After our Sunday School class ended one Sunday, one of the young girls told me she had committed the unforgiveable sin and was going to hell. The fact that she had sinned was not a shock to me (since we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God), but the belief in an unforgiving God was more than a bit troublesome. I asked her if she had repented and asked God to forgive her. She said she did that every day. I then asked her who told her God wouldn’t forgive her, and she said it was her preacher at a previous church (now that was what shocked me). After I gave her my opinion of that misinformed pastor, we missed the worship service and found Scripture proof of a forgiving God – and we prayed together one last prayer of repentance for that sin and chose to believe in a God who loves us and forgives all things (1 John 1:9). 

And now… that brings us to the Hallelujah Chorus of Romans 8. Every instrument in the orchestra is now being played with supernatural strength, and the singers are praising God with every breathe – as Paul confidently affirms his strong belief that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. 

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 created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39) 

Perhaps some false teachers had caused believers to worry that they could lose their salvation. Frustrated, Paul may be thinking, “What about NOTHING do you not understand? Do I need to spell it out for you. Yeah, I guess I do!” 

Would you join me in repeating out loud (or loudly thinking) the things Paul listed – along with perhaps a fist-pump “NO!” in response to the big question of what can separate us from the love of God: 

• Death? NO! 
• Life? NO! 
• Angels? NO! 
• Principalities? NO! 
• Powers? NO! 
• Things present and things to come? NO! 
• Height or depth? NO! 
• Any… other… created… thing? NO! 

Do you think maybe Paul added that one last point because some people were trying to come up with more reasons to believe they could somehow be separated from God’s love? Can’t you just see him throwing his arms up in the air on that last one and shouting to the rooftops: 

NOTHING CAN SEPARATE YOU FROM THE LOVE OF GOD WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD! 

If that’s not a Hallelujah Chorus, I don’t know what is! 

By Judy Shrout