God’s Unchanging Love

Many people fear illness, poverty or the future, but sometimes a believer carries a deeper fear: could God stop loving me? If I fail, will he abandon me? Does his love depend on how well I perform?

The apostle Paul answers this question at the close of the eighth chapter of his letter to the Romans. He lists many things that might frighten us, and then declares with confidence:

For I am persuaded 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 God’s love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

This is not a half-hearted reassurance or a conditional promise. It is a clear declaration that steadies troubled hearts.

What cannot separate us?

Paul’s list covers everything we could possibly imagine:

• Death and life: nothing in this life, nor anything beyond it.
• Angels, principalities and powers: no spiritual force, however great.
• Things present and things to come: neither what we are living through today nor what we fear tomorrow.
• Height and depth: no place and no distance.
• Any other created thing: nothing else in the whole of creation.

Just before this, Paul asked, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” and named oppression, anguish, persecution, famine and peril (Romans 8:35). He did not say that believers would never go through these things; he said that they cannot separate us from the love of Christ. He wanted to close every door to doubt.

God’s love is not a changeable feeling

We sometimes think that God loves us when we pray and do well, and draws away from us when we go wrong. But God’s love is not like our own love, which is so often conditional, changeable and limited.

God’s love for us did not begin when we became better people, but while we were still far from him:

But God commends his own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

Sin grieves the heart of God and calls us to repentance, but a father does not stop loving his child because the child has done wrong. His love is what draws us back to him; it never drives us away.

Why can we be certain?

Notice Paul’s words: “I am persuaded.” He did not say “I hope” or “I think”. The source of this certainty is the cross. When we see the price God paid for us, doubt fades away, because the one who gave up his Son will not abandon those he has redeemed:

He who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things?

Romans 8:32

So our certainty does not rest on the strength of our faith or the steadiness of our feelings, but on God’s faithfulness and on what Christ has done.

What does this mean for your everyday life?

When this truth settles in your heart, a great deal changes:

• Your prayer: you come to God with confidence, not fear.
• How you deal with your sin: you confess and repent, rather than hiding and despairing.
• Your service: you serve because you are already loved, not to earn his love.
• Your love for others: you give from what you have received, because you have learned from him how to love.

Whoever knows they are loved in Christ is released from the constant need to prove themselves, and is free to love others.

Putting it into practice

• Memorise Romans 8:38-39 and repeat it every day this month, until it replaces the voices that make you doubt God’s love.
• When God feels distant, do not let your feelings have the final word. Read the verse aloud and remember what Christ has done for you.
• This week, offer a word of love or some practical help to someone who feels unloved.
• Begin your prayer each morning with this truth: “I am loved by God in Christ, and nothing can separate me from his love.”

A prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you that your love for us in Christ never changes. When we struggle to take it in, let your Holy Spirit fix it firmly in our hearts. When we fail, remind us that we are still your children. And when we are afraid, reassure us that nothing can separate us from you. Teach us to love you with all our hearts, and to love others as you have loved us. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Related verses

• John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
• 1 John 4:10: “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
• Romans 5:5: “…because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
• Psalm 103:11: “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness towards those who fear him.”
• Isaiah 49:15: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, these may forget, yet I will not forget you!”
• Jeremiah 31:3: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore I have drawn you with loving kindness.”

Do you have a question about God’s love, or would you like someone to pray with you? Send a prayer request, get in touch, or plan your visit to our weekly meeting.