Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
Today is 2-for-1 Friday!
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The Questions
Romans 8:37-39
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, 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 that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Original Intent
1) What are “all these things” Paul refers to in verse 37?
Romans 8:37 is an encouraging passage that is often quoted on social media. However, it is important to look at the context of a verse before applying it to any situation. In the verses before this section, the author, Paul, points out the many ways he and new believers had suffered for the gospel. The phrase “all these things” points us backward in his letter where he references suffering caused by others and dire circumstances (verse 18), all of which Jesus told His followers was to be expected for obediently following Him. (John 15:20-21) Verse 32 explains how God “did not even spare His own Son” from suffering. Paul uses this example to emphasize how, if Christ suffered, how could we expect less? (John 15:18-19) In verse 35, Paul brings up other types of suffering like affliction, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and sword, which is meant to include all types of possible suffering for following Christ. Verse 36 quotes Psalm 44, which includes a lament amid suffering that God allowed. Regardless of the source of suffering in our lives, we can take hope in knowing we are more than conquerors through Christ because He will sustain and carry us through the suffering and into Glory with Him. Jesus is right now sitting at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven (verse 34) in Glory, and one day, we will be glorified with Him. (verse 17)
2) What does it mean to be “more than conquerors”? (verse 37)
Paul wrote the book of Romans to early church members in Rome, which was the seat of power for the Roman Empire. These early believers knew Rome had conquered and controlled extensive territory around the Mediterranean Sea, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The language of being “a conqueror” carried heavy meaning to these early believers as Rome’s conquest brought all kinds of suffering for God’s people while rewarding Roman citizens. However, Paul shifts their attention with these words. Being more than conquerors through Christ Jesus meant believers were beneficiaries of Christ’s victory on the cross just as the Romans benefited from soldier’s success in far-flung parts of the empire. The Greek word in verse 37, translated “more than conquerors,” combines two words (huper and nikaó) with familiar English equivalents. Huper (also spelled “Hyper” as in “hyperactive”) means “above and beyond.” Nikeo’ is from the word “Nike” (like the tennis shoes), and its meaning comes from the Greek Goddess, Nike’s, supernatural victory in battle. Christian victory goes beyond just winning the war. We reap eternal rewards based on Christ’s triumph over sin and death. (Matthew 5:12)
3) According to this passage, how can we be confident in God’s love?
God’s love bookends the beginning and end of this passage in Romans. Our victory comes through Christ’s love (verse 37), and our confidence is based on the promise that nothing can separate us from God’s love (verse 39). These verses contrast the dependability of God’s love to a plethora of other things outside of our control like life, death, height, depth, rulers, and so forth. Fear is not from God as He is a God of love, “There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love.” (1 John 4:18) Trusting God’s perfect love helps us overcome fear and anxiety. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.” (2 Timothy 1:7) The Old Testament king, Solomon, described God’s love as “stronger than death.” (Song of Solomon 8:6) God’s love guarantees our victory during times of suffering, even to the point of death. Because we can be confident in God’s love, believers no longer need to fear death, the future, or any created thing.
Everyday Application
1) What are “all these things” Paul refers to in verse 37?
Paul’s mention of “all these things” reminds us that being a Christian will not spare us from suffering. (John 16:33) Going through difficult situations, and even facing death, will challenge our faith. Just as Jesus suffered persecution, betrayal, and eventually, a tortured death on the cross to purchase our salvation, believers also face many hardships. Being obedient to God may lead to great suffering and distress; regardless of the kind of suffering you face for following Christ, obedience to Him always carries a cost. (Luke 14:25-27) The Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, wrote of the Suffering Servant who is Jesus, “Yet the LORD was pleased to crush Him severely.” God used Jesus’ crushing to bring about His greater purpose to offer rescue to the world from sin (1 John 2:2) and its consequences of death. (Romans 6:23) We can take hope that whatever challenging time we go through, it is not the end. We will experience ultimate victory if we belong to Jesus. In Christ, we are more than conquerors over this world of pain and suffering. Human nature often views suffering as a consequence of disobeying God, but the Holy Spirit led Paul to quote Psalm 44 in verse 36 as a reminder that affliction is not always an indication of unfaithfulness to God, rather simply a mark of following Him. This psalm is a cry of faithfulness during extreme suffering, “All this has happened to us, but we have not forgotten you or betrayed your covenant. Our hearts have not turned back; our steps have not strayed from your path.” (Psalm 44:17-18) During personal pain and heartache, it’s easy to doubt God’s faithfulness and His love. Instead of letting his pain drive him away from God, the psalmist modeled how suffering can bring us closer to God.
2) What does it mean to be “more than conquerors”? (verse 37)
Even as believers in Jesus, when we face extreme suffering, persecution, and difficulty, it is natural to doubt God’s sovereignty and His power. This passage reminds us that just as we will experience hard times, we are confident we will also experience the benefits from Christ’s victory. (verse 17, 1 Peter 4:13) We don’t need to fear death because through Jesus’ death and resurrection “death has been swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57) We don’t need to worry about “things present nor things to come” because “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) There are no powers, rulers, nor angels that are outside of Christ’s authority. “Jesus came near and said to them, ‘All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.‘” (Matthew 28:18) Being more than conquerors doesn’t mean believers avoid all hardship and suffering, rather, we will experience a deeper appreciation for God’s presence and victory because of the hard times we have endured. “He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4) Suffering does not need to define us! Instead, challenging circumstances are tools to help draw us closer to God, increase our confidence in His faithfulness, and enlarge our ability to minister to others.
3) According to this passage, how can we be confident in God’s love?
God’s love is the foundation of our faith because it is the reason Jesus died on the cross to take on the punishment of our sin. “Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10) For fear to lose its power, we must cling to the truth that our identity stems from Christ and His love for us. Our confidence is not based on our strength or ability because we are frail and easily distracted. Our efforts will never be enough to take on the challenges of life, death, things to come in the future, and powers both in the physical world and the supernatural realm. In Christ, we are not victims, we are not invalids, and we are no longer in bondage to Sin. We are God’s children, deeply loved, saved, healed, set free, and victorious for eternity!
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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