More Than Conquerors (Romans 8:35-37)
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What comes into your mind when you try to picture a conqueror? I picture someone strong. I picture someone able to endure any hardship they face. I picture someone who is able to come out of every trial not beaten down, but victorious. If this is what you think of as well, then it might surprise you that all Christians are conquerors.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Rom 8:35-37)
I want to look first at the question asked in verse 35. It’s actually the third question of this kind asked in this immediate context (v. 33-34). The answer to each of these questions is “No one.” But notice what follows the question in verse 35. It’s another question. But these aren’t people mentioned. They’re situations. The fuller answer to the first question, then, is “No one, and nothing.” This agrees with the answer given in verse 37. “In all these things” points to the list given in verse 35. Nothing can separate us from God’s love. We can conquer every hardship! Notice what the text calls us. We’re not just conquerors…we’re more than conquerors!
But there’s a problem (v. 36). Sometimes it seems that hardships do make believers cower back. Is that where you find yourself? What’s the answer? How do we experience victory through the pain?
We’re not conquerors through our strength, but through the power of the God who loves us (v. 37). It’s God who works through us. If God is for us, who can be against us? It’s God who worked for us. We became more than conquerors the moment Christ died.
There’s an assumption made in the question that the reader is already bonded to God by the love of Christ (v. 35). In order for something to be able to separate us from the love of Christ, we must first be bonded to God by the love of Christ. We’ve already noted that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ once we’re bonded to God, so the crucial question becomes, “Are you bonded to God by the love of Christ?”
Pastor Chris Huff has been with us since July 2009. He and his wife, Abby, have four children. Chris is originally from St. Louis, MO and even though he was raised as a city boy, he has a small town heart. Chris is all over the internet, so you can find him on Facebook, Twitter,… (read more)
