Rabbi’s Reflections – Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Shalom,

Victory Over Sin part 50 – Romans, part 111

Romans 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.

Oh baby!  This is it, part 50 of “Victory Over Sin.”  What will “be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Messiah Yeshua, our Lord?”  Paul goes into some detail to describe what will NOT separate us from Yeshua.  Nothing… nothing dead or alive (even us), not angelic hosts, nor principalities.

Rabbi Trail:  What is a principality?  One expanded definition reads like this… “[Has] the priority because [it’s] ahead of the rest (‘preeminent’).”  A “principality” is a spiritual authority.  The point here is that there is no “spiritual authority” that can separate us from the love of God available through Yeshua.  End RT.

The scriptures go on to describe what cannot come between us and God’s love, saying, nothing now nor in the future, (see the RT below) no power, nothing too high, and nothing too low.  If that’s not enough, one more all-encompassing qualifier, “Nor anything else that has ever been created.”

Rabbi Trail:  Notice Paul does not mention anything about what is past.  We might reasonably infer that hanging onto our past CAN separate us from God’s love.  Lot’s wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt.  And then there is this… Luke 9:62 But Yeshua said to him, “No one who has put his hand to the plow and looked back is fit for the kingdom of God.”  End RT.

In other words, nothing (dead or alive), nothing (spiritual power nor authority), nothing (now nor at any other time), nothing (up nor down), and nothing (ever created) can separate us from God’s love.  PERIOD!  That ought to cover it, so stop trying to imagine what will defeat you.

1Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who keeps giving us the victory through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah!  The victory belongs to the Lord!

Paul has given us these three chapters of Romans (6, 7 & 8) so that we will be inspired to resist the temptation to sin.  Matthew 6:13  “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”  Yeshua gave His life so that we could be victorious.  Jacob 4:7 Therefore submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Achieve the victory and enter into His joy.  1Peter 1:8 Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. And even though you don’t see Him now, you trust Him and are filled with a joy that is glorious beyond words, 9 receiving the outcome of your faith—the salvation of your souls.  Shalom shalom.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Wed 21 Jun-2023 2nd of Tamuz, 5783
Nu 16:44-50[17:9-15] Jer 42-43 Ezr 4 2 Co 6 (Lk 5)