September 6. Present and powerful love.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

Romans 835.

Notice three things in Romans 835. Notice three things in Romans 835. One, Christ is loving us now. A wife might say of her deceased

husband, nothing will separate me from his love. She might mean that the memory of his love will be sweet and

powerful all her life. But that is not what Paul means here. In Romans 834, it says plainly, Christ Jesus is the one

who died. More than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

The reason Paul can say that nothing will separate us from the love of Christ is because Christ is alive and is still loving us right now.

He is at the right hand of God and is therefore ruling for us.

And he is interceding for us, which means he is seeing to it that his finished work of redemption does, in fact,

save us hour by hour and bring us safely to eternal joy. His love is not just a memory. It is a

moment-by-moment action by the omnipotent living Son of God to bring us to everlasting joy.

2. This love of Christ is effective in protecting us from separation and therefore is not a universal love for all,

but a peculiar love for his people.

That is, those who, according to Romans 828, love God and are called according to his purpose.

This is the love of Ephesians 525. Husbands, love your

wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. It is Christ's love for the church.

Christ has a love for the church, his bride.

Christ has a love for all, and he has a special saving, preserving love for his bride.

You know you are part of the bride if you trust Christ.

Anyone, no exceptions, anyone who trusts Christ can say say I am part of his bride his church his called and chosen ones the ones who according to Romans 835 are kept and protected

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