Sounds Good, But Is It The Truth?

 

 

I recently heard a radio spot that said, “Nothing can separate you from the love of God. God loves you more than your parents, your spouse, your friends. No matter where you are in life, no matter what you are going through – God loves you and nothing can separate you from His love.”

 

Now let me ask you, is this true? Is the entire statement true? And if it isn’t true, does it really matter? If most of it is true, does the fact that some of it isn’t true matter?

 

My assumption is that the words in the radio spot, “Nothing can separate you from the love of God,” come from Romans 8:35 – 39:

 

“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NASB)

 

Another assumption I have is that the radio spot is meant for the general population, that is, it is meant for everyone, including people who are not in a saving and redemptive relationship with Jesus Christ, folks who have not repented of their sins, confessed them to God, and who have not confessed and acknowledged Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and who are not  following Him in obedience to His Word.

 

If, on the other hand, the radio spot is meant only for actual followers of Jesus Christ, then it ought to clearly state who its audience is, but of course this isn’t the case – it is designed to appeal to everyone…but is the message true?

 

Is it true that nothing can separate us from the love of God?

 

Well now, doesn’t Paul say in Romans that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord? Of course he does. But then let me ask this, if Romans 8:35 – 39 were a portion of a radio message, and if we had been listening to the entire message leading up to 8:35 – 39, who would we have understood Paul’s audience to have been? That is, who were these words addressed to? Were these words addressed to the general population, or were they addressed to a specific people?

 

Either way, does this matter? If it doesn’t matter, why? If it does matter, why?

 

What do you think?