For years I have told people that my favourite scripture passage outside of the Gospels is from Paul’s letter to the Romans, the 8th Chapter, especially verses 28 - 39. I was thinking about this passage the other day and it became apparent to me that if Paul was writing his letter today to churches in North America he might have chosen different words to make his point. In this time and place people are not too concerned about persecution, famine or nakedness, nor do many think about angels, or powers, or even rulers separating them from God’s love. The list that Paul used in verses 35 - 39 caught the attention of his 1st century audience – but not so much a 21st century crowd. I thought I would reword this passage with some of the things we fear most, or consider powerful today – perhaps this revised version will help people understand the amazing message proclaimed by this special passage.
"Who or what will separate us from the love of Christ? Will cancer, or terrorists, or financial collapse, or corrupt corporations, or pandemics, or natural disasters? No, in all these things we are far more than mere survivors through the one who loves us.
For I am convinced that neither the finality of death, nor the uncertainty of life; neither things we know nor things we don’t understand; neither the immensity of the universe nor the power of the atom; neither the things we perceive nor the things beyond our perception; nor evil – neither in its banal or most hideous forms; neither the regretful past nor the unknowable future, nothing in time or outside of time; there is absolutely nothing that will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Ultimate Authority."
Dennis, when I had my Confirmation at the age of 15, our pastors chose a scripture passage for each one of us that they felt would be personally relevant. The verse given to me was Romans 8:28. I had no idea that was part of your favourite passage as well. Your paraphrase is profound. Thank you so much for posting this!
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