8:31 What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who is against us?
8:32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?
8:33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies;
8:34 who is to condemn? Is it Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us?
8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
8:36 As it is written, "For thy sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
8:38 For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
8:39 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.
I have tried to live by this motto, "Those who deny God's unconditional love to any of God's creation are in denial of God's holy word." I'm sure that Paul was talking about the Roman persecution of the followers of "The Way" in Romans 8, but I believe he was talking about anyone who is persecuted by society. He could very easily have been talking about the victims of Pol Pot, the Ton-ton Macoute or the Nazis. It is a restatement of the Beatitudes, where Jesus blesses those who are persecuted and slandered. No one wants to die berfore their time, certainly not Paul. Yet, he sees the conquering of imposed death through the love of God. Therefore, we can't deny God's love to any part of creation. This is a truly inclusive God, a God who sees all and says, "That's good." After last night's little contretemps, Romans 8 comes to the rescue.
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