What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-38
This month, another year ends, and another one begins. One of the most common things that people do when the New Year begins is to make a resolution. As we approach and enter 2022, Paul gives us some words from Romans that will shape our lives, and how we approach the upcoming new year. He tells us what his New Year’s resolution is.
A recent study done on resolutions, though, has revealed these interesting statistics. A majority of the resolutions that we may make fail, although we may have the best intentions in mind. By the second week of January, over 25% of people will have given up or stopped their resolution. Over 73% of people will give up before meeting their goal, and only 8% of people will actually achieve the goal of their resolution. Perhaps this is why some people don’t even make them anymore!
Why do we fail at keeping them? It may be because we have a lack of commitment or discipline for our goal. Life can be busy, and we can forget about our goals or not have enough time to achieve them. Perhaps, our resolutions might even be unattainable for us, and we give up when we realize that. Trying to keep a resolution is a difficult thing. Despite the odds against us, Paul gives us a great suggestion about what our New Year’s resolution and life focus should be for the upcoming year. He gives us a resolution that will never fail because it focuses upon our Lord and what He does for us.
The word resolution means, “determining upon an action, course of action.” It also means “determination.” When we make resolutions, we determine to do something. Whether we focus on losing weight or trying to be nicer to people, we are determining upon an action. We are resolving to do it. Resolutions like these can be good things, and there is nothing wrong with them. But Paul is challenging us to do something more, something different.
Hear what Paul’s resolution is. He says, “For I am sure,” or as other translations say, “I am convinced,” “I am persuaded,” “that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is what he focuses on and determines to know. He determines to know that nothing will separate him from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. He is confident, convinced, and persuaded of this. He determines to know this.
This love that Paul determines to know is agape, the Greek word for unconditional love. It is a love that is completely undeserved and is one that is not based on a condition. This love is not just an emotion, but is also an action. When we think of God’s love as just an emotion, we miss out on the fullness of it. This love will never fail and his resolution is to know this love.
Now, let’s take a look at Paul’s resolution and life focus. For Paul, God is the subject. He is focusing on God’s love and how he cannot be separated by it. Who is the object? Paul is because he is receiving God’s love. He is focusing not upon himself but on what God has done for Him. This is the beauty and genius of Paul’s resolution.
So why does Paul resolve and determine to know the love of God that we have through Jesus? It is because God’s unconditional love for us led Him to give us His Son. His love for us led Him to not even spare His own Son for us, when Jesus died on the cross in our place. And since Christ died for us and intercedes for us, who can bring any charge against us? Satan cannot accuse us before God because we have been completely forgiven. Although we are sinners, we are saints in the eyes of God. Through Christ, we are holy and righteous before God; we are forgiven. Just as we cannot be separated from the love of God in Christ, we cannot be separated from this forgiveness as well! This is why Paul determines to know the love of God because in it he sees his salvation and all of the good and gracious acts that God does for him! This love and forgiveness will never fail! We can always depend on this.
And so, how do we live as people who know and experience the love of Christ in the year and years ahead? How do we make Paul’s resolution our own? The answer is that we don’t. Let’s look at Paul’s order of subject and object. We are the object, God is the subject. Through faith in Him, God helps us to change Who the subject is and who the object is in our lives. Since the Holy Spirit lives in us, He makes us holy and changes our lives. He makes us to be like Jesus. He helps God to become the subject and center of our lives, and He makes us the object, the thing being acted upon. The Spirit does this through our baptism, where he daily forgives and renews us. He does this through the Lord’s Supper where Christ sustains our souls with His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. He does this through the Word, where we see the proof of God’s love for us, and from where we receive guidance.
As the Holy Spirit works in us through our baptism, the Word, and the Lord’s Supper, look what happens. With Paul, we’ll resolve to know that if God is for us, who can be against us? For when troubles, persecutions, death, sickness, and disease come our way, we’ll know that through Christ we are more than conquerors because He has defeated and overcome these things through His cross. He has the last word and says that He has won. With Paul, we’ll know that we have a comfort and confidence from His love because we cannot ever be separated from it by death or anything that is seen or unseen in this universe. We’ll also know from God’s love how we are to treat and live with each other in this world, since we love because He first loved us. And we’ll know that through faith in Christ, we are forgiven and justified in God’s sight. Nothing will ever change that. When God is the subject, we’ll resolve to know these things.
As the previous year comes to a close and as the new year dawns ahead, Paul’s words in Romans give our lives guidance not only for the upcoming year, but for the rest of our lives as well. He challenges us to live our lives differently, with the subject and object reversed. He resolves to know that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. God will help us in this endeavor through the Word, our baptism, and the Lord’s Supper in the years ahead. We know what Paul’s resolution is – what is yours?
Pastor Kooi
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XXIII, Number 6, January 2022)