I am blessed by this YouVersion devotion from the plan Ragamuffin Reflections from Brennan Manning:
Nothing Can Separate Us
The question the gospel of grace puts to us is simply this: Who shall separate you from the love of Christ? What are you afraid of?
Are you afraid that your weakness could separate you from the love of Christ? It can’t.
Are you afraid that your inadequacies could separate you from the love of Christ? They can’t.
Are you afraid that your inner poverty could separate you from the love of Christ? It can’t.
Difficult marriage, loneliness, anxiety over the children’s future? They can’t.
Negative self-image? It can’t.
Economic hardship, racial hatred, street crime? They can’t.
Rejection by loved ones or the suffering of loved ones? They can’t.
Persecution by authorities, going to jail? They can’t.
Nuclear war? It can’t.
Mistakes, fears, uncertainties? They can’t.
The gospel of grace calls out: Nothing can ever separate you from the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You must be convinced of this, trust it, and never forget to remember. Everything else will pass away, but the love of Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Faith will become vision, hope will become possession, but the love of Jesus Christ that is stronger than death endures forever. In the end, it is the one thing you can hang on to.
Very good.
Nothing can or will separate us from the love of God in Christ.
Paul said not things present nor anything yet to come.
I have been slowly coming to the realization that the promise of eternal life is the guarantee underneath that for this life, He will prove faithful in spite of any difficulty.
" Indeed, He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32)
Maybe not all things we crave or lust for, but all things we need to usher us into His eternal purpose.
Originally posted by @apathistHe died for them that they too might be justified and saved.
The billions of people who died before they heard of christ, and the billions of infants who died too soon, and the mentally infirm, and the honest people subjected to foreign indoctrination. For example. What has the love of christ done for them?
And that even though many were born and died before Christ was incarnated.
We get a glimpse of this though we may not know all the details.
You don't read the Bible.
So you never heard of such a thing.
Look up Romans 3:25 and pay attention to the last twelve or so words.
Get some good commentaries. Do some studying about your problem.
You don't put in any research. You just delight to pat yourself on the back that you think you find some fault with the Gospel.
Originally posted by @sonshipGood. So belief in your system isn't required. Works don't determine whether we go to heaven or hell, and belief doesn't matter either!
He died for them that they too might be justified and saved....
Originally posted by @apathistMy comment was about really going to the Bible with an exploring attitude to see about some of one's questions.
Good. So belief in your system isn't required. Works don't determine whether we go to heaven or hell, and belief doesn't matter either!
Are you into that? Or are you only into seeing how easily you can locate some rationale to nourish your unbelief?
I don't have less questions then the next guy. I go to the communication of God to man - the Bible. I explore the matters. I get some help from others more experienced.
I do not have a requirement that there would be nothing left to ask. I do want to not make snap judgments of unbelief to nourish my skepticism that God is a bother to my self and should be quickly discarded.