³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ 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.

Fundamental to grace is the direction of the movement. It is man-ward, from God, not God-ward, from man. Our faith does not cause grace, does not merit grace and does not initiate grace. God causes grace, merits grace and initiates grace. It was while we were not in a state of grace, while we were sinners, while we were part of the “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23) that we received grace. We were “dead in our trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1).

Many across evangelical Christendom will agree that we are saved by the grace of God, but then dilute it by insisting there is something in us—our faith—that contributes to the efficacy of grace. According to that erroneous thinking, faith is required to keep one’s salvation. With that mindset overlaying their interpretation, they use the various “warning” passages of Scripture to breed fear in the hearts of believers. One must ultimately keep one’s nose clean to avoid losing his or her salvation. I once heard an exasperated preacher chastising a group of unruly young people that if they didn’t change their behavior they were in danger of losing their salvation.

A basic principle of biblical interpretation is that the clear passages should help us understand the difficult or obscure passages. In Romans 8:28-39 we have clear, theologically pointed, carefully summarized truth that is rooted in the justification laid out in chapters 1-8. Yet it is astounding that some commentaries brush over this section with a sweeping tip of the hat to “how much God loves us” without analyzing the theology Paul takes great pains to unfold.

A notion of grace that requires a meritorious faith is completely foreign to the grace of God. Our faith does not earn us anything; God does not reward our faith with His forgiveness—it is freely given. Anything else minimizes His idea of grace. His grace is greater than all of our sins, including the sin of unbelief (which is the root of all sin). To be sure, our faith is the instrument He uses to impart grace (Eph 2:8-9), the channel through which justification comes, but faith is not the cause of His grace. For once I have been justified, I am justified eternally. It is not something one can lose, by the nature of it. What then could possibly separate us from the love of God? Absolutely nothing!

Lord, how can I possibly thank You enough for Your grace that is in the Lord Jesus Christ? I am justified eternally, and that motivates me to live for You.