Can sin separate us from God’s love?

Published on

November 20, 2013

For I am convinced …neither angels nor demons…nor any powers…nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

– Romans 8:38-39

Someone said to me: “But Paul didn’t mention sin. There’s a reason for that, because sin is the only thing that separates us from God. That’s why we have to repent and be cleansed again every time we sin, to come back into God’s presence.”

But as a famous grace preacher here in Cambodia – Barnabas Mam – pointed out to me this week, Paul had already explained what happened to our sin back in Romans 6: it was crucified with Christ.

“We died with Christ. And everyone who has died has been freed from sin.”

Jesus backs this up:

“The Spirit of the LORD has anointed me to bring freedom to the prisoners of sin.”

Church, please…how clear can Paul be?

“…nor anything else in all creation…”

In ALL creation.

NOTHING can separate us from the Love of God.

Not even our sin.

We don’t have to repent everytime we sin. To God, we have no sin. Our sin was crucified with Christ.

This is why John can say: “Those who are born of God do not continue to sin. They cannot go on sinning because they have been born of God.”

Did John mean we cannot go on sinning because of our own strength? Our own ability? No. John meant ‘to God, we cannot go on sinning.’

Previously he said: “But if we do sin, we have One who goes to the Father in our defense, Jesus Christ, the righteous One.”

So, when we sin, do we go to the Father? Show me one place in Paul’s letters where he teaches this as part of the gospel of grace God revealed to him.

No, we don’t go to the Father – Jesus Christ goes to the Father in our defense. We cannot go by ourselves, because by our selves we are sinful. Yet Jesus goes for us, and the Father sees Him, in our place: perfect, righteous and holy.