“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Rm 10:9-10)

The Righteousness of God vs Self-Righteousness 
“Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.” (Rm 10:1-3)
 
Just as he did in Romans 9, Paul begins this new chapter by expressing concern for his own people. In these verses, Paul contrasts God’s righteousness with self-righteousness.
 
According to Paul, the main reason the people of Israel didn’t achieve righteousness wasn’t that they lacked zeal for God but what their zeal led to. Paul once talked about how zealous he was for God even before he met Jesus.
 
When Paul defended himself before other Jews, he said,
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison” (Ac 22:3-4).
 
Paul was so zealous and passionate for God that he persecuted, tortured, and even killed Christians because he thought they were heretics of Judaism. So, Paul never doubted the religious zeal of the Jews. He knew how zealous they were for God because he was once one of them.
 
The real problem was what their enthusiasm meant. They were zealous for God, but their zeal was not based on true knowledge about Him and His righteousness.
 
They didn’t know about the righteousness of God, which meant they didn’t know that God gives true righteousness to unrighteous people so that they can have a proper relationship with Him. So, they tried to establish their own righteousness through their works. That was the main reason they failed to be saved—they rejected the perfect righteousness, Jesus.
 
So, the knowledge Paul talks about in verse 2 refers to the proper way God gives us for salvation. We can become righteous only by believing in Jesus, not by our good works. We shouldn’t deviate from this truth. It’s good for us to be zealous for God, and we should be zealous for Him. But, what’s way more important is to know whether or not our enthusiasm is based on true knowledge of God.
 
If we fail to build up our faith on the basis of true knowledge of the gospel, we will find ourselves seeking our own righteousness. Self-righteousness can’t be regarded as true righteousness to God because no one can be made righteous before Him through their works.
 
The only way for us to be credited as righteous in God’s eyes is to accept the perfect righteousness Jesus made through His sacrifice and to believe in Him. That’s the true knowledge God revealed to us through Jesus.
 
Only when we give up seeking self-righteousness will the true righteousness of Jesus start to work in us and make us righteous. We must accept God’s righteousness by faith and not try to achieve our own righteousness by works.
 
We should know that the Jews’ choice to try and earn their own righteousness is not unique to them. This mistaken way of thinking can be found in Christians as well.
 
 If our confidence in our salvation is based on the good works that we have done, it means we’re seeking our own righteousness. On the other hand, if we are uncertain about our salvation because of the things we have done, it also means that we’re seeking self-righteousness, not righteousness from God.
 
When it comes to salvation, we must not rely on anything but God. We’re saved not because we’ve done good things to be saved but because we receive God’s righteousness by believing in Jesus.
 
Even though we might think that we don’t deserve to be saved when we look back on our lives, we can still be certain of our salvation if we turn our focus from ourselves to God, rely on Him, and decide to believe in Him and follow Him again.
 
Again, the gospel of Jesus Christ and the righteousness of God clearly show us that the only way for us to truly become righteous before God is to believe in Jesus and live by His righteousness, not our own.
 
Paul says in verse 4, “Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” (Rom 10:4).
 
The fact that Christ is the culmination of the law means that all the laws in the Old Testament actually point to Him. In regard to the righteousness of God, which is the main theme of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul wrote in Romans chapter 3,
 
“No one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law…  But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Rm 3:20-22)
 
This is the passage that best describes what God’s righteousness is. Even though it was ‘apart from the law,’ the Law and the Prophets testified to it. And, it was clearly made known in Jesus Christ.
 
That’s why Paul said that Jesus is the culmination of the law. In Jesus, we find the only way to become righteous—not by observing laws but by believing in Him.
 
Righteousness by the law vs Righteousness by faith
Paul repeats this same truth in chapter 10 verses 5-8.  
“Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim” (Rm 10:5-8)
 
Now, Paul introduces the ways through which we can achieve righteousness. One is by the law, the other is by faith. The righteousness that is by the law refers to the self-righteousness we build on our own, while the latter refers to God’s righteousness, which we are given by faith.
 
It seems that Paul is saying that there are two ways for us to achieve righteousness, but that’s not what he really means. What Moses said was true only before Jesus. Before Jesus came, the Israelites tried to earn righteousness by observing God’s law. But, none of them succeeded because of their sinful nature. 
 
But, because God’s righteousness has been revealed in Jesus apart from the law, the only way for us to be righteous is by faith.
 
What’s good about this righteousness is that we don’t have to do anything or go anywhere to get it. We don’t have to ask “who will ascend into heaven” or “who will descend into the deep” because Jesus Himself came to us and He is with us now. Jesus already came, died, and was raised from the dead. And, what’s more important, He is with us, and we can go to Him whenever we want and wherever we are.
 
We no longer have to do anything to make ourselves righteous because everything needed for our salvation has already been done in Jesus. As He said, “It is finished” (Jn 19:30).
 
So, in regard to righteousness and salvation, Paul concludes with this.
 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Rm 10:9-10).
 
Paul shows us the way to be saved. It’s very simple—just declare, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in Him. Here, we have to take note of the fact that God doesn’t require us to obey His law for us to be saved. What God requires is just to believe in Jesus and declare His sovereignty over our lives.
 
Even though it’s very important for us to obey God because that’s the proper way for us to live out our faith, we have to be continually reminded of the fact that whether we’re saved or not is based only on our faith in Jesus, not on the things we do. 

“What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.” (Rm 9:30-32)

Even though Paul was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles, he had never-ending concern in his heart for the Israelites. He understood the power of the gospel from experience and really wanted his own people to come to believe in Jesus.
 
The Jews had great privileges. Paul listed the 8 blessings they had in verses 4-5—adoption to sonship, the divine glory, the covenants, the law, the temple worship, the promises and the patriarchs of faith. Above all else, the Messiah himself was a Jew.
 
But, despite all these great spiritual blessings and privileges, they still rejected the Messiah. So, did God really abandon the Israelites He had originally chosen? What was God’s will toward them? That’s the main subject Paul discusses in chapter 9. Paul talks about this problem by answering 4 questions. 

4 Questions About the Salvation of the Jews
1) Did God’s Word Fail?
The first question raised at that time was whether or not God’s word had failed. The Israelites, whom God had originally chosen and blessed, had failed to recognize and accept the Messiah. So, some people might have thought that God’s word had failed.
 
In response to this viewpoint, Paul said, “It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” (Rom 9:6)
 
Paul said that even though many Israelites failed to believe in Jesus, it didn’t mean that God’s word failed because His promises and covenant were only for true descendants, not all of them.
 
Paul continued,
“Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.” (Rm 9:7-8)
 
Paul said that not all Israelites were true descendants of Abraham. There were true spiritual descendants as well as physical descendants. And, God’s promise was given only to true descendants.
 
To demonstrate this, Paul used two examples. First, even though Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, only Isaac was reckoned as Abraham’s true son because God had promised him that he would have a son through Sarah, not anyone else.
 
Likewise, even though Isaac had twins with Rebekah—Esau and Jacob—God chose the younger brother even before they were born. Paul said that there was a reason God chose Jacob.
 
“Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad - in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls - she was told, “The older will serve the younger. Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” (Rm 9:11-13)
 
Even though it’s hard to fully understand these verses, what Paul is trying to say is that not all physical descendants of Abraham were true descendants. And, God’s will and promises never fail but are fulfilled for the true, spiritual descendants of Abraham.
 
So, the fact that most of the Jews rejected the Messiah didn’t really mean that God’s word failed because it was still being achieved through true, spiritual descendants even though they were a minority compared to the rest of the Jewish community.
 
Paul already talked about this subject in Romans 2 when he explained circumcision.
 
He said, “A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.” (Rm 2:28-29)
 
A Jew who is circumcised only outwardly and physically, not inwardly, can’t be regarded as a true descendant of Abraham. Only those whose hearts are circumcised can be reckoned as God’s true people.
 
2) Is God Unjust?
Paul said that God’s word didn’t fail because His promises were achieved through the true, spiritual descendants of Abraham as God chose Isaac, not Ishmael, and Jacob, not Esau.
 This leads to the next question. Paul said, “What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!” (Rm 9:14)
 
Some people might have insisted that God was unjust in choosing who would become true descendants or not. If God’s promise is achieved only through His choice, does that make Him unjust?
 
Paul said, “not at all.” Paul proved that God is still just by declaring God’s mercy. He quoted what God told Moses.
 
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” (Rom 9:15)
 
With this quote, Paul concluded,
“Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.” (Rm 9:18)
 
These two verses are also hard to understand because it seems that God has mercy only on those whom He chose and hardens the rest.
 
But, the real point is not that God hardens people, but that He has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy. The fact that God has mercy on those whom He chooses doesn’t make Him unjust because as Paul said, all people are sinners before God and don’t deserve His salvation.
 
Because there’s no one who deserves His salvation, we can’t say that God is unjust in choosing His people and having mercy on them. What’s really surprising is not the fact that there are people who aren’t saved, but that there are people who are saved.
 
And, we also know that even though Paul describes God as the One who chooses His people and has mercy on them in order to emphasize His sovereignty in salvation, God actually opens the door to salvation to everyone.
 
The Apostle John said that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son. The world includes all people on earth, not just some people. We also read that God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. So, God is not unjust because He has mercy on those who deserve judgment.
 
3) Why Does God Blame us?
The second question leads to the third one. Paul said, “One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” (Rm 9:19)
 
What they were asking was that if it’s God who chooses which people to have mercy on, God can’t blame those whom He doesn’t choose. By doing so, they tried to lay the blame on God for the failures of the Jews.
 
Paul’s answer is,
“But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?” (Rm 9:20)
 
By emphasizing God’s sovereignty in creation, Paul said that there’s no one who can talk back to God. God is the Creator and we’re His creations. Because He is the Creator we can’t argue against His will.
 
After that Paul explains what God does for both the Jews and the Gentiles.
 
“What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath - prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory -  even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?” (Rm 9:22-24)
 
Even though God shows His wrath, He also displays great patience. By doing so, God makes the riches of his glory known to His people. God prepared this not only for the Jews but also for the Gentiles. That’s what God does to save the world, and no one can argue with God about what He does. 
 
4) What Then Shall We Say?
The last question is, “What then shall we say?” (Rm 9:30). What could they say about the fact “That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal?” (Rm 9:30-31)
 
Now, Paul draws his conclusion about the salvation of Gentiles and the failures of the Jews.
 
“Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.” (Rm 9:32)
 
The reason they failed to be saved by believing in Jesus was that they relied on their works for salvation. Jesus showed plenty of proof that He was the Messiah, but they rejected Him and killed Him. They tried to obtain righteousness through their works, which was impossible.
 
Today, we talked about what Paul thought about the failures of the Jews in God’s salvation. It didn’t mean that God failed, because God still chose and saved true descendants of Abraham. God is not unjust in having mercy on those whom He chooses because no one deserves it to begin with.
 
We are God’s creation, and we cannot argue with our Creator. The only thing we can say in this matter is that only those who believe in God and rely on His salvation can be saved because no one can obtain perfect righteousness through their works.

“I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel.” (Rm 9:2-4)

Through Romans chapters 1-8, Paul systematically and elaborately described what the gospel is. The gospel is Jesus Christ through whom we can be forgiven and justified only by faith in Him.
 
In chapter 5, we talked about what kinds of blessings we came to have as a result of justification by faith such as peace with God, access to His grace, hope for the glory of God, and so on. After that, Paul explained what it means for us to believe in Jesus. It’s to be united with His death and life. We die to sin and live for God. We are no longer the slaves of sin, but of God.
 
We also died to the Law which means that we no longer consider it to be the means of salvation. However, we uphold the law through the power of the Holy Spirit who has set us free from the law of sin and death. These are essential facts included in the gospel of Jesus Christ that Paul talks about from Romans 1 to 8.
 
Now, in Romans chapter 9, Paul’s tone changes. After he finishes explaining what the gospel is, Paul now discusses in earnest the relationship between the Jews and the Gentiles and God’s plan for them in Romans 9-11.
 
At that time, Christianity was growing dramatically despite severe persecution. At first, most of the Christians were not Gentiles, but Jews. After Jesus’ disciples received the Holy Spirit, they immediately went out and started proclaiming that Jesus is the Messiah. However, it took time for this gospel to be delivered to the Gentiles. Most of the believers in Acts chapters 2-8 were Jews.
 
But, things started to change starting in Acts 9. After encountering Jesus on the way to Damascus, Paul, who had been a persecutor of Christians, converted to Christianity and started to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles. In Acts chapter 10, we read how God sent Peter to a centurion named Cornelius, who was a Gentile, and had him proclaim the gospel to him and his family.
 
The door to the mission to the Gentiles was gradually opening and it started in earnest in Acts chapter 13. The church at Antioch supported Paul and Barnabas on missions, so they began to proclaim the gospel in all the regions they traveled, and many Gentiles came to believe in Jesus as a result of Paul’s mission trips.
 
So, when Paul wrote a letter to Rome, the Jewish Christians were outnumbered by the Gentile Christians. Some people might have thought that God abandoned His original people and chose the Gentiles instead. That’s what Paul deals with in Romans chapter 9-11.
 
Paul’s Anguish For the People of Israel
Paul starts chapter 9 by expressing his great sorrow and anguish for the people of Israel. Paul said,
 
“I speak the truth in Christ - I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit - I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel…” (Rm 9:1-4)
 
Paul’s anguish was caused by the people of Israel. Even though Paul was called to be the apostle to the Gentiles, he was still an Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin. So, it must have been very hard for him to see that many of his people weren’t saved.
 
His anguish for them was so great that he even said that he wished to be cursed and cut off from Christ, if that could lead them to salvation in Jesus. Paul’s confession is similar to Moses’ prayer in Exodus.
 
In Exodus 32:32, Moses said to God,
“But now, please forgive their sin - but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.” (Ex 32:32)
 
Moses said this after he found out that the Israelites did evil things by making a golden calf and worshiping it. He boldly prayed to blot him out of God’s book of life. By doing so, Moses expressed his great concern for the Israelites.
 
That’s the mindset Paul also had. Paul really wanted his own people to be saved. I think this strong desire was the driving force that made him keep proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone even though he faced great persecution and hardships.
 
In Romans 1:14-16, Paul said,
“I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Rm 1:14-16)
 
Paul said that he was obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, not because he owed them anything, but because Jesus had entrusted him with the gospel to deliver it to others.
 
Paul was so passionate about preaching the gospel because he had already experienced its great power and really wanted others to experience the amazing power of God’s salvation as well.
 
That’s one of the common characteristics of Christians who have truly experienced the power of the gospel. They become so eager to preach the gospel, not just because that’s an obligation to do so as Christians, but because they know that the gospel is the good news and the power of God that brings salvation.
 
And, that’s also the mindset we should pursue as Christians. If we don’t have that kind of passion, we should ask ourselves whether or not we truly believe in Jesus or experience the power of the gospel.
 
8 Privileges of the Jews
After expressing his great sorrow and anguish for the Jews, Paul listed the 8 privileges they had in God in verses 4-5. He said,
 
“Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.” (Rm 9:4-5)
 
These were the blessings the Jews had—adoption to sonship, the divine glory, the covenants, the law, the temple worship, the promises and the patriarchs of faith. Above all else, the Messiah himself was a Jew. Not one of these blessings is trivial. These are very great things to have.
 
By listing these blessings, Paul was pointing out how incredulous it was that they who had all these privileges could possibly reject the Messiah. 

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rm 8:38-39)

The Five Questions About God’s Salvation
Paul continues to talk about the certainty of Christians’ hope in God’s salvation by raising 5 rhetorical questions , which prove the certainty of Christians’ salvation.
 
1) If God is for us, who can be against us?
First, Paul asks, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rm 8:31).
 
If Paul just asked ‘Who can be against us,’ there would be many answers. There are many things that attack and oppose Christians. Our sinful nature is against us. Temptations and our desires of the flesh are against us. Even though Satan was defeated, he isn’t completely destroyed yet. Even now, Satan prowls around looking for someone to devour. All the different kinds of difficulties we face are also against us.
 
So, Christians obviously face many obstacles. The reason the first question is rhetorical is because of the if-clause. “If God is for us”
 
Paul is saying that if God is for us, nothing can be against us. All of the problems, obstacles, and difficulties that keep us from having faith in God lose their strength before God’s power.
 
God foreloves, predestines, calls, justifies, and glorifies us. He’s still working on our salvation. If we truly rely on the fact that God is for us, we’ll come to know that nothing can really be against us. 
 
2) Second, Paul asks, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - How will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Rom 8:32)
 
Again, if Paul just asked, “Will God give us all things?”, we might be a bit skeptical. We might answer, “probably not.” Because we don’t fully know all the plans, blessings, and gifts God has for us, we might doubt the fullness of His provision.
 
However, the part before Paul’s question banishes our doubts about God’s provision. Paul urges us to look at Jesus’ cross and encourages us to remember the fact that God already gave us everything in Christ. God didn’t even spare His own Son. God sacrificed what He valued most to save us. This truth gives us the assurance that God will provide us with all that we need.
 
Here, the way Paul supports his claim is similar to the way he did it in Romans 5. Regarding the certainty of our salvation, Paul said,
 
“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (Rm 5:9-10)
 
The reason that we can be sure of our future salvation lies in the works God has already done for us. God, who gave His only Son to justify us, won’t give up on us, but will faithfully guide us with His amazing grace until we are completely redeemed.
 
Likewise, we can also be assured that God will graciously give us all things because He already gave us the one who is most precious to Him. In fact, God gave us everything by giving us His Son. Therefore, the cross is the strongest evidence that guarantees that God will continue to take care of us and provide us with all that we need.
 
3-4) Now, third and fourth questions. Paul asks,
 
“Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Rm 8:33-34)
 
Paul takes us to a courtroom. God is the judge and our accuser is Satan. What’s worse, all the things he says about our sins are true. We’re guilty of our sins. We can’t make any excuses.
 
However, Paul asserts that no one can bring any charge against us and that no one can condemn us. That’s because we have the perfect lawyer in the courtroom—Jesus. And, Jesus’ defense on our behalf is that He has already paid the penalty for our sins.
 
The foundation of Jesus’ defense is the precious blood He shed to pay for our sins. Jesus pleaded our case with His body on the cross. So, every charge against us will ultimately fail because our sins were already paid in full with Jesus’ sacrifice.
 
That’s what the apostle John also said in First John.
“If anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 Jn 2:1-2)
 
Jesus Christ is our advocate. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rm 8:1) because “[God] condemned sin in [His] flesh” (Rm 8:3)
 
This amazing truth gives us confidence of our salvation. Jesus Christ died on the cross, was raised to life, and is at God’s right hand. Jesus not only died for us in the past, but is also interceding for us even now. His ministry for our salvation hasn’t ended yet and He won’t stop praying for us until we see Him face to face.
 
If we focus on who we are, we’ll fail. However, if we truly rely on Jesus Christ, we will be forgiven and justified through His blood.
 
5) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
This is the height of Paul’s argument. Paul lists adversities Christians might face.
 “Trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword” (Rm 8:35)
 
These are difficulties that exist in Christian life. They are hard to endure and challenge our faith. Paul experienced these all. He doesn’t deny the existence of suffering in Christian life. Rather, Paul encourages us to rejoice in them because “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rm 8:37).
 
Jesus Christ also suffered and overcame. So, He is able to empathize with us in suffering. Not only that, but Jesus is with us in the midst of hardships, gives us the strength to overcome them, and encourages us to fix our eyes on Him. If we accept this fact as truth, we will also be more than conquerors in all situations through Jesus who loves us.
 
Confidence in the Love of Christ
Now, let’s read the last two verses of Romans chapter 8.
 
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rm 8:38-39)
 
Here, Paul reaches the climax of his argument. He said that he was convinced that nothing would be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
 
The five questions he raised above were about who God is and what He does for His people. God is for us. He didn’t even spare His own Son and He graciously gives us all things. God chooses and justifies us. Jesus Christ died for our sins, was raised to life for our righteousness, and is interceding for us at the right hand of God.
 
All of these facts reveal to us how much God loves us, and more importantly, that there’s nothing in the world that can separate us from His love. Therefore, there’s nothing we should worry about and there’s no one who can be against us or condemn us. That’s the confidence Paul had in Christ that enabled him to overcome all of his hardships and joyfully follow Jesus.
 
We all need this strong assurance. As I said before, the world we’re living in is full of unstable things. It’s hard for us to have perfect assurance. However, the hope we have in God is fundamentally different. It’s certain because its basis is God’s unfailing love for us.
 
Even though we’re exposed to all kinds of temptations, sins, and difficulties, we should be reminded of the fact that the promise of victory is already given to us.
 
God never said that we wouldn’t have any troubles. Rather, He guarantees that they can’t separate us from His love. These truths were shown clearly on the cross and are poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit so that we can put our hope in God alone.