Romans 8:31-39: Be Assured of God's Love!

Introduction

Have you ever wondered if God truly loves you no matter what? Is there anything you could do to make Him stop loving you? These are questions that God’s people and indeed all people have struggled with for all of time, and still struggle with today. You struggle with this. I struggle with this. We all do. But God’s Word offers innumerable, life-changing answers for us. It tells us that the answers to both questions are thus: God loves you regardless of everything, and there is absolutely nothing you or anyone else could do to take that love away.

This assurance has inspired believers for generations. Consider “The Love of God,” by Frederick Lehman (1917), the hymn we just sang moments ago. Inspired by a man who felt hopeless under the weight of life’s burdens, Lehman transformed the man’s hopeful words from his Bible into a beautiful song that will echo through the ages, comforting countless hearts and souls and reminding us that God’s love is vast, unchanging, and absolutely secure. Therefore, my purpose in preaching to you is to assure you of God’s love and to guide you in experiencing it. If I do this faithfully, and I pray I will, and moreover if the Holy Spirit so wills, then you will leave here being overwhelmed by God’s love and will love him back more deeply than ever.

The unchanging love of God is addressed in Romans 8:31-39. The Apostle Paul emphatically declares, “Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus” (v. 39).¹ This statement follows an exposition on living in the Spirit, communion with Christ as heirs, and our future glory at His side. If we are so united with Christ through His sacrifice and resurrection, what can separate us from Him? He gave Himself for us, and He continues to do so for all eternity!

Let’s turn to Romans 8:31-39 and read Paul’s words for ourselves. We shall see that God’s love, like in Lehman’s hymn, holds us through every trial, every fear, and every doubt. Pray with me.

Romans 8:31-39

In his letter to the Roman Church, the Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit and the Love of God, writes the following. He says,

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? 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. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

As the Prophet Isaiah writes, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isa. 40:8). So we know that these promises from God through Paul are forever and ever. This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

I. God’s Love Holds Us Through Every Trial

Our first point today, from this wonderful passage of assurance, is that God’s love holds us through every trial. Our passage begins with a series of questions in verses 31-35. Again, I am going to repeat them because we need to hear these words again and again.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? 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. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

Although these are rhetorical questions, let’s analyze each of them and do our best to answer them faithfully.

The first question Paul asks is, “What then shall we say to these things?” He is referring to what he has said previously, how “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18), and how “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). In love, God has made a plan, and the outcome of that plan will be far better than anything we now know. We see this plan in Romans 8:29-30, a passage which is often referred to as the golden chain of redemption:

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

This is God’s plan, and it unfolds because he loves us. So “what then shall we say to these things?” We must say that we are certain God’s plan for the fullness of time has already been written. His faithfulness has already been demonstrated from age to age, and in the fact that Jesus has already come to pour Himself out in sacrifice for us.

The answer to the second question is simple. If God is for us, then there is simply no one else who could stand against us. Nothing or no one can even come close to comparing to our all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere all at once God. He is perfect, and if there was anyone or anything more powerful and more all-encompassing than him, then he would no longer be God, and our salvation would be less than certain. Dear brothers and sisters, this is not the case. Listen to the words of our spiritual ancestors. Moses writes in Exodus 15:11, “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” Likewise, the Prophet Jeremiah in 10:6 says, “There is none like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is great in might.” 1 Samuel 2:2 says, “There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.” And emphatically, the Prophet Isaiah 46:9:

Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.

Is this not the same argument Paul makes when he says with certainty that God’s plan will come to pass? It is! Dear friends, be fully assured that God is for you! His love is for you! Be transformed by this reality of love and let it overwhelm and consume you. Ask the Lord for His love, and He will surely give it to you! Indeed, whether you have asked to know God’s love or not, God’s love is not contingent upon your request. He loves you whether you know it or not, so know it!

The salvation that God brings is a guaranteed reality. Not even sparing His own Son, He is determined to give you all things through Jesus. And when God is determined, He does it. He does not condemn, and no one brings a charge against us. I think of Jesus’ response to the woman caught in adultery in John 8:10-11: “Jesus stood up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.’” Rather than condemnation, God planned for the fullness of time to condemn His own Son to die and to be raised so that you, me, the woman in adultery, and countless others would be spared. And not only spared but also lifted high next to the throne of God, where Jesus intercedes for us.

Because of this certainty, not only in the fact that God loves us but more importantly in the fact that Christ’s work has already been completed, we can be confident there is nothing that will separate us from His love and His plan. In verse 35, Paul writes, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” These trials of tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness [or shame], danger, and the sword are personified. They are enemies seeking to devour us. However, once again, God has no equal. Our enemies are His enemies, and he will trample them underfoot. They may try to tear us from the fold of God, but He will not have it! Furthermore, not even the trial of death will come close. Paul quotes from Psalm 44:22 and says, “As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’” His response? He emphatically says, “No.” He exclaims, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (v. 37). Even though trials may come our way, even though we may physically die, we know that we will end up with God in perfect union just as He has planned according to His love.

Once more, be assured, brothers and sisters, that God loves you and that he holds you through these trials. Every single one of them. Even death. Such a realization and certainty should take all fear from us, which leads us to our second point.

II. God’s Love Holds Us Through Every Fear

The second point of today’s reading is that God’s love holds us even in the midst of fear. Consider the recent lunar voyage by Artemis II. While the voyage was a tremendous success, have you considered how horrifying it would be to travel into the deep, dark of lifeless space? Suspended by nothing except the metal of your ship, and floating in a void, you are positioned what seems like a million miles from any solid ground. This fear becomes real, especially when you think about the Apollo 13 mission, which went south and was aborted. However, those astronauts were delivered safely, but not without a traumatic time. Space is scary. Indeed, all of life is scary. But God has promised to be with us in our fear.

Because God’s plan is certain and He accomplishes all He wills, we know that our fear is temporary. We can fear trials of all kinds—losing jobs, lack of money, worrying about how it is that we will pay bills, growing old, losing family members, cancer, etc.—the list goes on and on and on and on. We often, and most especially, fear death. But in all of these things God holds us and says, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (v. 37). So should we fear? We may, but we must not, for God has made a way for all of these trials and the fear that comes along with them. They are a mere instance, even in cases of lifelong trials, pain, and fear. It’s here for a time—a time in which God is yet with us—and then in the blink of an eye, this life will turn to the next, and we will be with Him in paradise. No pain. No trials. No fear. Only love.

Even in times where fear seems like the logical emotion, God can work things out for good. Let’s return to the Artemis II mission once more. Even amid horrifying Space, Canadian Astronaut Hansen remembers an “otherworldly” solar eclipse observed during the mission.² In other words, he remembers an eclipse of the Sun. And this begs me to ask you, have you witnessed a beautiful moment of the Son, that is Jesus, in a time of your own trouble? In a time when fear is the obvious response, but God shows you love instead?

I know you have experienced love in the midst of fear. But even in these times, we ask, “Did that really happen? Does God really love me? If He loves me, why am I afraid?” Let me tell you, friends, He loves you because He loves you because He loves you. But this hesitation and even doubt lead us to our third point.

III. God’s Love Holds Us In Our Doubts

We must consider our third point: God’s love holds us in our doubts. In the final verses of our passage, Paul writes, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (vv. 38-39). If certainty is the opposite of doubt, then Paul is not a doubter, right? After all, he says, “[of this] I am sure.” But I will tell you, doubt is unfortunately a part of our fallen nature, even in that way that Adam and Eve doubted God’s command and goodness and ate of the tree which doomed us all. So even Paul was a doubter, just as we all are, for we all live brokenly in a broken world. You know who else doubted? I bet you can guess, for doubts are all too often associated with him: the Apostle Thomas or Doubting Thomas, who questioned with hesitation that Jesus had risen from the grave. Jesus, rich in mercy and love, however, demonstrated the truth of the Gospel to Thomas, and simultaneously blessed all of us today who have not physically seen Jesus and His wounds but have believed.

Friends, once again I tell you, we may doubt, but we must not. Jesus meets us in our brokenness, our fears, and our doubts, but He longs for us to depend on Him for more. Even in opposition to any being of immense power, or of worldly government with authority over our lives, or in anything we are currently going through or will go through, we can be confident, like Paul, and even eventually Thomas, that God’s love for us is more real than any other real thing.

I would like to tell you about a person who knew this real love of God. His name was Polycarp, a bishop of Smyrna and a direct disciple of the Apostle John in the 2nd Century. In Rome at the time, the pagans were killing anyone who confessed to following Jesus. Polycarp, being a chief among them, knew they would be coming for him. What did he do? He waited. Finally, when the time came to renounce Jesus, he said, “Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”³ In other words, he had known the pure, holy love of God for almost a century. He had experienced that love in the midst of a dark time of persecution, dare I even say murder, of Christians who were antithetical to the way of the time. They followed their own way. A better way. A true way. The Way of Love. Do you do the same? Are you enamored by the love and faithfulness of God even in times of trial, fear, and even doubt? I must admit, I am often not, but we must rest in Jesus and stand firm in trial, knowing that He is our utmost peace and greatest consolation. All because He loves us. He loves you more than you could possibly imagine.

Conclusion

Romans 8:31-39 is one of the most emphatic declarations of the guarantee of God’s all-encompassing love in the entire Bible. It reminds us that God is ever faithful, accomplishes all that He plans, and that His love holds us through every trial, fear, and doubt. In the midst of trials and temptations, we must turn to Jesus. In the midst of fear, He is our utmost protection and Prince of Peace, so go to Him. And when we doubt, He is our steady rock and anchor, ever persistent, never changing, so rest on Him. Spend time with Him in prayer, in His word, and with His people. It has often been said, “How you live is how you die.” So if you want to go strongly into that eternal rest, then live strongly with your eyes fixed on Jesus.

During World War II, there was a Christian man named Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was a German minister opposed to the evils of the Nazi Regime, and eventually, because of such opposition, he was arrested, placed in a concentration camp, and hanged. However, through the trials, fears, and doubts that martyrdom entails, he remained faithful to Jesus because he knew Jesus cared deeply for him. In a true sense, he lived as he desired to die, and therefore died the same way he had lived: with His eyes fixed on Jesus. Will you do the same?

Are there any Star Wars fans in here? Even if you are not a fan, I am quite sure you have seen the original movies. Do you remember when Vader strikes down Ben Kenobi right after he says, “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” And indeed he did become quite powerful, for he went on to be one with the force. Well, the trials of the world, even opposition to tyrannical governments and martyrdom, such as in Bonhoeffer’s case, the fear that comes with them, and the doubts that linger, are somewhat like Vader’s strike. They are meant to harm us, but because we have a King who lives and loves us unfathomably, we are certain that he will use our trials, fears, and doubts, even, for His glorious purpose. Moreover, Kenobi’s words are echoed by Bonhoeffer: “This is the end—for me, the beginning of life.”⁴ In a true sense, death meant the end of this life for Bonhoeffer. Yet it also meant the beginning of something greater, made possible by God’s love and grace in Jesus, who gave Himself as a substitute on the cross, died, and rose after three days. He enables us for the work of ministry through the Holy Spirit. And this work for Him is enabled even after our joining Him at the time of our death. In Bonhoeffer’s case, he has left quite a legacy. Books, writings, and other things that do not simply point back to him, but to His amazing Savior and indeed your Savior, too. What will your legacy be? Will it be that you were loved by God and deeply loved him back? For “we love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). So go in the love of God, love by him, love to him, and love to each other. Let’s pray.

Footnotes

1. Unless otherwise specified, all Scripture references in this manuscript are to the English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016). ↩

2. Doyle Rice and Eric Lagatta, “Artemis II crew has a new message for the world. Here’s what they said.” USA Today, April 16, 2026. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/artemis-ii-crew-has-a-new-message-for-the-world-here-s-what-they-said/ar-AA214i9r ↩

3. Foxe, Voices of the Martyrs: AD 33-Today (Washington, DC: Salem, 2019), 57. ↩

4. Foxe, 268. ↩