For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
Forgive me my
brothers and sisters; life has been busy. I was finishing my second master degree this semester, not to mention an
expanded role at work. I graduated last
Saturday. Even with all the readings,
preparing presentations and writing papers, I have been constantly mulling one of my
favorite verses, Romans 8:38-39. The
Apostle Paul said he was persuaded that neither death nor life . . . could separate us from the love of God. I have three questions:
Question #1: How does one become persuaded? First, we need to define persuasion. According to the dictionary, to persuade is defined as to cause someone to adopt a certain belief, position or cause of action. I do not know about you, but facts, evidence and direct experience persuade me. Based on the facts recorded in the Bible, personal accounts, history, and personal experience, I cannot help but to be persuaded of the love of God for me and the redemption provided by Christ. The God I have come to experience and know through Jesus, the Christ, has time again proved to be the powerful, loving, forgiving, just, and faithful God told by so many Christian believers of old.
Question #2: Can a person lose their persuasion? This is an interesting question. This difficult philosophical question would
be a dissertation. On one end, if you
say that one cannot lose their persuasion, you would be nullifying the
possibility that you may not have had all the facts, experiences, or accounts
to formulate an ironclad position. On
the other hand, if you say that one can lose their persuasion, then you have to
ask yourself whether the state of persuasion is real or a state-of-mind. My personal response is that if a person
loses their supposed persuasion, it may be the right if the new evidence
contradicts the original foundation versus changing a persuasion due to
convenience. In the gay community,
especially for those of conservative religious convictions, we see people being
persuaded from one side to the other often. However, I would say it has been primarily persuaded to the side of
full-acceptance rather rejection.
Question #3: Are persuaded in your faith? Specifically, are you persuaded that God
created you as you are, that God loves you as you are – with all your faults
and failings? Are you persuaded that God
does not make mistakes? Are you
persuaded, like the Apostle Paul, that “neither death nor life, nor angels nor
principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height
nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the
love of God.” As I have said before,
nothing can separate you from the love of God unless you give them the power
and allow them to, in other words only you can separate yourself from the love
of God because God love is always extended waiting to be embraced.
My dear brothers
and sisters, the foundation of persuasion for God’s love has been laid, waiting
for you to stand strong upon it. How
about this food for thought, Chapter 8 of Romans begins with there is "no
condemnation" for those who are in Christ Jesus and ends with there is "no
separation." God does not condemn you,
God loves you. Acknowledge and accept
God’s love as it is with reckless abandonment. It is at time you will experience the deep love and acceptance of
God.
Be Blessed! Be
Persuaded!
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