“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 creature, shall be able to seplarate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38,39
It is one thing to be in a relationship. It is quite another to be in one that can not be dissolved. If we are talking about a relationship that is essentially good, holy, and worthy of great consideration, then this is very good news indeed. On the contrary, to not be in such a situation and reality is not only sad, and discouraging, but very oppressive, with little hope of any remedy. When one comes to Christ, that “indissoluble” bond with sin, self, Satan, and the world, is miraculously broken. The word indissoluble only explains and reveals that which is impossible to man, but not to God. As Scripture declares, the things that are impossilble to man are possible with God, for nothing is too difficult to Him. By the same logic, and spiritual reality, that which is done by God, and the relationship that He creates when one is born of the Spirit, is immutable. God literally, spiritually, places the believer IN Christ, removing him from Adam. The believer is grafted into the True Vine, Christ, made one with Him, to live by and for Him. That relationship is not only a change of position, or standing, before God of being justified, but one where the very nature of the believer, in living union with Christ by the Spirit, communicates Life. This bond, this union, is indestructible, indissoluble, and inseparable. Though a believer, for one reason or another, may not grasp the great import of this reality, this has no effect upon its truth and reality in the sight of God. As the Apostle Paul so wonderully put it: “…NOTHING shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is IN Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:39)
What then about “limits,” those spiritual capacities in the new man, to overcome everything thrown at him to dislodge him from faith in the faithfulness of God in this matter? We always come back to the matter of the first thing being a “vision.” By vision, we are not talking about the specific visions of heaven, and things above that manifest themselves by chariots of fire, coals from upon the altar to touch one’s lips, and the seraphim that worship God night and day, declaring His holiness. These very real and glorious visions are certainly true and powerful. We are profoundly moved when we consider them, as God’s power is revealed in them. But “visions” can be of other things, simply the revelation of other spiritual realities. Some of these realities that would hurl themselves against the bastions of faith, with regard to the indissoluble union with Christ, are found in the list given to us by the Apostle Paul. He writes of them being: “…death, life, angels, principalities, powers, things present and things to come.” (8:38) How big and powerful are these “things?” They are certainly greater than the believer, the “sheep” of Christ’s pasture. They are also greater than the wolves which would scatter, and kill the sheep, greater than a single lion who walks about seeking whom he may devour. Here you have the picture of the host of wickedness, spiritual darkness, and the powers of darkness, seeking to overwhelm the faith of the sheep. Can they do this? Yes, for there is no perfect victory on this earth, except that which Christ won calvary. The MEASURE of the victory in the believer will depend in great part on his faith, which means that his vision of God in His sovereignty, the work of Christ, His keeping power, must always remain in tact, immutable as God Himself.
The great point, or truth is this, that God has placed the believer IN Christ, forever sealed him there by the Spirit. From that position of victory the believer is to live.
Dear Father, Enlarge our vision. In Jesus’ name, Amen.