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.
Truth to Learn
There is nothing that can cause us to lose our salvation. Nothing!
Behind the Words
The word translated “height” is hupsōma, which is the noun form of hupsoō, meaning “to elevate, to lift up, or to exalt.” This word refers to a place that is elevated or high up. As used here it is most likely a reference to the heavenly places (both physical and spiritual).
“Depth” is from bathos, which is derived from bathus, meaning deep. Bathos refers to that which is deep. Most scholars agree that this is a reference to Hell which is deep in the heart of the earth.
The words “created thing” are from the Greek word ktisis, which is the noun form of the verb ktidzō, meaning “to create, form, or found.” Earlier in this chapter we discussed whether ktisis referred to a single created thing or to all of creation. The use here is clearly a reference to “any other created thing.”
“Separate” is from coridzō, which we looked at back in verse thirty-five. It means “to put distance between” or “to make things separate from one another.”
Meaning Explained
We are reading about the answer to the question, “What shall separate us from the love of Christ?” In yesterday’s verse Paul gave us a list of things, and in today’s verse he completes the list. This list is a delineation of those things which can’t separate us from God’s love.
In this verse we are told that height and depth are included in the list. Paul uses these words as metonyms (where the name of one object is used to represent some related thing or things) to represent all the inhabitants of Heaven and Hell. In the first part of this verse he is saying that there is nothing in the heavens above or in Hell below or any other created thing that can separate us from God’s love.
You will recall that Paul is talking about those of us who have been adopted as God’s children, that is, those who are born-again Christians. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. This is a very clear reference to the fact that we cannot get un-saved. We cannot even un-save ourselves according to this verse. If we are saved we cannot “renounce” our salvation, because no created thing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Some may try to argue against this and say, “But God loves all people; isn’t that what John 3:16 says?” Unfortunately, the answer to that is “No.” As we will see in the next chapter, particularly in verse thirteen where it is said of God, “As it is written, ‘Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.’"
Application
This verse highlights one of the greatest facts about our adoption by God. We don’t have to worry about losing something we didn’t earn and we don’t deserve. God did it entirely himself out of His love for us. He will never lose that love and there is nothing that can separate us from that love. Nothing! That means we are completely and eternally secure in our salvation! That’s something to think about. More than that, that’s something to praise God about!
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved
