's why he says in verse 36, for thy sake we are killed all the day long. In other words, all of these things are coming upon us just simply by virtue of the fact that we are Christians.

[John Weaver] Now, our Lord has told us in the New Testament If they have hated me, they're going to hate you. If they persecuted me, they're going to persecute you. The servant is not greater than the master. So very clearly. We are going to be persecuted just simply because of the fact that we're Christians. The Apostle Paul said it a little more plainly when he said it like this.

[John Weaver] this know that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, not hope so, not maybe so, not a possibility. But he said, if you live godly, you shall suffer persecution.

[John Weaver] Now, all you have to do is stop and think back to the early Christians. Stop and think back to the first century. Many Christians were tortured. Many Christians were slain. just simply by virtue of the fact that they were Christians.

[John Weaver] Now let me explain that. It was not necessarily just an all-out attack upon Christians just because they were Christians. There were political implications. You see, in Rome, you could believe whatever you wanted to believe. If you wanted to worship Aphrodite, have at it. If you wanted to worship Diana, go for it. They could care less. If you wanted to worship Jesus Christ, it did not bother the Roman emperors. You could worship Jesus Christ as long as you wanted to worship Jesus Christ, just so long as Once a year you swore by the genius of Caesar. Just so, once a year minimum, you said Caesar is Lord. In other words, it's Caesar who gives me my liberty. It's Caesar who gives me my privileges. It's Caesar who enables me to believe what I want to believe. And the early Christians refused to say that Caesar is Lord. They said, how can we say that? Caesar is not Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord. And so Christians were put to death, not just for simply for being Christians, but because they refused to swear by the genius of Caesar.

[John Weaver] They refused to say that Caesar is Lord. And they were put to death then as traitors to the state. They were considered treasonous individuals. And so you could usually say For thy sake we are killed all the day long. Every one of you have heard of Nero. Nero was a wicked, ungodly emperor. And it is a fact of history that when Nero wanted to go out at night and view his gardens, he had Christians tied to stakes, poured over them a form of petroleum, and lit them alive.

[John Weaver] And as their bodies burned and gave off light, He walked around and smelled the roses, so to speak. And so here is a certain truth. For my sake, we're killed all the day long. And they were killed just simply because they were Christians and they refused to say that Caesar is Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, look, if you would please, at verse thirty five. The question is, who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation? Now, let me tell you about the term tribulation. This is from the Latin word tribulum. It is where we get our English word tribulation from. The Greek word is thrypsis. But our English word tribulation comes from the Latin tribulum. The tribulum was a means whereby the Romans threshed their grain. The tribulum was a large board or table.

[John Weaver] And it had sticking up through it pieces of flint and iron and anything that was tough. And then the Romans would take their wheat and they would beat it over this tribulum, thus tribulation. And as they would beat it down, the word tribulation then came to mean any type of hardship that beat you down or pressed you down or even brought you to death. In fact, by the way, if you look in verse 36, when he quotes from Psalm 44, he says, As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. So there is an apt picture of death. So this tribulation sometimes was even unto death, as sheep being led to the slaughter.

[John Weaver] Now, he mentions in verse 35, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress? Now, all of us know what tribulation is. I've just explained it. It's being literally beaten down, distressed. But do you realize distress can be more than physical? Distress can be mental and emotional as well. I don't know if you've ever studied the history of prisoners of war. Some of you may have been.

[John Weaver] We had a good friend who was in the baton death march. And one day he was at our house and my wife had fixed rice as part of the meal, you know. And all of a sudden it dawned on me, we were not related, but we always called him Uncle Bob. I said, oh, Uncle Bob, I said, I'm sorry, I never thought about it, but my wife has rice on the table.

[John Weaver] He said, that's OK, that's OK. He said, I love rice. That's what kept me alive for three years. So, you know, you tend to think that you'd get tired of something like that. But although Uncle Bob lived physically, he never would discuss all the horrors and all the things that he went through because of the stress that it brought back. I thought about this as I was preparing this message. I read years ago about one of the things that the communists did to break down men was to make them perform meaningless labor.

[John Weaver] In other words, here's a rock over here. They would make you work all day putting it on this side of the road. In the next day, you'd have to work all day putting it back on the other side of the road and just continually day after day, week after week, month after month until, you know, what's the point of even living? In other words, they had you literally broken down. But, you know, it dawned on me if you and I would learn to follow biblical truth, we could never be broken down like that. Why?

[John Weaver] Because scripture says, whatever we do in word or deed, or whether we eat or drink, do what? Do all for the glory of God. So if I move that rock to this side of the road one day, why am I doing it? For the glory of God. If I move it to the other side the next day, why am I doing it? For the glory of God.

[John Weaver] You see what I'm saying? There is a meaning then even to what the world would call meaningless labor. So the apostle is saying tribulation is not going to separate us from the love of Christ, nor distress, nor persecution, nor famine, nor sword.

[John Weaver] Now, the question is this. When you start looking at all of these things, you've got to ask yourself this question. How in the world can we stand up to all of these things? How is it possible that you and I could live under this strain? You've got to know, as well as I do, that flesh is frail. The flesh is weak. If you and I were put under the pressures of first century Christians, now I realize that many of us are being attacked. I understand that. And we're losing money. We may be even losing our livelihood. We may be facing prison. And that's bad.

[John Weaver] I'm not trying to minimize that. That is bad. But may I point out the fact, at least right now, we're not wandering in deserts and in dens and in caves of the earth, wearing sheepskin and goatskin, being destitute, tormented like they were in New Testament times. And Hebrews 11 speaks very eloquently of what some of these individuals went through. At least we still have the clothes on our backs and at least we can still eat and at least we still have comfortable homes.

[John Weaver] We don't go through what they have gone through. But how in the world, you think, can we stand up to all of this? I mean, that's a good question. That's a good challenge. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? And then he says, shall any of these things that I've just mentioned separate us? Is it possible? Is it possible that we could fail because of the weakness of our flesh?

[John Weaver] They cause the pressure and the persecution. Years ago, I had the opportunity to go to England and study for two weeks. And one of the spots I visited was around Oxford University where Latimer and Ridley were burned at the stake. I think you may have been there as well. Latimer was a tremendous preacher. And do you realize he sought originally to save his life by recanting, that is, by denying what he had preached, what he had taught concerning Jesus Christ. And his life was spared because he recanted. After he recanted and his life was spared, he was so remorseful He was so repentant that he marched back and said, I recant my recantation. I believe in Jesus Christ and I believe everything that I preach was true and accurate, and I'm not going to take it back. I'm not going to deny it. Well, guess what? The court then sentenced him to be burned at the stake. And when he heard the sentence, Latimer said, well let this hand be burned first, which signed the recantation.

[John Weaver] And Latimer and Ridley were burned to death because they refused them to recant. Now you stop and think, folks. That's pretty tough. What if that will enable us to stand to all of these things. And the answer is, God's bond is inseparable.

[John Weaver] Now, let's go back to verse 35 just for a moment. Watch this if you would, please. Verse 35, the question is, who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

[John Weaver] Now, in the context, you've got to ask who the us He is. Who shall separate us? Well, if you go back to verse 33, he answers it. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Well, who is the us? It is God's elect. If you go back to verse 32, you'll answer it further. He that spared not his own son, but lived him up for us all." Who is the us? It is God's elect. If you'll look back in verse 31, what shall we say then to these things?

[John Weaver] If God be for us, Who can be against us? So who is the us? It is the ones that God is for. If you go back to verse 30, you'll find that the us, the ones that God is for, is the one that He has predestinated, the ones that He has called, the ones that He has justified and glorified. So the question is, who shall be able to separate us? If you go back to verse 29, you'll see it's the ones He's for new. If you'll go back to verse 28, you'll find it's the ones that have been called according to His purpose.

[John Weaver] So He gives us then two answers. First of all, He asked, who shall separate us from the love of Christ, by the way? Look back in verse 30. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, then he also called, and whom he called, then he also justified, and whom he justified, then he also what? Glorified, and note glorified is what? Past tense.

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you, does anybody in this room have a new body as of yet? No. But you have been glorified. Why? Because if you are one of these that is mentioned in Romans 8.28 through verse 35, there is an absolute certainty that you will be glorified, and it is so certain that God has already spoken of it in past tense. It has already basically happened. It is that sure.

[John Weaver] Now, secondly, let me point out He asked in verse thirty five, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Now, when he asked that question, it's important that you understand this answer. The love of Christ does not refer to the love that we have for Christ, but rather it refers to the love that he has for us. I'm going to prove that to you in just a moment. So the question is, who shall separate us or what shall separate us from the love that Christ has for us? So in verse 35, listen to me. Paul is not asking, can our love stand up to these things? He's asking, can the love of Christ stand up to these things? That's the key issue. You see, that which is important is Christ's love to me. Yes, I want to love Christ.

[John Weaver] But may I remind you what he said in Psalm 1 and 3? He knoweth our frame. He remembereth that we are but dust. What does that mean? That means he knows our limitations. He knows what we can do and what we cannot do. He knows everything about us. He said, Brother Weaver, how in the world do you know that in verse 35 he's talking about Christ's love to us and not our love to Him? Well, look down in verse 37.

[John Weaver] He says, Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. So the reference then is He that loves us, not we that love Him.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you another question. After you read in verse 35, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? And we know now that it is the love that Christ has for us. For it says in verse 37, we're more than conquerors through him that loved us. My question is this. Why does verse 37 say that we're more than conquerors through him that loved us? That's past tense. Does not Christ continue to love us? Does he not love us now? Well, yes, he does. Well, why did the Apostle Paul put this in past tense?

[John Weaver] Let me tell you why. Because he is referring to the great act of his love wherein he gave himself. Look in your Bibles to Romans 5. Romans 5. And let's begin reading there with verse 6. Romans 5, verse 6. For when we were yet without strength and due time, Christ died for the ungodly. A once for all act, as we've seen last week. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet for a good man some would even dare to die. Watch. But God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

[John Weaver] Much more than being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son. Much more being reconciled, we shall be saved for His life. So when Paul says, through Him that loved us, he's talking about this great act that Christ did in giving Himself.

[John Weaver] Now, look in your Bibles to Ephesians 5, and let's begin there with verse 25. Ephesians 5 and verse 25. Most wives can quote this verse. Ephesians 5 verse 25, the word of God says, Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. Now watch. Even as the Lord loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to Himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and not blemished. Now look what He said, Husband, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it. So when Paul says in Romans 8 and verse 37, that we're more than conquerors through him that loved us. He's talking about the love that brought Christ to earth. He's talking about the love that made Christ become incarnate. He's talking about the love that Christ gave in laying down his life for us.

[John Weaver] Now he is asking who shall separate us from this love and the love is his love. Now, let's go back to verse 37. Watch carefully. Nay, In all these things, we're more than conquerors. So my next question is this. What are these things? He says, Nay, in all these things. Well, in the immediate context, it would refer you back to verse 35 and what follows also below when he said, shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword Are these things going to separate us? He says no. In all of these things, we're more than conquerors. Is death, is life, are angels, principalities, powers, things present, things to come? Are any of these things going to separate us? No. In all of these things, we're more than conquerors.

[John Weaver] And I want you to note what he's saying. He is saying it is not just that we win. It is not just that we have the victory. It is not just that we are conquerors, he says we are more than conquerors. What does that mean? It means in all of these things, we not only face them and defeat them, we demolish them. We are more than conquerors. How is it we're more than conquerors? The answer is twofold. Number one, we're more than conquerors by the love of Christ because nothing shall ever separate us from the love of Christ. Secondly, we're more than conquerors through Him who is the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth.

[John Weaver] That's what we've been preaching about for the last 17 weeks. What are we talking about in verse 28? And we know that all things work together for good to them that are called according to His purpose. Why? Because he is sovereign, he is powerful, he is able to take all of these things, tribulation, distress, persecution, nakedness, peril, sword. He's able to take all of these things and make them work for our good.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point something out. You may have already thought about this. But in one sense of the word, the world is mighty stupid. And when I use the word world, I'm talking about the ungodly that are in the world, especially the ungodly leaders. In fact, God calls them fools, but what do I mean when I say that they're mighty stupid? If you would study history, biblical history, any history, you will find that all persecution has ever done to Christians. is drive them closer to Christ and make them greater Christians. Now listen to me. It is not the attacks of the world that are our greatest enemy. It's the enticements of the world to our own flesh. Now let me show you what I'm talking about.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles to Romans 8 verse 18. You see, when you and I really get in trouble, When we really get persecuted, things start popping in our mind, such as, look what the apostle says in Romans 8 in verse 18, for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. What is he saying? Well, Paul says, I think I can put up with a little loss of revenue, little loss of liberty, little A loss of flesh, just so I may have the additional glory for being faithful to Christ. Look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter 1. 2 Corinthians chapter 1. And look in verse 5. 2 Corinthians 1 verse 5. I like this verse. 2 Corinthians 1 verse 5. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth in Christ." In other words, the more we suffer for Christ, the greater consolation and comfort we have in Christ. Look in verse 9. Paul said, but we have the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead.

[John Weaver] When you get in trouble and under persecution, what does it do? It drives you to God, to his power, to his grace and his mercy. If you're a child of God. Now, if you're not a true Christian, persecution will drive you away from God. OK, but if you're a true Christian, it'll drive you closer to the Lord. Look in chapter 4 of 2 Corinthians, verses 17 and 18. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 17.

[John Weaver] Now, by the way, before I read this, you've got to remember that Paul was stoned and left for dead, beaten with 40 strikes a number of times, spent a day and a night in the deep that is floating around in the ocean. Hated, cursed, spit upon, finally had his head chopped off. Look what he writes. For our light affliction. Remember, here's a man who's been stoned and left for dead. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment working for us. a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look at not things which are seen, but the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. And so out of all of Paul's sufferings, what does he say? This light affliction, which is but for a moment. You know, we can put up for a number of things for a little while if we understand that it's a moment and it has an end. And it's something light.

[John Weaver] And all that Paul went through, he deems it but a light affliction. You remember what he said in Philippians chapter one? When he was in prison and it looked like he was about to die there. He said, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. He said, I'm in a straight, I'm in a hard spot between two. He said, I have a desire to die and to be with Christ, which is far better for me, says Paul.

[John Weaver] But he said, nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. Now, he said, the easy way out of this for me is just to die and be with the Lord. The difficult way is for me to live and continue to minister to you, but you need me so God's not going to let me die at this particular time, and God didn't. But you see, the point I'm making is this.

[John Weaver] Even if our lives are lost, humanly speaking, they're not lost. And all persecution can really do is drive us back to God. I want to read you a statement that was written by Thomas Browning. This was a godly pastor who suffered under the persecutions of Charles II of England. And Thomas Browning was in prison, facing death. He didn't know what. And here is an excerpt from a letter that he wrote to his congregation.

[John Weaver] Quote, The cup of afflictions for the gospel is the sweeter the deeper. The deeper the affliction, the sweeter it is. A stronger cordial, nearer the bottom. When you get to the very dregs and ultimate of it, the nearer you get to the bottom, the stronger the cordial. I mean, says he, death itself. What is he saying? The more you suffer for Christ, the sweeter the consolation and the more grace God gives you.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something. If you have ever wondered how is it that men could be tied to a stake and set on fire and be burned alive singing psalms and praising God Have you ever wondered how they can do that? I'll tell you how. Because when that time comes, God gives added grace, added courage, and added mercy. And so what Thomas Browning is saying, the closer you get to suffering death for Christ, the stronger the cordial, the sweeter it is. the more grace he bestows.

[John Weaver] So that's why the Apostle Paul says in Romans 8 and verse 37, nay, in all of these things, we're more than conquerors. What he's saying is Christ will never, ever let us go. That bond cannot be separated. Now, look in verse 38 and 39. Look at what he says. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor light, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Now, as we go back to verse 38, the Apostle is not only summing up his argument, he's making a wonderful declaration. He says, Persuaded I want you to know he's not depending upon his feelings He's literally saying this for I am certain This is positively true. I am Persuaded I am certain now the interesting thing is the Greek word is in the passive tense which means Paul has been persuaded. In other words, Paul was not persuading himself.

[John Weaver] Something external was persuading Paul of these truths. Well, what in the world persuaded him? Literally, It's the very truth that he is setting before us. What Paul is saying in verse 38 is, I have come to the settled conclusion. I have come to this certainty. I have been persuaded of this. What was it that brought him to this persuasion? It's the truth that he's just laid before us in Romans 8, 28 through verse 39. You go back to verse 29, you go back to verse 30,"...moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called, whom he called, them he also justified, whom he justified, them he also glorified." Paul said, I am absolutely persuaded.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note in verse 39, he says this,"...nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God." And note this descriptive phrase, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Now here's my question. Why was that descriptive phrase added, the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord? Let me tell you why. No doubt in Paul's day it was equally true, then as today. There are many people who claim to love God, and to be in God's love, who hate and despise Jesus Christ. Now don't you see what Paul is saying? He says nothing is going to be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. You see, there are some people who claim to be in the love of God and they claim to love God, but yet they hate Christ. They hate repentance. They hate redemption. They hate reconciliation.

[John Weaver] Are you listening to me? The only love that God the Father has is that love which is in Jesus Christ. Let me put this another way. To reject Jesus Christ is to reject the love of God. When people tell me, well, Brother Weaver, I love God, but I'm not a Christian. You don't love God. Well, I love God, but I don't believe in that blood atonement. Well, you don't love God. Well, I love God, but I don't believe the Bible. You don't love God. The only love that God has and the only love that God sheds abroad is that love which He has for us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles to 1 John 3 and verse 16. 1 John 3, verse 16. Look at what he says. Hereby perceive we the love of God. Remember the word perceive means to lay hold on, to grab, to comprehend. Hereby perceive we, hereby understand we, hereby comprehend we the love of God. How do we comprehend it? Because He laid down His life for us How did He do that? In Jesus Christ. How do we know that God loves us? In Jesus Christ. Look in 1 John chapter 4, beginning there, if you would please, with verse 8. 1 John 4 verse 8. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. Now, wait a minute. He that loveth not. But there are a lot of people who claim to love, but they really don't love. Look at this explanation. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him.

[John Weaver] Herein is love, not that we love God, but he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. How did God love us? Through Christ. through giving Christ. And when someone tries to say, well, I love God, but I don't love Christ or I love God, but I don't believe the Bible, that's impossible. That's impossible. Because the way that God loved us, he loved us in Christ and sent his son to be our redeemer and give us redemption.

[John Weaver] Now, let's go back to Romans eight. Look at what he says. Romans 8, verse 35, who or what shall separate us from the love of Christ? Child tribulation? Nah. Distress? No. Persecution? No. Famine? No. Nakedness, peril, sort? No. That's not going to do it. We're more than conquerors through Him that loved us. Look what he says in verse 3. For I am persuaded, I am confident, I am certain, I have a seventh conclusion, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, anything that you can imagine, nothing shall be able to separate us. from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now, I want to give you a summary of what Paul is laying out in Romans 8. He tells us there are basically four things that you and I can use to come to the same settled conclusion that he came to. What are those four things? First of all, it's the love of Christ.

[John Weaver] You could put down the love of God. Because the love of God and the love of Christ are one and the same. And he's saying nothing is going to sever that bond. Well, let me ask you a question. Brother Weaver, suppose I stop loving Christ. Here's my question. Is your salvation dependent upon your love for Christ or his love for you? Very clearly, it's dependent upon his love for you.

[John Weaver] And the truth of the matter is this. The most holy and the most godly saint does not love Jesus Christ the way Jesus Christ deserves to be loved. I'm glad salvation is not based upon how I love him, but it's based upon how he loves me. So he gives you this love of God. He said, if you will consider this, you're going to come to the same conclusion that I came to. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Then in verse 37, we're more than conquerors for him that loved us. Secondly, He wants you to consider the power of God. Look back in verse 31.

[John Weaver] What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? What good would it do for anyone to be against us? None. And I'm not going to make you turn there and read, but in 1 Peter 1, you need to read where the Apostle Peter says that we're kept by the power of God and the salvation. I don't keep myself, God keeps me by His power.

[John Weaver] How do I know that I am just so surely and certainly glorified as if I had already been? Because of the love of God, because of the power of God. Thirdly, because of the oath of God. Do you remember back in Hebrews chapter six, where he says by two immutable things and one is it is impossible for God to lie. And then secondly, he talks about the oath that God has given. May I remind you of what our Lord said in Hebrews chapter 13 in verse five.

[John Weaver] I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So you have the very oath of God. You have the power of God. You have the love of God. And there's a fourth thing that you have that's mentioned all through this, and that is the character of God. God's not going to change His verdict. God's not going to change His pardon. How do I know God's not going to change His pardon? Because He said in Malachi 3.5, I, the Lord, change not. God is immutable. He says that the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance. Jeremiah 31, verse 3, says, Yea, with an everlasting love have I loved thee. Therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn thee. So God is immutable. God is unchangeable. And Paul is saying, if you will consider these four truths, the love of God, the power of God, the oath of God, the character of God, you too can come to this subtle conclusion that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, one last passage. Look in your Bibles to Isaiah 40. Many of you in here can quote this passage, but look at it. It is so beautiful. It is so powerful. I want to be able to read it. Isaiah 40. And let's begin reading there with verse 26. Isaiah 40, verse 26. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold, who hath created these things, that bringeth out their hosts by number, he calleth them all by names, the greatness of his might, for he is strong in power, not one failing."

[John Weaver] Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary, there is no searching of his understanding? For, watch, he giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increases strength. Even though the youth shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

[John Weaver] Now let me tell you, if you're discouraged, if you're defeated, if you're distressed, If you're doubtful, if you're upset, you're looking at the wrong person. You're looking at yourself and other people and circumstances. But if you look to the Lord, you'll find His love, His power, His oath and His character. And He never fails. How certain am I that the saints will be finally, totally, completely glorified? Just as certain as God is. For God is the one who is our guarantee. If you can make God fail, if you can overthrow God, then we've got problems. But until you can do that, I'm going to agree with the Apostle Paul, for I am persuaded, I'm confident, I'm settled, that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

[John Weaver] Father, in thy holy and blessed name, we pray today, We ask for Your grace and Your mercy. We thank Thee, Father, for the assurance of salvation that we have through Jesus Christ. We ask, Father, that You bless us, fill us up in the most holy faith. In Thy name we pray, Amen.

Romans 8:28-39 Series - Part 18

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	450793130
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Assurance, Providence, and Life in the Spirit: Romans 8:28-39
Genre	Sermon
Date	1999-09-05
Dictation Name
Book	Book 169: Romans 8:28-39 — Chapter 18
Source Timed Segments	66

Formatted Transcript

Opening

Romans 8:28:

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:28-39

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called, and whom He called, them He also justified, and whom He justified, them He also glorified. What shall we say, then, to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, 'For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.'"

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Introduction: Positive and Negative Sections of Romans 8

Weaver reviews that Romans 8:28-30 is positive doctrine, while verses 31-39 address objections. He outlines the attacks and answers in verses 31-34: God's person is invincible, grace inexhaustible, verdict incontrovertible, and pardon incontestable.

Now, after having dealt with Romans 8:28-30, I told you that that section was where Paul was teaching positive doctrine. And then when I began in verses 31-39, I told you this was a negative section in the sense that Paul was dealing with the objections and the challenges to the truth that he was teaching in Romans 8:28-30. So the two verses 28-30 are positive, and 31-39 then are negative. May I point out the fact: in verse 31, I showed you here was an attack on God's person, and Paul's answer was that the person of God is invincible. In verse 32 is an attack upon God's grace, and Paul's answer is that God's grace is inexhaustible. When you come to verse 33, here's an attack upon God's verdict, and the answer is God's verdict is incontrovertible. When you come to verse 34, here's an attack upon God's pardon, and the answer is God's pardon is incontestable. And now we come down to verse 35 through verse 39.

I'm going to share with you today that God's bond is inseparable. Now this argument that the Apostle Paul gives us in verses 35-39 is in reality the climax to this entire argument listed in Romans chapter 8. In fact, the passage may be broken down as follows. You could say that verses 35-37 is the last challenge that the apostle undertakes to the final perseverance of the saints. Then verses 38-39, he not only finishes the particular argument, but at the same time, he is summarizing even the entirety of the argument, the argument that began back in verse 31. I pointed out in verse 31, God's person is invincible. In verse 32, God's grace is inexhaustible. In verse 33, God's verdict is incontrovertible. And then in verse 34, God's pardon is incontestable. Now, in each of these, here was a challenge to the perseverance of the saints. When we come down to verse 35, which is the final objection, the final challenge, I want you to notice something different.

The Final Challenge: Our Side and External Trials

In verses 35-36, the challenge shifts from God's side to our side, asking whether tribulation, distress, persecution, or other hardships can separate us from Christ's love. Paul quotes Psalm 44:22 to show these sufferings come because we are Christians.

In all of these previous challenges, each of these challenges has been in reference to God: God's person, God's power, God's verdict, God's attitude. But when the Apostle Paul begins in verse 35 and verse 36, he now takes the challenge from a different perspective, and that is, this challenge arises from our side. So the question then is, what if we should fail? What if we should falter? Well, what would make us fail or falter? Look in verse 35. The question is, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Now watch: "Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" In other words, here are some of the things that we might consider that would indeed make us fall and make us fail.

Now, I want you to pay close attention to verse 36. In verse 36, he quotes from the Old Testament. He quotes Psalm 44 and verse 22 when he says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 44:22

"As it is written, 'For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.'"

Now, in quoting Psalm 44 and verse 22, Paul is emphasizing—now listen—that the trials and the persecution and the distress and the famine and the slaughter that comes to us in verse 35 arises from the fact that we are Christians. That's why he says in verse 36,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 44:22

"For thy sake we are killed all the day long."

In other words, all of these things are coming upon us just simply by virtue of the fact that we are Christians.

Now, our Lord has told us in the New Testament, "If they have hated me, they're going to hate you. If they persecuted me, they're going to persecute you. The servant is not greater than the master." So very clearly, we are going to be persecuted just simply because of the fact that we're Christians. The Apostle Paul said it a little more plainly when he said it like this:

Historical Persecution and the Meaning of Tribulation

Weaver explains the Latin origin of 'tribulation' as a threshing board, symbolizing being beaten down. He recounts early Christian persecution under Nero and the political reason Christians were killed: refusing to say 'Caesar is Lord.'

"This know that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution"—not hope so, not maybe so, not a possibility. But he said, if you live godly, you shall suffer persecution. Now, all you have to do is stop and think back to the early Christians. Stop and think back to the first century. Many Christians were tortured. Many Christians were slain, just simply by virtue of the fact that they were Christians.

Now let me explain that. It was not necessarily just an all-out attack upon Christians just because they were Christians. There were political implications. You see, in Rome, you could believe whatever you wanted to believe. If you wanted to worship Aphrodite, have at it. If you wanted to worship Diana, go for it. They could care less. If you wanted to worship Jesus Christ, it did not bother the Roman emperors. You could worship Jesus Christ as long as you wanted to worship Jesus Christ, just so long as once a year you swore by the genius of Caesar. Just so, once a year minimum, you said "Caesar is Lord." In other words, it's Caesar who gives me my liberty. It's Caesar who gives me my privileges. It's Caesar who enables me to believe what I want to believe. And the early Christians refused to say that Caesar is Lord. They said, "How can we say that? Caesar is not Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord." And so Christians were put to death, not just simply for being Christians, but because they refused to swear by the genius of Caesar.

They refused to say that Caesar is Lord. And they were put to death then as traitors to the state. They were considered treasonous individuals. And so you could usually say, "For thy sake we are killed all the day long." Every one of you have heard of Nero. Nero was a wicked, ungodly emperor. And it is a fact of history that when Nero wanted to go out at night and view his gardens, he had Christians tied to stakes, poured over them a form of petroleum, and lit them alive. And as their bodies burned and gave off light, he walked around and smelled the roses, so to speak. And so here is a certain truth: "For thy sake we're killed all the day long." And they were killed just simply because they were Christians and they refused to say that Caesar is Lord.

Now, look, if you would please, at verse 35. The question is, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation?" Now, let me tell you about the term "tribulation." This is from the Latin word "tribulum." It is where we get our English word "tribulation" from. The Greek word is "thlipsis." But our English word "tribulation" comes from the Latin "tribulum." The tribulum was a means whereby the Romans threshed their grain. The tribulum was a large board or table. And it had sticking up through it pieces of flint and iron and anything that was tough. And then the Romans would take their wheat and they would beat it over this tribulum, thus tribulation. And as they would beat it down, the word "tribulation" then came to mean any type of hardship that beat you down or pressed you down or even brought you to death. In fact, by the way, if you look in verse 36, when he quotes from Psalm 44, he says, "As it is written, 'For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.'" So there is an apt picture of death. So this tribulation sometimes was even unto death, as sheep being led to the slaughter.

The Nature of Distress and the Believer's Response

Distress can be mental and emotional, not just physical. Weaver illustrates with a POW story and notes that biblical truth gives meaning even to meaningless labor, preventing breakdown.

Now, he mentions in verse 35, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress?" Now, all of us know what tribulation is. I've just explained it. It's being literally beaten down, distressed. But do you realize distress can be more than physical? Distress can be mental and emotional as well. I don't know if you've ever studied the history of prisoners of war. Some of you may have been.

We had a good friend who was in the Bataan Death March. And one day he was at our house and my wife had fixed rice as part of the meal, you know. And all of a sudden it dawned on me—we were not related, but we always called him Uncle Bob. I said, "Oh, Uncle Bob," I said, "I'm sorry, I never thought about it, but my wife has rice on the table." He said, "That's OK, that's OK." He said, "I love rice. That's what kept me alive for three years." So, you know, you tend to think that you'd get tired of something like that. But although Uncle Bob lived physically, he never would discuss all the horrors and all the things that he went through because of the stress that it brought back. I thought about this as I was preparing this message. I read years ago about one of the things that the communists did to break down men was to make them perform meaningless labor.

In other words, here's a rock over here. They would make you work all day putting it on this side of the road. The next day, you'd have to work all day putting it back on the other side of the road, and just continually day after day, week after week, month after month until, you know, what's the point of even living? In other words, they had you literally broken down. But, you know, it dawned on me: if you and I would learn to follow biblical truth, we could never be broken down like that. Why? Because Scripture says, "Whatever we do in word or deed, or whether we eat or drink, do what? Do all for the glory of God." So if I move that rock to this side of the road one day, why am I doing it? For the glory of God. If I move it to the other side the next day, why am I doing it? For the glory of God.

You see what I'm saying? There is a meaning then even to what the world would call meaningless labor. So the apostle is saying, tribulation is not going to separate us from the love of Christ, nor distress, nor persecution, nor famine, nor sword.

The Question: Can Our Flesh Withstand?

Weaver asks how frail humans can stand under such pressures. He recounts the story of Latimer and Ridley being burned at the stake, emphasizing the need for divine enablement.

Now, the question is this. When you start looking at all of these things, you've got to ask yourself this question: How in the world can we stand up to all of these things? How is it possible that you and I could live under this strain? You've got to know, as well as I do, that flesh is frail. The flesh is weak. If you and I were put under the pressures of first-century Christians—now I realize that many of us are being attacked. I understand that. And we're losing money. We may be even losing our livelihood. We may be facing prison. And that's bad.

I'm not trying to minimize that. That is bad. But may I point out the fact, at least right now, we're not wandering in deserts and in dens and in caves of the earth, wearing sheepskin and goatskin, being destitute, tormented like they were in New Testament times. And Hebrews 11 speaks very eloquently of what some of these individuals went through. At least we still have the clothes on our backs and at least we can still eat and at least we still have comfortable homes. We don't go through what they have gone through. But how in the world, you think, can we stand up to all of this? I mean, that's a good question. That's a good challenge. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" And then he says, "Shall any of these things that I've just mentioned separate us?" Is it possible? Is it possible that we could fail because of the weakness of our flesh?

They cause the pressure and the persecution. Years ago, I had the opportunity to go to England and study for two weeks. And one of the spots I visited was around Oxford University where Latimer and Ridley were burned at the stake. I think you may have been there as well. Latimer was a tremendous preacher. And do you realize he sought originally to save his life by recanting, that is, by denying what he had preached, what he had taught concerning Jesus Christ. And his life was spared because he recanted. After he recanted and his life was spared, he was so remorseful, he was so repentant that he marched back and said, "I recant my recantation. I believe in Jesus Christ and I believe everything that I preach was true and accurate, and I'm not going to take it back. I'm not going to deny it." Well, guess what? The court then sentenced him to be burned at the stake. And when he heard the sentence, Latimer said, "Well, let this hand be burned first, which signed the recantation."

And Latimer and Ridley were burned to death because they refused to recant. Now you stop and think, folks. That's pretty tough. What will enable us to stand to all of these things? And the answer is, God's bond is inseparable.

Identifying the 'Us' and the Love of Christ

Weaver traces 'us' back through Romans 8 to show it refers to God's elect, the predestined, called, justified, and glorified. He argues that 'the love of Christ' in verse 35 means Christ's love for us, not our love for Him, proven by verse 37.

Now, let's go back to verse 35 just for a moment. Watch this if you would, please. Verse 35, the question is, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Now, in the context, you've got to ask who the "us" is. "Who shall separate us?" Well, if you go back to verse 33, he answers it. "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?" Well, who is the "us"? It is God's elect. If you go back to verse 32, you'll answer it further. "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all." Who is the "us"? It is God's elect. If you'll look back in verse 31, "What shall we say then to these things?"

"If God be for us, who can be against us?" So who is the "us"? It is the ones that God is for. If you go back to verse 30, you'll find that the "us," the ones that God is for, is the one that He has predestinated, the ones that He has called, the ones that He has justified and glorified. So the question is, "Who shall be able to separate us?" If you go back to verse 29, you'll see it's the ones He foreknew. If you'll go back to verse 28, you'll find it's the ones that have been called according to His purpose.

So He gives us then two answers. First of all, He asked, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" By the way, look back in verse 30: "Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called, and whom He called, them He also justified, and whom He justified, them He also"—what?—"glorified." And note "glorified" is what? Past tense. Now let me ask you, does anybody in this room have a new body as of yet? No. But you have been glorified. Why? Because if you are one of these that is mentioned in Romans 8:28 through verse 35, there is an absolute certainty that you will be glorified, and it is so certain that God has already spoken of it in past tense. It has already basically happened. It is that sure.

Now, secondly, let me point out: He asked in verse 35, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Now, when he asked that question, it's important that you understand this answer. The love of Christ does not refer to the love that we have for Christ, but rather it refers to the love that He has for us. I'm going to prove that to you in just a moment. So the question is, "Who shall separate us" or "What shall separate us from the love that Christ has for us?" So in verse 35, listen to me. Paul is not asking, "Can our love stand up to these things?" He's asking, "Can the love of Christ stand up to these things?" That's the key issue. You see, that which is important is Christ's love to me. Yes, I want to love Christ.

But may I remind you what he said in Psalm 103?

Scripture Reading — Psalm 103:14

"He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are but dust."

What does that mean? That means He knows our limitations. He knows what we can do and what we cannot do. He knows everything about us. He said, "Brother Weaver, how in the world do you know that in verse 35 he's talking about Christ's love to us and not our love to Him?" Well, look down in verse 37. He says, "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." So the reference then is He that loves us, not we that love Him.

The Past Tense of Christ's Love and Its Significance

Weaver explains that 'loved us' in verse 37 is past tense, referring to Christ's once-for-all act of giving Himself on the cross, as seen in Romans 5 and Ephesians 5. This love is the foundation of our security.

Now, let me ask you another question. After you read in verse 35, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" and we know now that it is the love that Christ has for us—for it says in verse 37, "We're more than conquerors through Him that loved us"—my question is this: Why does verse 37 say that we're more than conquerors through Him that loved us? That's past tense. Does not Christ continue to love us? Does He not love us now? Well, yes, He does. Well, why did the Apostle Paul put this in past tense?

Let me tell you why. Because he is referring to the great act of His love wherein He gave Himself. Look in your Bibles to Romans 5. Romans 5, and let's begin reading there with verse 6. Romans 5, verse 6:

Scripture Reading — Romans 5:6-10

"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly"

—a once-for-all act, as we've seen last week.

Scripture Reading — Romans 5:6-10

"For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

"Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." So when Paul says, "through Him that loved us," he's talking about this great act that Christ did in giving Himself. Now, look in your Bibles to Ephesians 5, and let's begin there with verse 25. Ephesians 5 and verse 25. Most wives can quote this verse. Ephesians 5:25, the Word of God says,

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 5:25-27

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it."

Now watch:

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 5:25-27

"Even as the Lord loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish."

Now look what He said:

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 5:25-27

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it."

So when Paul says in Romans 8 and verse 37 that we're more than conquerors through Him that loved us, he's talking about the love that brought Christ to earth. He's talking about the love that made Christ become incarnate. He's talking about the love that Christ gave in laying down His life for us.

Now he is asking, "Who shall separate us from this love?" and the love is His love. Now, let's go back to verse 37. Watch carefully: "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors." So my next question is this: What are "these things"? He says, "Nay, in all these things." Well, in the immediate context, it would refer you back to verse 35 and what follows also below when he said, "Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" Are these things going to separate us? He says no. In all of these things, we're more than conquerors. Is death, is life, are angels, principalities, powers, things present, things to come? Are any of these things going to separate us? No. In all of these things, we're more than conquerors.

More Than Conquerors Through Christ's Love and Sovereignty

Weaver expounds 'more than conquerors' as not just winning but demolishing all opposition. This is possible because of Christ's inseparable love and God's sovereign power to work all things for good.

And I want you to note what he's saying. He is saying it is not just that we win. It is not just that we have the victory. It is not just that we are conquerors; he says we are more than conquerors. What does that mean? It means in all of these things, we not only face them and defeat them, we demolish them. We are more than conquerors. How is it we're more than conquerors? The answer is twofold. Number one, we're more than conquerors by the love of Christ because nothing shall ever separate us from the love of Christ. Secondly, we're more than conquerors through Him who is the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth.

That's what we've been preaching about for the last 17 weeks. What are we talking about in verse 28? "And we know that all things work together for good to them that are called according to His purpose." Why? Because He is sovereign, He is powerful, He is able to take all of these things—tribulation, distress, persecution, nakedness, peril, sword—He's able to take all of these things and make them work for our good.

Now, let me point something out. You may have already thought about this. But in one sense of the word, the world is mighty stupid. And when I use the word "world," I'm talking about the ungodly that are in the world, especially the ungodly leaders. In fact, God calls them fools. But what do I mean when I say that they're mighty stupid? If you would study history, biblical history, any history, you will find that all persecution has ever done to Christians is drive them closer to Christ and make them greater Christians. Now listen to me. It is not the attacks of the world that are our greatest enemy. It's the enticements of the world to our own flesh. Now let me show you what I'm talking about.

Persecution Drives Believers Closer to God

Weaver argues that persecution, rather than destroying faith, drives true Christians closer to God, as seen in Paul's writings and the example of Thomas Browning, who found sweeter consolation in deeper affliction.

Look in your Bibles to Romans 8 verse 18. You see, when you and I really get in trouble, when we really get persecuted, things start popping in our mind, such as, look what the apostle says in Romans 8 in verse 18:

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:18

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

What is he saying? Well, Paul says, "I think I can put up with a little loss of revenue, a little loss of liberty, a little loss of flesh, just so I may have the additional glory for being faithful to Christ." Look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter 1. 2 Corinthians chapter 1, and look in verse 5. 2 Corinthians 1 verse 5. I like this verse. 2 Corinthians 1 verse 5: "For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ." In other words, the more we suffer for Christ, the greater consolation and comfort we have in Christ. Look in verse 9. Paul said, "But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead."

When you get in trouble and under persecution, what does it do? It drives you to God, to His power, to His grace and His mercy, if you're a child of God. Now, if you're not a true Christian, persecution will drive you away from God. OK, but if you're a true Christian, it'll drive you closer to the Lord. Look in chapter 4 of 2 Corinthians, verses 17 and 18. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 17.

Now, by the way, before I read this, you've got to remember that Paul was stoned and left for dead, beaten with 40 stripes a number of times, spent a day and a night in the deep—that is, floating around in the ocean—hated, cursed, spit upon, finally had his head chopped off. Look what he writes: "For our light affliction"—remember, here's a man who's been stoned and left for dead—"for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." And so out of all of Paul's sufferings, what does he say? "This light affliction, which is but for a moment." You know, we can put up with a number of things for a little while if we understand that it's a moment and it has an end. And it's something light.

And all that Paul went through, he deems it but a light affliction. You remember what he said in Philippians chapter 1? When he was in prison and it looked like he was about to die there, he said, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." He said, "I am in a strait betwixt two." He said, "I have a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better"—for me, says Paul. But he said, "Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you." Now, he said, "The easy way out of this for me is just to die and be with the Lord. The difficult way is for me to live and continue to minister to you, but you need me, so God's not going to let me die at this particular time," and God didn't. But you see, the point I'm making is this.

Even if our lives are lost, humanly speaking, they're not lost. And all persecution can really do is drive us back to God. I want to read you a statement that was written by Thomas Browning. This was a godly pastor who suffered under the persecutions of Charles II of England. And Thomas Browning was in prison, facing death. He didn't know what. And here is an excerpt from a letter that he wrote to his congregation.

Quote: "The cup of afflictions for the gospel is the sweeter the deeper. The deeper the affliction, the sweeter it is. A stronger cordial, nearer the bottom. When you get to the very dregs and ultimate of it, the nearer you get to the bottom, the stronger the cordial. I mean," says he, "death itself." What is he saying? The more you suffer for Christ, the sweeter the consolation and the more grace God gives you. Let me tell you something. If you have ever wondered how is it that men could be tied to a stake and set on fire and be burned alive singing psalms and praising God, have you ever wondered how they can do that? I'll tell you how. Because when that time comes, God gives added grace, added courage, and added mercy. And so what Thomas Browning is saying, the closer you get to suffering death for Christ, the stronger the cordial, the sweeter it is, the more grace He bestows.

Paul's Persuasion and the Comprehensive List of Inseparable Things

Weaver examines verses 38-39, noting Paul's settled certainty ('I am persuaded') based on the truths of Romans 8. He emphasizes that nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love in Christ, and that this love is exclusively through Jesus.

So that's why the Apostle Paul says in Romans 8 and verse 37, "Nay, in all of these things, we're more than conquerors." What he's saying is Christ will never, ever let us go. That bond cannot be separated. Now, look in verse 38 and 39. Look at what he says: "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Now, as we go back to verse 38, the Apostle is not only summing up his argument, he's making a wonderful declaration. He says, "I am persuaded." I want you to know he's not depending upon his feelings. He's literally saying this: "For I am certain. This is positively true. I am persuaded. I am certain." Now the interesting thing is the Greek word is in the passive tense, which means Paul has been persuaded. In other words, Paul was not persuading himself.

Something external was persuading Paul of these truths. Well, what in the world persuaded him? Literally, it's the very truth that he is setting before us. What Paul is saying in verse 38 is, "I have come to the settled conclusion. I have come to this certainty. I have been persuaded of this." What was it that brought him to this persuasion? It's the truth that he's just laid before us in Romans 8:28 through verse 39. You go back to verse 29, you go back to verse 30: "Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called; whom He called, them He also justified; whom He justified, them He also glorified." Paul said, "I am absolutely persuaded."

Now, I want you to note in verse 39, he says this: "Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God." And note this descriptive phrase: "which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Now here's my question. Why was that descriptive phrase added, "the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord"? Let me tell you why. No doubt in Paul's day it was equally true then as today: there are many people who claim to love God, and to be in God's love, who hate and despise Jesus Christ. Now don't you see what Paul is saying? He says nothing is going to be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. You see, there are some people who claim to be in the love of God and they claim to love God, but yet they hate Christ. They hate repentance. They hate redemption. They hate reconciliation.

Are you listening to me? The only love that God the Father has is that love which is in Jesus Christ. Let me put this another way. To reject Jesus Christ is to reject the love of God. When people tell me, "Well, Brother Weaver, I love God, but I'm not a Christian," you don't love God. "Well, I love God, but I don't believe in that blood atonement." Well, you don't love God. "Well, I love God, but I don't believe the Bible." You don't love God. The only love that God has and the only love that God sheds abroad is that love which He has for us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Look in your Bibles to 1 John 3 and verse 16. 1 John 3, verse 16. Look at what he says:

Scripture Reading — 1 John 3:16

"Hereby perceive we the love of God."

Remember the word "perceive" means to lay hold on, to grab, to comprehend. "Hereby perceive we, hereby understand we, hereby comprehend we the love of God." How do we comprehend it? "Because He laid down His life for us." How did He do that? In Jesus Christ. How do we know that God loves us? In Jesus Christ. Look in 1 John chapter 4, beginning there, if you would please, with verse 8. 1 John 4 verse 8: "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." Now, wait a minute. "He that loveth not." But there are a lot of people who claim to love, but they really don't love. Look at this explanation: "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him."

Four Pillars of Assurance: Love, Power, Oath, and Character of God

Weaver summarizes four truths that lead to Paul's conclusion: the love of God, the power of God, the oath of God (e.g., Hebrews 13:5), and the unchanging character of God. These guarantee the believer's final glorification.

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." How did God love us? Through Christ, through giving Christ. And when someone tries to say, "Well, I love God, but I don't love Christ" or "I love God, but I don't believe the Bible," that's impossible. That's impossible. Because the way that God loved us, He loved us in Christ and sent His Son to be our Redeemer and give us redemption.

Now, let's go back to Romans 8. Look at what he says. Romans 8, verse 35: "Who or what shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation?" Nah. "Distress?" No. "Persecution?" No. "Famine?" No. "Nakedness, peril, sword?" No. That's not going to do it. We're more than conquerors through Him that loved us. Look what he says in verse 38: "For I am persuaded, I am confident, I am certain, I have a settled conclusion, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature"—anything that you can imagine—"nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Now, I want to give you a summary of what Paul is laying out in Romans 8. He tells us there are basically four things that you and I can use to come to the same settled conclusion that he came to. What are those four things? First of all, it's the love of Christ.

You could put down the love of God, because the love of God and the love of Christ are one and the same. And he's saying nothing is going to sever that bond. Well, let me ask you a question. "Brother Weaver, suppose I stop loving Christ." Here's my question: Is your salvation dependent upon your love for Christ or His love for you? Very clearly, it's dependent upon His love for you. And the truth of the matter is this: the most holy and the most godly saint does not love Jesus Christ the way Jesus Christ deserves to be loved. I'm glad salvation is not based upon how I love Him, but it's based upon how He loves me. So he gives you this love of God. He said, if you will consider this, you're going to come to the same conclusion that I came to. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Then in verse 37, "We're more than conquerors through Him that loved us." Secondly, He wants you to consider the power of God. Look back in verse 31.

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 6:18

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" What good would it do for anyone to be against us? None. And I'm not going to make you turn there and read, but in 1 Peter 1, you need to read where the Apostle Peter says that we're kept by the power of God unto salvation. I don't keep myself; God keeps me by His power. How do I know that I am just so surely and certainly glorified as if I had already been? Because of the love of God, because of the power of God. Thirdly, because of the oath of God. Do you remember back in Hebrews chapter 6, where he says by two immutable things—and one is it is impossible for God to lie—and then secondly, he talks about the oath that God has given. May I remind you of what our Lord said in Hebrews chapter 13 in verse 5.

"I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." So you have the very oath of God. You have the power of God. You have the love of God. And there's a fourth thing that you have that's mentioned all through this, and that is the character of God. God's not going to change His verdict. God's not going to change His pardon. How do I know God's not going to change His pardon? Because He said in Malachi 3:6, "I, the Lord, change not." God is immutable. He says that the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance. Jeremiah 31, verse 3, says, "Yea, with an everlasting love have I loved thee; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." So God is immutable. God is unchangeable. And Paul is saying, if you will consider these four truths—the love of God, the power of God, the oath of God, the character of God—you too can come to this settled conclusion that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Now, one last passage. Look in your Bibles to Isaiah 40. Many of you in here can quote this passage, but look at it. It is so beautiful. It is so powerful. I want to be able to read it. Isaiah 40, and let's begin reading there with verse 26. Isaiah 40, verse 26: "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: He calleth them all by names by the greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one faileth."

Conclusion: Look to the Lord, Not Circumstances

Weaver closes with Isaiah 40:26-31, urging believers to look to the Lord's strength rather than their own weakness. He reaffirms that nothing can separate us from God's love, and prays for grace and assurance.

"Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, 'My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God'? Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

Now let me tell you, if you're discouraged, if you're defeated, if you're distressed, if you're doubtful, if you're upset, you're looking at the wrong person. You're looking at yourself and other people and circumstances. But if you look to the Lord, you'll find His love, His power, His oath, and His character. And He never fails. How certain am I that the saints will be finally, totally, completely glorified? Just as certain as God is. For God is the one who is our guarantee. If you can make God fail, if you can overthrow God, then we've got problems. But until you can do that, I'm going to agree with the Apostle Paul, "For I am persuaded, I'm confident, I'm settled, that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Father, in Thy holy and blessed name, we pray today. We ask for Your grace and Your mercy. We thank Thee, Father, for the assurance of salvation that we have through Jesus Christ. We ask, Father, that You bless us, fill us up in the most holy faith. In Thy name we pray, Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Inseparability of Christ's Love

Summary: The central theme is that nothing can separate believers from the love of Christ, which is His love for us, not our love for Him. This bond is unbreakable because it is grounded in God's sovereign, electing love demonstrated at the cross.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'Paul is not asking, "Can our love stand up to these things?" He's asking, "Can the love of Christ stand up to these things?"' (20:53.9-21:20.9) and 'the love of Christ does not refer to the love that we have for Christ, but rather it refers to the love that He has for us' (19:48.4-20:53.4).

Perseverance of the Saints Through Trials

Summary: Believers are 'more than conquerors' over tribulation, distress, persecution, and even death, not by their own strength but through Christ who loved them. Trials drive true Christians closer to God rather than separating them.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'in all of these things, we not only face them and defeat them, we demolish them. We are more than conquerors' (25:32.2-26:19.9) and 'all persecution has ever done to Christians is drive them closer to Christ and make them greater Christians' (27:57.8-28:58.1).

The Sovereignty and Faithfulness of God

Summary: God's power, oath, and unchanging character guarantee the believer's final salvation. Because God is immutable and sovereign, His purposes in election and glorification cannot fail.

Evidence: Weaver summarizes: 'the love of God, the power of God, the oath of God, the character of God... God is immutable. God is unchangeable' (44:52.2-46:06.0) and 'How certain am I that the saints will be finally, totally, completely glorified? Just as certain as God is' (47:32.6-49:12.3).

The Exclusive Love of God in Christ

Summary: God's love is only found in Jesus Christ. To reject Christ is to reject God's love. The love of God is manifested in sending His Son as the propitiation for sins.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'The only love that God the Father has is that love which is in Jesus Christ... To reject Jesus Christ is to reject the love of God' (38:05.4-38:45.6) and cites 1 John 4:9-10.

The Certainty of Glorification for the Elect

Summary: Those whom God predestined, called, and justified are already spoken of as glorified in the past tense, indicating the absolute certainty of their future glorification.

Evidence: Weaver notes: 'note "glorified" is what? Past tense... there is an absolute certainty that you will be glorified, and it is so certain that God has already spoken of it in past tense' (18:51.0-19:47.1).

The Role of Suffering in the Christian Life

Summary: Suffering for Christ produces greater consolation, drives believers to trust God, and works an eternal weight of glory. Paul considered his severe afflictions 'light' and momentary.

Evidence: Weaver quotes 2 Corinthians 4:17: 'For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory' and comments on Paul's perspective (29:54.5-31:05.6).

Key Arguments

The question in verse 35 is about Christ's love for us, not our love for Him

Summary: Weaver argues that 'the love of Christ' refers to Christ's love for believers, proven by verse 37 ('through Him that loved us'). This shifts the focus from human frailty to divine faithfulness.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'Paul is not asking, "Can our love stand up to these things?" He's asking, "Can the love of Christ stand up to these things?"' and points to verse 37: 'through Him that loved us' (20:53.9-21:31.3).

The past tense 'loved us' points to the cross as the definitive act of love

Summary: Weaver explains that 'loved us' in verse 37 is past tense because it refers to Christ's once-for-all sacrificial death, as described in Romans 5:6-10 and Ephesians 5:25. This act secures believers forever.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'he is referring to the great act of His love wherein He gave Himself' and cites Romans 5:8 and Ephesians 5:25 (22:12.1-24:28.9).

Believers are 'more than conquerors' because they not only endure but triumph over all opposition

Summary: Weaver argues that 'more than conquerors' means believers demolish every foe through Christ's love and God's sovereign power, which works all things for good.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'it is not just that we win... we demolish them. We are more than conquerors' and links this to Romans 8:28 (25:32.2-26:44.3).

Persecution strengthens rather than destroys true faith

Summary: Weaver contends that persecution drives genuine Christians to God, as seen in Paul's writings and historical examples like Thomas Browning. The world's attacks are not the greatest enemy; enticements are.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'all persecution has ever done to Christians is drive them closer to Christ' and quotes Thomas Browning: 'The cup of afflictions for the gospel is the sweeter the deeper' (27:57.8-28:58.1; 32:53.0-33:37.6).

Paul's persuasion is based on objective truth, not subjective feeling

Summary: Weaver notes that 'I am persuaded' is passive, meaning Paul was persuaded by external truth—the doctrines of predestination, calling, justification, and glorification in Romans 8:28-30.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'the Greek word is in the passive tense, which means Paul has been persuaded... by the very truth that he is setting before us' (34:26.9-36:44.9).

God's love is exclusively in Christ; rejecting Christ is rejecting God's love

Summary: Weaver argues that the phrase 'the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord' means there is no access to God's love apart from Christ. Those who claim to love God but reject Christ are deceived.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'The only love that God the Father has is that love which is in Jesus Christ... To reject Jesus Christ is to reject the love of God' (38:05.4-38:45.6).

Four divine attributes guarantee the believer's security

Summary: Weaver summarizes that the love, power, oath, and unchanging character of God provide an unshakeable foundation for assurance. God's immutability means His verdict and pardon will not change.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'if you will consider these four truths—the love of God, the power of God, the oath of God, the character of God—you too can come to this settled conclusion' (44:52.2-46:06.0).

Scripture References

Romans 8:28-39

Context: The entire passage is read at the beginning and forms the basis of the sermon. Weaver focuses on verses 35-39 as the climax of Paul's argument for the perseverance of the saints.

Psalm 44:22

Context: Quoted in Romans 8:36 to show that the trials believers face are because of their identification with God. Weaver emphasizes 'For thy sake we are killed all the day long.'

John 15:18-20

Context: Alluded to when Weaver says, 'If they have hated me, they're going to hate you. If they persecuted me, they're going to persecute you.' Used to explain why Christians suffer persecution.

2 Timothy 3:12

Context: Weaver quotes: 'This know that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution' to assert that persecution is certain for godly believers.

Hebrews 11:37-38

Context: Referenced when Weaver describes the hardships of Old Testament saints: 'wandering in deserts and in dens and in caves of the earth, wearing sheepskin and goatskin.'

Psalm 103:14

Context: Weaver quotes: 'He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are but dust' to emphasize God's understanding of human weakness.

Romans 5:6-10

Context: Read to show that Christ's love is demonstrated in His death for the ungodly. Weaver uses this to explain the past tense 'loved us' in Romans 8:37.

Ephesians 5:25-27

Context: Read to illustrate Christ's love for the church in giving Himself for it, paralleling the once-for-all act of love.

Romans 8:18

Context: Quoted to show Paul's perspective that present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with future glory, encouraging endurance.

2 Corinthians 1:5, 9

Context: Read to demonstrate that as sufferings abound, so does consolation in Christ, and that trials teach believers to trust in God who raises the dead.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

Context: Quoted to show Paul calling his severe afflictions 'light' and momentary, working an eternal weight of glory.

Philippians 1:21-24

Context: Referenced to illustrate Paul's attitude toward life and death: 'For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.'

1 John 3:16

Context: Read to show that we perceive God's love because Christ laid down His life for us.

1 John 4:8-10

Context: Read to emphasize that God's love was manifested in sending His Son as the propitiation for our sins.

1 Peter 1:5

Context: Referenced when Weaver says believers are 'kept by the power of God unto salvation,' supporting the theme of God's preserving power.

Hebrews 6:18

Context: Alluded to when Weaver mentions 'two immutable things'—God's promise and oath—as grounds for assurance.

Hebrews 13:5

Context: Quoted: 'I will never leave thee nor forsake thee' as an example of God's oath guaranteeing His presence.

Malachi 3:6

Context: Quoted: 'I, the Lord, change not' to support God's immutability and the unchangeable nature of His verdict and pardon.

Jeremiah 31:3

Context: Quoted: 'Yea, with an everlasting love have I loved thee; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee' to illustrate God's eternal, drawing love.

Isaiah 40:26-31

Context: Read as a closing encouragement to look to the Lord for strength, promising that those who wait on Him will renew their strength.

Historical References

Nero's persecution of Christians

Context: Weaver describes how Nero used Christians as human torches to light his gardens at night, illustrating the severe persecution early believers faced.

Roman requirement to swear by the genius of Caesar

Context: Weaver explains that Christians were killed not merely for being Christians but for refusing to say 'Caesar is Lord,' which was considered treason.

Latimer and Ridley burned at the stake

Context: Weaver recounts the story of Hugh Latimer, who initially recanted but later repented and was burned with Nicholas Ridley at Oxford. Latimer said, 'Let this hand be burned first, which signed the recantation.'

Bataan Death March (World War II)

Context: Weaver shares a personal story about a friend who survived the Bataan Death March and ate rice for three years, illustrating endurance through distress.

Communist psychological torture: meaningless labor

Context: Weaver mentions how communists broke prisoners by forcing them to perform meaningless tasks like moving rocks back and forth, contrasting it with doing all for God's glory.

Thomas Browning, pastor under Charles II

Context: Weaver quotes a letter from Thomas Browning, who wrote from prison that the deeper the affliction for the gospel, the sweeter the consolation, even unto death.

Important Quotes

Paul is not asking, 'Can our love stand up to these things?' He's asking, 'Can the love of Christ stand up to these things?'

Significance: This quote captures the central interpretive shift Weaver makes: the security of the believer rests on Christ's love for us, not our love for Him.

All persecution has ever done to Christians is drive them closer to Christ and make them greater Christians.

Significance: This summarizes Weaver's argument that trials serve to strengthen rather than destroy genuine faith.

The cup of afflictions for the gospel is the sweeter the deeper. The deeper the affliction, the sweeter it is. A stronger cordial, nearer the bottom.

Significance: A historical quote from Thomas Browning illustrating that God gives greater grace in greater suffering.

For I am persuaded, I'm confident, I'm settled, that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Significance: Weaver's concluding declaration of assurance, echoing Paul's words and applying them to the congregation.

How certain am I that the saints will be finally, totally, completely glorified? Just as certain as God is. For God is the one who is our guarantee.

Significance: This ties the certainty of glorification directly to the character and faithfulness of God.

Discussion Questions

How does understanding that 'the love of Christ' in Romans 8:35 refers to His love for us, not our love for Him, change the way you face trials?

Context: Weaver emphasizes this interpretive point to shift focus from human weakness to divine faithfulness.

In what ways have you experienced persecution or distress driving you closer to God rather than away from Him?

Context: Weaver argues that true Christians are strengthened by trials, citing Paul and historical examples.

Why is it significant that Paul uses the past tense 'glorified' in Romans 8:30? How does this affect your assurance of salvation?

Context: Weaver points out the past tense as evidence of the certainty of future glorification for the elect.

What does it mean to be 'more than conquerors' in the midst of suffering? How can we live out this reality?

Context: Weaver explains that it means not just enduring but demolishing opposition through Christ's love and power.

How do the love, power, oath, and character of God provide a foundation for your personal assurance? Which of these do you most need to meditate on?

Context: Weaver summarizes these four pillars as the basis for Paul's persuasion and our own settled confidence.

Why is it impossible to love God while rejecting Jesus Christ, according to Weaver's exposition of 1 John 4?

Context: Weaver argues that God's love is exclusively in Christ, so rejecting Christ is rejecting God's love.

How can the example of Christians like Latimer, Ridley, or Thomas Browning encourage you in your own faith when facing pressure to compromise?

Context: Weaver uses historical martyrs to illustrate the grace given in extreme trials.

Applications

Rest in Christ's love, not your own

Summary: Believers should find security not in the strength of their love for Christ but in the unbreakable love Christ has for them, demonstrated at the cross.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'Is your salvation dependent upon your love for Christ or His love for you? Very clearly, it's dependent upon His love for you' (42:24.3-42:58.1).

View trials as opportunities for greater grace

Summary: Instead of fearing persecution or hardship, believers can expect God to provide added grace and consolation, drawing them closer to Himself.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Thomas Browning: 'The deeper the affliction, the sweeter it is' and explains that God gives added grace in suffering (33:37.6-34:26.5).

Do all for God's glory, even in meaningless circumstances

Summary: Weaver applies 1 Corinthians 10:31 to the example of forced meaningless labor, teaching that doing everything for God's glory gives purpose and prevents breakdown.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'if I move that rock to this side of the road one day, why am I doing it? For the glory of God... There is a meaning then even to what the world would call meaningless labor' (13:05.1-13:40.5).

Look to God's character, not circumstances

Summary: When discouraged or doubtful, believers should meditate on God's love, power, oath, and unchanging nature rather than focusing on their own weakness or external pressures.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'if you're discouraged, if you're defeated... you're looking at the wrong person. You're looking at yourself and other people and circumstances. But if you look to the Lord, you'll find His love, His power, His oath, and His character' (47:32.6-49:12.3).

Embrace the exclusivity of Christ for salvation

Summary: Weaver warns that claiming to love God while rejecting Christ, His atonement, or His Word is self-deception. True love for God is only possible through faith in Jesus.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'To reject Jesus Christ is to reject the love of God... The only love that God has and the only love that God sheds abroad is that love which He has for us in Christ Jesus our Lord' (38:05.4-38:45.6).

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-04T19:36:03Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-05T21:25:39Z

Clean Transcript

Romans 8:28-39 Series - Part 18

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called, and whom He called, them He also justified, and whom He justified, them He also glorified. What shall we say, then, to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"
#1 | 0:02 to 0:38 | cleaned
"Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, 'For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.'"
#2 | 0:39 to 1:05 | cleaned
"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
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Now, after having dealt with Romans 8:28-30, I told you that that section was where Paul was teaching positive doctrine. And then when I began in verses 31-39, I told you this was a negative section in the sense that Paul was dealing with the objections and the challenges to the truth that he was teaching in Romans 8:28-30. So the two verses 28-30 are positive, and 31-39 then are negative. May I point out the fact: in verse 31, I showed you here was an attack on God's person, and Paul's answer was that the person of God is invincible. In verse 32 is an attack upon God's grace, and Paul's answer is that God's grace is inexhaustible. When you come to verse 33, here's an attack upon God's verdict, and the answer is God's verdict is incontrovertible. When you come to verse 34, here's an attack upon God's pardon, and the answer is God's pardon is incontestable. And now we come down to verse 35 through verse 39.
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I'm going to share with you today that God's bond is inseparable. Now this argument that the Apostle Paul gives us in verses 35-39 is in reality the climax to this entire argument listed in Romans chapter 8. In fact, the passage may be broken down as follows. You could say that verses 35-37 is the last challenge that the apostle undertakes to the final perseverance of the saints. Then verses 38-39, he not only finishes the particular argument, but at the same time, he is summarizing even the entirety of the argument, the argument that began back in verse 31. I pointed out in verse 31, God's person is invincible. In verse 32, God's grace is inexhaustible. In verse 33, God's verdict is incontrovertible. And then in verse 34, God's pardon is incontestable. Now, in each of these, here was a challenge to the perseverance of the saints. When we come down to verse 35, which is the final objection, the final challenge, I want you to notice something different.
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In all of these previous challenges, each of these challenges has been in reference to God: God's person, God's power, God's verdict, God's attitude. But when the Apostle Paul begins in verse 35 and verse 36, he now takes the challenge from a different perspective, and that is, this challenge arises from our side. So the question then is, what if we should fail? What if we should falter? Well, what would make us fail or falter? Look in verse 35. The question is, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Now watch: "Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" In other words, here are some of the things that we might consider that would indeed make us fall and make us fail.
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Now, I want you to pay close attention to verse 36. In verse 36, he quotes from the Old Testament. He quotes Psalm 44 and verse 22 when he says, "As it is written, 'For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.'" Now, in quoting Psalm 44 and verse 22, Paul is emphasizing—now listen—that the trials and the persecution and the distress and the famine and the slaughter that comes to us in verse 35 arises from the fact that we are Christians. That's why he says in verse 36, "For thy sake we are killed all the day long." In other words, all of these things are coming upon us just simply by virtue of the fact that we are Christians.
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Now, our Lord has told us in the New Testament, "If they have hated me, they're going to hate you. If they persecuted me, they're going to persecute you. The servant is not greater than the master." So very clearly, we are going to be persecuted just simply because of the fact that we're Christians. The Apostle Paul said it a little more plainly when he said it like this:
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"This know that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution"—not hope so, not maybe so, not a possibility. But he said, if you live godly, you shall suffer persecution.
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Now, all you have to do is stop and think back to the early Christians. Stop and think back to the first century. Many Christians were tortured. Many Christians were slain, just simply by virtue of the fact that they were Christians.
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Now let me explain that. It was not necessarily just an all-out attack upon Christians just because they were Christians. There were political implications. You see, in Rome, you could believe whatever you wanted to believe. If you wanted to worship Aphrodite, have at it. If you wanted to worship Diana, go for it. They could care less. If you wanted to worship Jesus Christ, it did not bother the Roman emperors. You could worship Jesus Christ as long as you wanted to worship Jesus Christ, just so long as once a year you swore by the genius of Caesar. Just so, once a year minimum, you said "Caesar is Lord." In other words, it's Caesar who gives me my liberty. It's Caesar who gives me my privileges. It's Caesar who enables me to believe what I want to believe. And the early Christians refused to say that Caesar is Lord. They said, "How can we say that? Caesar is not Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord." And so Christians were put to death, not just simply for being Christians, but because they refused to swear by the genius of Caesar.
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They refused to say that Caesar is Lord. And they were put to death then as traitors to the state. They were considered treasonous individuals. And so you could usually say, "For thy sake we are killed all the day long." Every one of you have heard of Nero. Nero was a wicked, ungodly emperor. And it is a fact of history that when Nero wanted to go out at night and view his gardens, he had Christians tied to stakes, poured over them a form of petroleum, and lit them alive.
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And as their bodies burned and gave off light, he walked around and smelled the roses, so to speak. And so here is a certain truth: "For thy sake we're killed all the day long." And they were killed just simply because they were Christians and they refused to say that Caesar is Lord.
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Now, look, if you would please, at verse 35. The question is, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation?" Now, let me tell you about the term "tribulation." This is from the Latin word "tribulum." It is where we get our English word "tribulation" from. The Greek word is "thlipsis." But our English word "tribulation" comes from the Latin "tribulum." The tribulum was a means whereby the Romans threshed their grain. The tribulum was a large board or table.
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And it had sticking up through it pieces of flint and iron and anything that was tough. And then the Romans would take their wheat and they would beat it over this tribulum, thus tribulation. And as they would beat it down, the word "tribulation" then came to mean any type of hardship that beat you down or pressed you down or even brought you to death. In fact, by the way, if you look in verse 36, when he quotes from Psalm 44, he says, "As it is written, 'For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.'" So there is an apt picture of death. So this tribulation sometimes was even unto death, as sheep being led to the slaughter.
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Now, he mentions in verse 35, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress?" Now, all of us know what tribulation is. I've just explained it. It's being literally beaten down, distressed. But do you realize distress can be more than physical? Distress can be mental and emotional as well. I don't know if you've ever studied the history of prisoners of war. Some of you may have been.
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We had a good friend who was in the Bataan Death March. And one day he was at our house and my wife had fixed rice as part of the meal, you know. And all of a sudden it dawned on me—we were not related, but we always called him Uncle Bob. I said, "Oh, Uncle Bob," I said, "I'm sorry, I never thought about it, but my wife has rice on the table."
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He said, "That's OK, that's OK." He said, "I love rice. That's what kept me alive for three years." So, you know, you tend to think that you'd get tired of something like that. But although Uncle Bob lived physically, he never would discuss all the horrors and all the things that he went through because of the stress that it brought back. I thought about this as I was preparing this message. I read years ago about one of the things that the communists did to break down men was to make them perform meaningless labor.
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In other words, here's a rock over here. They would make you work all day putting it on this side of the road. The next day, you'd have to work all day putting it back on the other side of the road, and just continually day after day, week after week, month after month until, you know, what's the point of even living? In other words, they had you literally broken down. But, you know, it dawned on me: if you and I would learn to follow biblical truth, we could never be broken down like that. Why?
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Because Scripture says, "Whatever we do in word or deed, or whether we eat or drink, do what? Do all for the glory of God." So if I move that rock to this side of the road one day, why am I doing it? For the glory of God. If I move it to the other side the next day, why am I doing it? For the glory of God.
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You see what I'm saying? There is a meaning then even to what the world would call meaningless labor. So the apostle is saying, tribulation is not going to separate us from the love of Christ, nor distress, nor persecution, nor famine, nor sword.
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Now, the question is this. When you start looking at all of these things, you've got to ask yourself this question: How in the world can we stand up to all of these things? How is it possible that you and I could live under this strain? You've got to know, as well as I do, that flesh is frail. The flesh is weak. If you and I were put under the pressures of first-century Christians—now I realize that many of us are being attacked. I understand that. And we're losing money. We may be even losing our livelihood. We may be facing prison. And that's bad.
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I'm not trying to minimize that. That is bad. But may I point out the fact, at least right now, we're not wandering in deserts and in dens and in caves of the earth, wearing sheepskin and goatskin, being destitute, tormented like they were in New Testament times. And Hebrews 11 speaks very eloquently of what some of these individuals went through. At least we still have the clothes on our backs and at least we can still eat and at least we still have comfortable homes.
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We don't go through what they have gone through. But how in the world, you think, can we stand up to all of this? I mean, that's a good question. That's a good challenge. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" And then he says, "Shall any of these things that I've just mentioned separate us?" Is it possible? Is it possible that we could fail because of the weakness of our flesh?
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They cause the pressure and the persecution. Years ago, I had the opportunity to go to England and study for two weeks. And one of the spots I visited was around Oxford University where Latimer and Ridley were burned at the stake. I think you may have been there as well. Latimer was a tremendous preacher. And do you realize he sought originally to save his life by recanting, that is, by denying what he had preached, what he had taught concerning Jesus Christ. And his life was spared because he recanted. After he recanted and his life was spared, he was so remorseful, he was so repentant that he marched back and said, "I recant my recantation. I believe in Jesus Christ and I believe everything that I preach was true and accurate, and I'm not going to take it back. I'm not going to deny it." Well, guess what? The court then sentenced him to be burned at the stake. And when he heard the sentence, Latimer said, "Well, let this hand be burned first, which signed the recantation."
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And Latimer and Ridley were burned to death because they refused to recant. Now you stop and think, folks. That's pretty tough. What will enable us to stand to all of these things? And the answer is, God's bond is inseparable.
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Now, let's go back to verse 35 just for a moment. Watch this if you would, please. Verse 35, the question is, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"
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Now, in the context, you've got to ask who the "us" is. "Who shall separate us?" Well, if you go back to verse 33, he answers it. "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?" Well, who is the "us"? It is God's elect. If you go back to verse 32, you'll answer it further. "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all." Who is the "us"? It is God's elect. If you'll look back in verse 31, "What shall we say then to these things?"
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"If God be for us, who can be against us?" So who is the "us"? It is the ones that God is for. If you go back to verse 30, you'll find that the "us," the ones that God is for, is the one that He has predestinated, the ones that He has called, the ones that He has justified and glorified. So the question is, "Who shall be able to separate us?" If you go back to verse 29, you'll see it's the ones He foreknew. If you'll go back to verse 28, you'll find it's the ones that have been called according to His purpose.
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So He gives us then two answers. First of all, He asked, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" By the way, look back in verse 30: "Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called, and whom He called, them He also justified, and whom He justified, them He also"—what?—"glorified." And note "glorified" is what? Past tense.
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Now let me ask you, does anybody in this room have a new body as of yet? No. But you have been glorified. Why? Because if you are one of these that is mentioned in Romans 8:28 through verse 35, there is an absolute certainty that you will be glorified, and it is so certain that God has already spoken of it in past tense. It has already basically happened. It is that sure.
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Now, secondly, let me point out: He asked in verse 35, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Now, when he asked that question, it's important that you understand this answer. The love of Christ does not refer to the love that we have for Christ, but rather it refers to the love that He has for us. I'm going to prove that to you in just a moment. So the question is, "Who shall separate us" or "What shall separate us from the love that Christ has for us?" So in verse 35, listen to me. Paul is not asking, "Can our love stand up to these things?" He's asking, "Can the love of Christ stand up to these things?" That's the key issue. You see, that which is important is Christ's love to me. Yes, I want to love Christ.
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But may I remind you what he said in Psalm 103? "He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are but dust." What does that mean? That means He knows our limitations. He knows what we can do and what we cannot do. He knows everything about us. He said, "Brother Weaver, how in the world do you know that in verse 35 he's talking about Christ's love to us and not our love to Him?" Well, look down in verse 37.
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He says, "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." So the reference then is He that loves us, not we that love Him.
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Now, let me ask you another question. After you read in verse 35, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" and we know now that it is the love that Christ has for us—for it says in verse 37, "We're more than conquerors through Him that loved us"—my question is this: Why does verse 37 say that we're more than conquerors through Him that loved us? That's past tense. Does not Christ continue to love us? Does He not love us now? Well, yes, He does. Well, why did the Apostle Paul put this in past tense?
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Let me tell you why. Because he is referring to the great act of His love wherein He gave Himself. Look in your Bibles to Romans 5. Romans 5, and let's begin reading there with verse 6. Romans 5, verse 6: "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly"—a once-for-all act, as we've seen last week. "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
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"Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." So when Paul says, "through Him that loved us," he's talking about this great act that Christ did in giving Himself.
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Now, look in your Bibles to Ephesians 5, and let's begin there with verse 25. Ephesians 5 and verse 25. Most wives can quote this verse. Ephesians 5:25, the Word of God says, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it." Now watch: "Even as the Lord loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish." Now look what He said: "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it." So when Paul says in Romans 8 and verse 37 that we're more than conquerors through Him that loved us, he's talking about the love that brought Christ to earth. He's talking about the love that made Christ become incarnate. He's talking about the love that Christ gave in laying down His life for us.
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Now he is asking, "Who shall separate us from this love?" and the love is His love. Now, let's go back to verse 37. Watch carefully: "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors." So my next question is this: What are "these things"? He says, "Nay, in all these things." Well, in the immediate context, it would refer you back to verse 35 and what follows also below when he said, "Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" Are these things going to separate us? He says no. In all of these things, we're more than conquerors. Is death, is life, are angels, principalities, powers, things present, things to come? Are any of these things going to separate us? No. In all of these things, we're more than conquerors.
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And I want you to note what he's saying. He is saying it is not just that we win. It is not just that we have the victory. It is not just that we are conquerors; he says we are more than conquerors. What does that mean? It means in all of these things, we not only face them and defeat them, we demolish them. We are more than conquerors. How is it we're more than conquerors? The answer is twofold. Number one, we're more than conquerors by the love of Christ because nothing shall ever separate us from the love of Christ. Secondly, we're more than conquerors through Him who is the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth.
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That's what we've been preaching about for the last 17 weeks. What are we talking about in verse 28? "And we know that all things work together for good to them that are called according to His purpose." Why? Because He is sovereign, He is powerful, He is able to take all of these things—tribulation, distress, persecution, nakedness, peril, sword—He's able to take all of these things and make them work for our good.
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Now, let me point something out. You may have already thought about this. But in one sense of the word, the world is mighty stupid. And when I use the word "world," I'm talking about the ungodly that are in the world, especially the ungodly leaders. In fact, God calls them fools. But what do I mean when I say that they're mighty stupid? If you would study history, biblical history, any history, you will find that all persecution has ever done to Christians is drive them closer to Christ and make them greater Christians. Now listen to me. It is not the attacks of the world that are our greatest enemy. It's the enticements of the world to our own flesh. Now let me show you what I'm talking about.
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Look in your Bibles to Romans 8 verse 18. You see, when you and I really get in trouble, when we really get persecuted, things start popping in our mind, such as, look what the apostle says in Romans 8 in verse 18: "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." What is he saying? Well, Paul says, "I think I can put up with a little loss of revenue, a little loss of liberty, a little loss of flesh, just so I may have the additional glory for being faithful to Christ." Look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter 1. 2 Corinthians chapter 1, and look in verse 5. 2 Corinthians 1 verse 5. I like this verse. 2 Corinthians 1 verse 5: "For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ." In other words, the more we suffer for Christ, the greater consolation and comfort we have in Christ. Look in verse 9. Paul said, "But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead."
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When you get in trouble and under persecution, what does it do? It drives you to God, to His power, to His grace and His mercy, if you're a child of God. Now, if you're not a true Christian, persecution will drive you away from God. OK, but if you're a true Christian, it'll drive you closer to the Lord. Look in chapter 4 of 2 Corinthians, verses 17 and 18. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 17.
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Now, by the way, before I read this, you've got to remember that Paul was stoned and left for dead, beaten with 40 stripes a number of times, spent a day and a night in the deep—that is, floating around in the ocean—hated, cursed, spit upon, finally had his head chopped off. Look what he writes: "For our light affliction"—remember, here's a man who's been stoned and left for dead—"for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." And so out of all of Paul's sufferings, what does he say? "This light affliction, which is but for a moment." You know, we can put up with a number of things for a little while if we understand that it's a moment and it has an end. And it's something light.
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And all that Paul went through, he deems it but a light affliction. You remember what he said in Philippians chapter 1? When he was in prison and it looked like he was about to die there, he said, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." He said, "I am in a strait betwixt two." He said, "I have a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better"—for me, says Paul.
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But he said, "Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you." Now, he said, "The easy way out of this for me is just to die and be with the Lord. The difficult way is for me to live and continue to minister to you, but you need me, so God's not going to let me die at this particular time," and God didn't. But you see, the point I'm making is this.
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Even if our lives are lost, humanly speaking, they're not lost. And all persecution can really do is drive us back to God. I want to read you a statement that was written by Thomas Browning. This was a godly pastor who suffered under the persecutions of Charles II of England. And Thomas Browning was in prison, facing death. He didn't know what. And here is an excerpt from a letter that he wrote to his congregation.
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Quote: "The cup of afflictions for the gospel is the sweeter the deeper. The deeper the affliction, the sweeter it is. A stronger cordial, nearer the bottom. When you get to the very dregs and ultimate of it, the nearer you get to the bottom, the stronger the cordial. I mean," says he, "death itself." What is he saying? The more you suffer for Christ, the sweeter the consolation and the more grace God gives you.
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Let me tell you something. If you have ever wondered how is it that men could be tied to a stake and set on fire and be burned alive singing psalms and praising God, have you ever wondered how they can do that? I'll tell you how. Because when that time comes, God gives added grace, added courage, and added mercy. And so what Thomas Browning is saying, the closer you get to suffering death for Christ, the stronger the cordial, the sweeter it is, the more grace He bestows.
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So that's why the Apostle Paul says in Romans 8 and verse 37, "Nay, in all of these things, we're more than conquerors." What he's saying is Christ will never, ever let us go. That bond cannot be separated. Now, look in verse 38 and 39. Look at what he says: "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Now, as we go back to verse 38, the Apostle is not only summing up his argument, he's making a wonderful declaration. He says, "I am persuaded." I want you to know he's not depending upon his feelings. He's literally saying this: "For I am certain. This is positively true. I am persuaded. I am certain." Now the interesting thing is the Greek word is in the passive tense, which means Paul has been persuaded. In other words, Paul was not persuading himself.
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Something external was persuading Paul of these truths. Well, what in the world persuaded him? Literally, it's the very truth that he is setting before us. What Paul is saying in verse 38 is, "I have come to the settled conclusion. I have come to this certainty. I have been persuaded of this." What was it that brought him to this persuasion? It's the truth that he's just laid before us in Romans 8:28 through verse 39. You go back to verse 29, you go back to verse 30: "Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called; whom He called, them He also justified; whom He justified, them He also glorified." Paul said, "I am absolutely persuaded."
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Now, I want you to note in verse 39, he says this: "Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God." And note this descriptive phrase: "which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Now here's my question. Why was that descriptive phrase added, "the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord"? Let me tell you why. No doubt in Paul's day it was equally true then as today: there are many people who claim to love God, and to be in God's love, who hate and despise Jesus Christ. Now don't you see what Paul is saying? He says nothing is going to be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. You see, there are some people who claim to be in the love of God and they claim to love God, but yet they hate Christ. They hate repentance. They hate redemption. They hate reconciliation.
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Are you listening to me? The only love that God the Father has is that love which is in Jesus Christ. Let me put this another way. To reject Jesus Christ is to reject the love of God. When people tell me, "Well, Brother Weaver, I love God, but I'm not a Christian," you don't love God. "Well, I love God, but I don't believe in that blood atonement." Well, you don't love God. "Well, I love God, but I don't believe the Bible." You don't love God. The only love that God has and the only love that God sheds abroad is that love which He has for us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Look in your Bibles to 1 John 3 and verse 16. 1 John 3, verse 16. Look at what he says: "Hereby perceive we the love of God." Remember the word "perceive" means to lay hold on, to grab, to comprehend. "Hereby perceive we, hereby understand we, hereby comprehend we the love of God." How do we comprehend it? "Because He laid down His life for us." How did He do that? In Jesus Christ. How do we know that God loves us? In Jesus Christ. Look in 1 John chapter 4, beginning there, if you would please, with verse 8. 1 John 4 verse 8: "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." Now, wait a minute. "He that loveth not." But there are a lot of people who claim to love, but they really don't love. Look at this explanation: "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him."
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"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." How did God love us? Through Christ, through giving Christ. And when someone tries to say, "Well, I love God, but I don't love Christ" or "I love God, but I don't believe the Bible," that's impossible. That's impossible. Because the way that God loved us, He loved us in Christ and sent His Son to be our Redeemer and give us redemption.
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Now, let's go back to Romans 8. Look at what he says. Romans 8, verse 35: "Who or what shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation?" Nah. "Distress?" No. "Persecution?" No. "Famine?" No. "Nakedness, peril, sword?" No. That's not going to do it. We're more than conquerors through Him that loved us. Look what he says in verse 38: "For I am persuaded, I am confident, I am certain, I have a settled conclusion, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature"—anything that you can imagine—"nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Now, I want to give you a summary of what Paul is laying out in Romans 8. He tells us there are basically four things that you and I can use to come to the same settled conclusion that he came to. What are those four things? First of all, it's the love of Christ.
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You could put down the love of God, because the love of God and the love of Christ are one and the same. And he's saying nothing is going to sever that bond. Well, let me ask you a question. "Brother Weaver, suppose I stop loving Christ." Here's my question: Is your salvation dependent upon your love for Christ or His love for you? Very clearly, it's dependent upon His love for you.
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And the truth of the matter is this: the most holy and the most godly saint does not love Jesus Christ the way Jesus Christ deserves to be loved. I'm glad salvation is not based upon how I love Him, but it's based upon how He loves me. So he gives you this love of God. He said, if you will consider this, you're going to come to the same conclusion that I came to. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Then in verse 37, "We're more than conquerors through Him that loved us." Secondly, He wants you to consider the power of God. Look back in verse 31.
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"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" What good would it do for anyone to be against us? None. And I'm not going to make you turn there and read, but in 1 Peter 1, you need to read where the Apostle Peter says that we're kept by the power of God unto salvation. I don't keep myself; God keeps me by His power.
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How do I know that I am just so surely and certainly glorified as if I had already been? Because of the love of God, because of the power of God. Thirdly, because of the oath of God. Do you remember back in Hebrews chapter 6, where he says by two immutable things—and one is it is impossible for God to lie—and then secondly, he talks about the oath that God has given. May I remind you of what our Lord said in Hebrews chapter 13 in verse 5.
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"I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." So you have the very oath of God. You have the power of God. You have the love of God. And there's a fourth thing that you have that's mentioned all through this, and that is the character of God. God's not going to change His verdict. God's not going to change His pardon. How do I know God's not going to change His pardon? Because He said in Malachi 3:6, "I, the Lord, change not." God is immutable. He says that the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance. Jeremiah 31, verse 3, says, "Yea, with an everlasting love have I loved thee; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." So God is immutable. God is unchangeable. And Paul is saying, if you will consider these four truths—the love of God, the power of God, the oath of God, the character of God—you too can come to this settled conclusion that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Now, one last passage. Look in your Bibles to Isaiah 40. Many of you in here can quote this passage, but look at it. It is so beautiful. It is so powerful. I want to be able to read it. Isaiah 40, and let's begin reading there with verse 26. Isaiah 40, verse 26: "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: He calleth them all by names by the greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one faileth."
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"Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, 'My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God'? Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
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Now let me tell you, if you're discouraged, if you're defeated, if you're distressed, if you're doubtful, if you're upset, you're looking at the wrong person. You're looking at yourself and other people and circumstances. But if you look to the Lord, you'll find His love, His power, His oath, and His character. And He never fails. How certain am I that the saints will be finally, totally, completely glorified? Just as certain as God is. For God is the one who is our guarantee. If you can make God fail, if you can overthrow God, then we've got problems. But until you can do that, I'm going to agree with the Apostle Paul, "For I am persuaded, I'm confident, I'm settled, that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
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Father, in Thy holy and blessed name, we pray today. We ask for Your grace and Your mercy. We thank Thee, Father, for the assurance of salvation that we have through Jesus Christ. We ask, Father, that You bless us, fill us up in the most holy faith. In Thy name we pray, Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-04T19:36:03Z

Romans 8:28-39 Series - Part 18

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver concludes his series on Romans 8:28-39 by focusing on verses 35-39, where Paul addresses the final challenge to the perseverance of the saints: the possibility that external trials or our own weakness could separate us from Christ's love. Weaver explains that the question is not whether our love for Christ can endure, but whether Christ's love for us can be broken. He argues that God's bond with His elect is inseparable, grounded in God's love, power, oath, and unchanging character. Through historical examples of persecution and biblical exposition, Weaver assures believers that nothing in all creation can sever them from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Opening

Romans 8:28:

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:28-39

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called, and whom He called, them He also justified, and whom He justified, them He also glorified. What shall we say, then, to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, 'For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.'"

Introduction: Positive and Negative Sections of Romans 8

The Final Challenge: Our Side and External Trials

Now, I want you to pay close attention to verse 36. In verse 36, he quotes from the Old Testament. He quotes Psalm 44 and verse 22 when he says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 44:22

"As it is written, 'For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.'"

Scripture Reading — Psalm 44:22

"For thy sake we are killed all the day long."

In other words, all of these things are coming upon us just simply by virtue of the fact that we are Christians.

Historical Persecution and the Meaning of Tribulation

The Nature of Distress and the Believer's Response

Distress can be mental and emotional, not just physical. Weaver illustrates with a POW story and notes that biblical truth gives meaning even to meaningless labor, preventing breakdown.

The Question: Can Our Flesh Withstand?

Weaver asks how frail humans can stand under such pressures. He recounts the story of Latimer and Ridley being burned at the stake, emphasizing the need for divine enablement.

Identifying the 'Us' and the Love of Christ

But may I remind you what he said in Psalm 103?

Scripture Reading — Psalm 103:14

"He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are but dust."

The Past Tense of Christ's Love and Its Significance

Scripture Reading — Romans 5:6-10

"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly"

—a once-for-all act, as we've seen last week.

Scripture Reading — Romans 5:6-10

"For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 5:25-27

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it."

Now watch:

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 5:25-27

"Even as the Lord loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish."

Now look what He said:

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 5:25-27

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it."

More Than Conquerors Through Christ's Love and Sovereignty

Weaver expounds 'more than conquerors' as not just winning but demolishing all opposition. This is possible because of Christ's inseparable love and God's sovereign power to work all things for good.

Persecution Drives Believers Closer to God

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:18

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

Paul's Persuasion and the Comprehensive List of Inseparable Things

Look in your Bibles to 1 John 3 and verse 16. 1 John 3, verse 16. Look at what he says:

Scripture Reading — 1 John 3:16

"Hereby perceive we the love of God."

Four Pillars of Assurance: Love, Power, Oath, and Character of God

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 6:18

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" What good would it do for anyone to be against us? None. And I'm not going to make you turn there and read, but in 1 Peter 1, you need to read where the Apostle Peter says that we're kept by the power of God unto salvation. I don't keep myself; God keeps me by His power. How do I know that I am just so surely and certainly glorified as if I had already been? Because of the love of God, because of the power of God. Thirdly, because of the oath of God. Do you remember back in Hebrews chapter 6, where he says by two immutable things—and one is it is impossible for God to lie—and then secondly, he talks about the oath that God has given. May I remind you of what our Lord said in Hebrews chapter 13 in verse 5.

Conclusion: Look to the Lord, Not Circumstances

Romans 8:28-39 Series - Part 18

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	450793130
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Assurance, Providence, and Life in the Spirit: Romans 8:28-39
Genre	Sermon
Date	1999-09-05
Dictation Name
Book	Book 169: Romans 8:28-39 — Chapter 18
Source Timed Segments	66

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: Positive and Negative Sections of Romans 8: Weaver reviews that Romans 8:28-30 is positive doctrine, while verses 31-39 address objections. He outlines the attacks and answers in verses 31-34: God's person is invincible, grace inexhaustible, verdict incontrovertible, and pardon incontestable.
The Final Challenge: Our Side and External Trials: In verses 35-36, the challenge shifts from God's side to our side, asking whether tribulation, distress, persecution, or other hardships can separate us from Christ's love. Paul quotes Psalm 44:22 to show these sufferings come because we are Christians.
Historical Persecution and the Meaning of Tribulation: Weaver explains the Latin origin of 'tribulation' as a threshing board, symbolizing being beaten down. He recounts early Christian persecution under Nero and the political reason Christians were killed: refusing to say 'Caesar is Lord.'
The Nature of Distress and the Believer's Response: Distress can be mental and emotional, not just physical. Weaver illustrates with a POW story and notes that biblical truth gives meaning even to meaningless labor, preventing breakdown.
The Question: Can Our Flesh Withstand?: Weaver asks how frail humans can stand under such pressures. He recounts the story of Latimer and Ridley being burned at the stake, emphasizing the need for divine enablement.
Identifying the 'Us' and the Love of Christ: Weaver traces 'us' back through Romans 8 to show it refers to God's elect, the predestined, called, justified, and glorified. He argues that 'the love of Christ' in verse 35 means Christ's love for us, not our love for Him, proven by verse 37.
The Past Tense of Christ's Love and Its Significance: Weaver explains that 'loved us' in verse 37 is past tense, referring to Christ's once-for-all act of giving Himself on the cross, as seen in Romans 5 and Ephesians 5. This love is the foundation of our security.
More Than Conquerors Through Christ's Love and Sovereignty: Weaver expounds 'more than conquerors' as not just winning but demolishing all opposition. This is possible because of Christ's inseparable love and God's sovereign power to work all things for good.
Persecution Drives Believers Closer to God: Weaver argues that persecution, rather than destroying faith, drives true Christians closer to God, as seen in Paul's writings and the example of Thomas Browning, who found sweeter consolation in deeper affliction.
Paul's Persuasion and the Comprehensive List of Inseparable Things: Weaver examines verses 38-39, noting Paul's settled certainty ('I am persuaded') based on the truths of Romans 8. He emphasizes that nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love in Christ, and that this love is exclusively through Jesus.
Four Pillars of Assurance: Love, Power, Oath, and Character of God: Weaver summarizes four truths that lead to Paul's conclusion: the love of God, the power of God, the oath of God (e.g., Hebrews 13:5), and the unchanging character of God. These guarantee the believer's final glorification.
Conclusion: Look to the Lord, Not Circumstances: Weaver closes with Isaiah 40:26-31, urging believers to look to the Lord's strength rather than their own weakness. He reaffirms that nothing can separate us from God's love, and prays for grace and assurance.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

The question in verse 35 is about Christ's love for us, not our love for Him

Weaver argues that 'the love of Christ' refers to Christ's love for believers, proven by verse 37 ('through Him that loved us'). This shifts the focus from human frailty to divine faithfulness.

Weaver says: 'Paul is not asking, "Can our love stand up to these things?" He's asking, "Can the love of Christ stand up to these things?"' and points to verse 37: 'through Him that loved us' (20:53.9-21:31.3).

The past tense 'loved us' points to the cross as the definitive act of love

Weaver explains that 'loved us' in verse 37 is past tense because it refers to Christ's once-for-all sacrificial death, as described in Romans 5:6-10 and Ephesians 5:25. This act secures believers forever.

Weaver states: 'he is referring to the great act of His love wherein He gave Himself' and cites Romans 5:8 and Ephesians 5:25 (22:12.1-24:28.9).

Believers are 'more than conquerors' because they not only endure but triumph over all opposition

Weaver argues that 'more than conquerors' means believers demolish every foe through Christ's love and God's sovereign power, which works all things for good.

Weaver says: 'it is not just that we win... we demolish them. We are more than conquerors' and links this to Romans 8:28 (25:32.2-26:44.3).

Persecution strengthens rather than destroys true faith

Weaver contends that persecution drives genuine Christians to God, as seen in Paul's writings and historical examples like Thomas Browning. The world's attacks are not the greatest enemy; enticements are.

Weaver says: 'all persecution has ever done to Christians is drive them closer to Christ' and quotes Thomas Browning: 'The cup of afflictions for the gospel is the sweeter the deeper' (27:57.8-28:58.1; 32:53.0-33:37.6).

Paul's persuasion is based on objective truth, not subjective feeling

Weaver notes that 'I am persuaded' is passive, meaning Paul was persuaded by external truth—the doctrines of predestination, calling, justification, and glorification in Romans 8:28-30.

Weaver says: 'the Greek word is in the passive tense, which means Paul has been persuaded... by the very truth that he is setting before us' (34:26.9-36:44.9).

God's love is exclusively in Christ; rejecting Christ is rejecting God's love

Weaver argues that the phrase 'the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord' means there is no access to God's love apart from Christ. Those who claim to love God but reject Christ are deceived.

Weaver states: 'The only love that God the Father has is that love which is in Jesus Christ... To reject Jesus Christ is to reject the love of God' (38:05.4-38:45.6).

Four divine attributes guarantee the believer's security

Weaver summarizes that the love, power, oath, and unchanging character of God provide an unshakeable foundation for assurance. God's immutability means His verdict and pardon will not change.

Weaver says: 'if you will consider these four truths—the love of God, the power of God, the oath of God, the character of God—you too can come to this settled conclusion' (44:52.2-46:06.0).

Scripture References

Romans 8:28-39: The entire passage is read at the beginning and forms the basis of the sermon. Weaver focuses on verses 35-39 as the climax of Paul's argument for the perseverance of the saints.
Psalm 44:22: Quoted in Romans 8:36 to show that the trials believers face are because of their identification with God. Weaver emphasizes 'For thy sake we are killed all the day long.'
John 15:18-20: Alluded to when Weaver says, 'If they have hated me, they're going to hate you. If they persecuted me, they're going to persecute you.' Used to explain why Christians suffer persecution.
2 Timothy 3:12: Weaver quotes: 'This know that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution' to assert that persecution is certain for godly believers.
Hebrews 11:37-38: Referenced when Weaver describes the hardships of Old Testament saints: 'wandering in deserts and in dens and in caves of the earth, wearing sheepskin and goatskin.'
Psalm 103:14: Weaver quotes: 'He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are but dust' to emphasize God's understanding of human weakness.
Romans 5:6-10: Read to show that Christ's love is demonstrated in His death for the ungodly. Weaver uses this to explain the past tense 'loved us' in Romans 8:37.
Ephesians 5:25-27: Read to illustrate Christ's love for the church in giving Himself for it, paralleling the once-for-all act of love.
Romans 8:18: Quoted to show Paul's perspective that present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with future glory, encouraging endurance.
2 Corinthians 1:5, 9: Read to demonstrate that as sufferings abound, so does consolation in Christ, and that trials teach believers to trust in God who raises the dead.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18: Quoted to show Paul calling his severe afflictions 'light' and momentary, working an eternal weight of glory.
Philippians 1:21-24: Referenced to illustrate Paul's attitude toward life and death: 'For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.'
1 John 3:16: Read to show that we perceive God's love because Christ laid down His life for us.
1 John 4:8-10: Read to emphasize that God's love was manifested in sending His Son as the propitiation for our sins.
1 Peter 1:5: Referenced when Weaver says believers are 'kept by the power of God unto salvation,' supporting the theme of God's preserving power.
Hebrews 6:18: Alluded to when Weaver mentions 'two immutable things'—God's promise and oath—as grounds for assurance.
Hebrews 13:5: Quoted: 'I will never leave thee nor forsake thee' as an example of God's oath guaranteeing His presence.
Malachi 3:6: Quoted: 'I, the Lord, change not' to support God's immutability and the unchangeable nature of His verdict and pardon.
Jeremiah 31:3: Quoted: 'Yea, with an everlasting love have I loved thee; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee' to illustrate God's eternal, drawing love.
Isaiah 40:26-31: Read as a closing encouragement to look to the Lord for strength, promising that those who wait on Him will renew their strength.

Historical References

Nero's persecution of Christians: Weaver describes how Nero used Christians as human torches to light his gardens at night, illustrating the severe persecution early believers faced.
Roman requirement to swear by the genius of Caesar: Weaver explains that Christians were killed not merely for being Christians but for refusing to say 'Caesar is Lord,' which was considered treason.
Latimer and Ridley burned at the stake: Weaver recounts the story of Hugh Latimer, who initially recanted but later repented and was burned with Nicholas Ridley at Oxford. Latimer said, 'Let this hand be burned first, which signed the recantation.'
Bataan Death March (World War II): Weaver shares a personal story about a friend who survived the Bataan Death March and ate rice for three years, illustrating endurance through distress.
Communist psychological torture: meaningless labor: Weaver mentions how communists broke prisoners by forcing them to perform meaningless tasks like moving rocks back and forth, contrasting it with doing all for God's glory.
Thomas Browning, pastor under Charles II: Weaver quotes a letter from Thomas Browning, who wrote from prison that the deeper the affliction for the gospel, the sweeter the consolation, even unto death.

Important Quotes

Paul is not asking, 'Can our love stand up to these things?' He's asking, 'Can the love of Christ stand up to these things?'

This quote captures the central interpretive shift Weaver makes: the security of the believer rests on Christ's love for us, not our love for Him.

All persecution has ever done to Christians is drive them closer to Christ and make them greater Christians.

This summarizes Weaver's argument that trials serve to strengthen rather than destroy genuine faith.

The cup of afflictions for the gospel is the sweeter the deeper. The deeper the affliction, the sweeter it is. A stronger cordial, nearer the bottom.

A historical quote from Thomas Browning illustrating that God gives greater grace in greater suffering.

For I am persuaded, I'm confident, I'm settled, that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Weaver's concluding declaration of assurance, echoing Paul's words and applying them to the congregation.

How certain am I that the saints will be finally, totally, completely glorified? Just as certain as God is. For God is the one who is our guarantee.

This ties the certainty of glorification directly to the character and faithfulness of God.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does understanding that 'the love of Christ' in Romans 8:35 refers to His love for us, not our love for Him, change the way you face trials?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes this interpretive point to shift focus from human weakness to divine faithfulness.

[Question]

In what ways have you experienced persecution or distress driving you closer to God rather than away from Him?

[Context]

Weaver argues that true Christians are strengthened by trials, citing Paul and historical examples.

[Question]

Why is it significant that Paul uses the past tense 'glorified' in Romans 8:30? How does this affect your assurance of salvation?

[Context]

Weaver points out the past tense as evidence of the certainty of future glorification for the elect.

[Question]

What does it mean to be 'more than conquerors' in the midst of suffering? How can we live out this reality?

[Context]

Weaver explains that it means not just enduring but demolishing opposition through Christ's love and power.

[Question]

How do the love, power, oath, and character of God provide a foundation for your personal assurance? Which of these do you most need to meditate on?

[Context]

Weaver summarizes these four pillars as the basis for Paul's persuasion and our own settled confidence.

[Question]

Why is it impossible to love God while rejecting Jesus Christ, according to Weaver's exposition of 1 John 4?

[Context]

Weaver argues that God's love is exclusively in Christ, so rejecting Christ is rejecting God's love.

[Question]

How can the example of Christians like Latimer, Ridley, or Thomas Browning encourage you in your own faith when facing pressure to compromise?

[Context]

Weaver uses historical martyrs to illustrate the grace given in extreme trials.

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