What I’m Thinking: My Favorite Scripture

Romans 8 is filled with reassurance and comfort. It is, however, where the work of faith begins. The words are not the work.

Here’s a transcript:

I’m thinking about the close to the eighth chapter of Paul’s Letter to the Romans (Romans 8:26-39). In other words, I’m thinking about my favorite Scripture.

Truth be told, I have many favorite Scriptures. There are many texts in the Bible that I will describe in that way. This one, however… Well, it just may be my favorite Scripture. It is an assertion of confidence in the grace and the presence and the blessing of God, the consistency of God, the constancy of God, the faithfulness of God. It has many parallels, but I’m not sure anybody – even Paul or David – I don’t think anybody put it quite this way. It works for me.

“For I’m sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Those are words that live in my heart. Those are words that help carry me through the good days and the bad.

But I have a caution even on my favorite Scripture: the hope is not the fulfillment. The words are not the reality.

What I’m saying is is that to read the words, to speak the words, to take the words into my spirit: this gives me comfort. It gives me confidence. It may even give me some strength for the work. But the words are not the work.

The prophets, throughout the Scriptures, constantly declared what the will of God for the people was. Why did they do it? Because the things were not being done. Because they were not following what God had said. And so the prophets spoke and the prophets spoke and the prophets spoke.

And Paul spoke to people who were feeling enormously threatened, to people who were in the midst of crisis, to people who were rather like us, and used all those images of the powers and the principalities, death, life, all the rest of it, to say that God’s love and faithfulness were greater than these.

I believe this but the work is to live as if I believe it each day. To go forward with confidence – not of a miraculous cure for COVID-19 – but to go forth in confidence that God is guiding, that God is strengthening, that God is comforting.

Yes, I am sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will ever be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The struggle, the challenge, and the glory is to live that truth in every day.

That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below; I’d love to hear from you.