SEV Biblia, Chapter 8:35
¿Quin nos apartar de la caridad del Cristo? ¿tribulacin, o angustia, o persecucin, o hambre, o desnudez, o peligro, o cuchillo?
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Romans 8:35
Verse 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?] I do think that this question has been generally misunderstood. The apostle is referring to the persecutions and tribulations to which genuine Christians were exposed through their attachment to Christ, and the gracious provision God had made for their support and final salvation. As in this provision God had shown his infinite love to them in providing Jesus Christ as their sin-offering, and Jesus Christ had shown his love in suffering death upon the cross for them; so, here, he speaks of the love of the followers of God to that Christ who had first loved them. Therefore the question is not, Who shall separate the love of Christ from us? or prevent Christ from loving us? but, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Who or what shall be able to remove our affection from him? And the questions that immediately follow show that this is the sense of the passage; for the tribulation, distress, &c., which he enumerates, are things by which they might be affected, but by which Christ could not be affected; and, consequently, the question most evidently refers to their love to him who had first loved them, and, while it affords a strong presumption of their perseverance, furnishes a most powerful argument against apostasy. Shall tribulation?] fliyiv, grievous affliction, or distress of any kind; from flibw, to compress, oppress, straiten, &c.; any thing by which a man is rendered miserable.
Or distress?] stenocwria, a word of nearly the same import with the former, but more intense in its signification. It signifies straitness, being hemmed in on every side, without the possibility of getting out or escaping; from stenov, strait or narrow, and cwrov, a place.
Or persecution?] diwgmov, from diwkw, to pursue, press upon, prosecute, signifies such pursuing as an enemy uses in order to overtake the object of his malice, that he may destroy him.
Or famine?] limov, from leipw, to fail; the total want of bread, and all the necessaries of life.
Or nakedness?] gumnothv, being absolutely without clothing; forcibly expressed by the derivation of the word guia mona ecwn, having one's limbs only, being totally unclothed.
Or peril?] kindunov, a state of extreme and continued danger, perplexing and distressing with grievous forebodings and alarms; derived from kinei tav odunav, it excites anguish; because much evil is felt, and much more feared.
Or sword?] macaira, slaughter; the total destruction of life, and especially beheading, and such like, done by the order of the civil magistrate; for the word is used in this epistle, chap. xiii. 4, to signify the authority and power which he has of judicially terminating life; i.e. of inflicting capital punishment.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ? etc..] By the love of Christ is not meant the saints' love to Christ, but his love to them; he is indeed the object of their love, and so strong is their love to him, that it can never be destroyed; for though there may be an abatement in the fervour of it, it can never be lost; yet this is never called the love of Christ: besides, the apostle is speaking not of their love to Christ, but of the love of God and Christ to them, throughout the context; and his design is, to strengthen the faith of God's people, and comfort their souls, under their various afflictions: now nothing more effectually serves such purposes, than the love of Christ; and the things here instanced in are such, as are apt to inject doubts and fears, about interest in the love of Christ, and of the love of God in Christ, as it is interpreted in some following verses: moreover, the separation here interrogated is not of Christ from us, but of us from him; whereas was it our love to Christ, which is here meant, it should rather have been put, who shall separate him from us, and not us from the love of Christ? That Christ does love the elect of God, who are the persons here spoken of, is evident from his undertaking for them, espousing their persons, assuming their nature, dying in their room and stead, paying off their debts, and redeeming their persons, by going to prepare a place for them, by interceding for them, by supplying them with all grace, and using them in the most free and familiar manner; which love of his is wonderful, matchless, and inconceivable, special and peculiar, free and undeserved, exceeding affectionate, unchangeable, durable, and for ever. This is the bond of union to Christ; and the union which is made by it is exceeding near and close; it is real; perfect, and indissoluble, nothing can separate from it: not tribulation ; or affliction, which springs from his love, and is the fruit of it; and notwithstanding that, he rests in his love; this is not taken away, but is often sensibly enjoyed, in the midst of afflictions: or distress ; whether of body or mind; straitness in the affairs and circumstances of life, or straitness of mind, in the exercise of grace, and discharge of duty; for though we believe not, yet he abides faithful, ( Timothy 2:13), to his covenant and promises: or persecution : from the world; for this is rather an evidence that Christ has loved them chosen and called them, because the world hates them: or famine : want of the necessaries of life, as food and drink; being exposed to great hunger and thirst, which has sometimes been the lot of the dear children of God: or nakedness ; want of proper clothing, or the use of common apparel; wandering about in sheep skins and goat skins, which has been the case of some, of whom the world was not worthy, and so no proof of separation from the love of Christ: or peril ; dangers from different quarters, by different persons and ways; such as the Apostle Paul had trial of, who was highly in the love of Christ, ( 1 Corinthians 11:26); or sword ; that is, death by the sword; which death James the brother of John died, ( Acts 12:13): now, though this may separate the head from the body, and separate soul and body, yet cannot separate from the love of Christ.
Ver 36. As it is written, for thy sake we are killed , etc..] This passage is a citation out of ( Psalm 44:22); and the meaning is, that for the sake of God, and his pure worship, Old Testament saints were frequently put to death, or exposed to the persecutions of men, which often issued in death; as New Testament saints have been, for the sake of Christ and his Gospel, even all the day long ; that is, they were liable to death all the day long; or every day, one or other of them was put to death: we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter ; they were reckoned as fit for nothing else, and were continually exposed unto it; were used as sheep are, as if they were made for no other use and service, but to be slaughtered; hence they are called, the flock of slaughter, ( Zechariah 11:7); and as this expresses the brutality of their persecutors, so their harmlessness, meekness, humility, and patience in sufferings, being under them like lambs or sheep. This testimony is produced, to show that suffering death has been the common lot of the saints in all ages: and is designed to animate the people of God under the Gospel dispensation, to suffer with cheerfulness; the allusion may be to the lambs and sheep daily slain for sacrifice; either to the lambs of the sacrifice slain morning and evening; or to others that were slain in any part of the day from morning to night, for other sacrifices, in the court of the tabernacle and temple.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 32-39 - All things whatever, in heaven and earth, are not so great a display of God's free love, as the gift of his coequal Son to be the atonement of the cross for the sin of man; and all the rest follows upon union with him, and interest in him. All things, all which can be the causes of means of any real good to the faithful Christian. He that has prepare a crown and a kingdom for us, will give us what we need in the way to it. Men may justify themselves, though the accusations are in ful force against them; but if God justifies, that answers all. By Chris we are thus secured. By the merit of his death he paid our debt. Yea rather that is risen again. This is convincing evidence that Divin justice was satisfied. We have such a Friend at the right hand of God all power is given to him. He is there, making intercession. Believer does your soul say within you, Oh that he were mine! and oh that I wer his; that I could please him and live to him! Then do not toss you spirit and perplex your thoughts in fruitless, endless doubtings, but as you are convinced of ungodliness, believe on Him who justifies the ungodly. You are condemned, yet Christ is dead and risen. Flee to Hi as such. God having manifested his love in giving his own Son for us can we think that any thing should turn aside or do away that love Troubles neither cause nor show any abatement of his love. Whateve believers may be separated from, enough remains. None can take Chris from the believer: none can take the believer from Him; and that is enough. All other hazards signify nothing. Alas, poor sinners! thoug you abound with the possessions of this world, what vain things ar they! Can you say of any of them, Who shall separate us? You may be removed from pleasant dwellings, and friends, and estates. You may eve live to see and seek your parting. At last you must part, for you mus die. Then farewell, all this world accounts most valuable. And what hast thou left, poor soul, who hast not Christ, but that which tho wouldest gladly part with, and canst not; the condemning guilt of all thy sins! But the soul that is in Christ, when other things are pulle away, cleaves to Christ, and these separations pain him not. Yea, when death comes, that breaks all other unions, even that of the soul an body, it carries the believer's soul into the nearest union with it beloved Lord Jesus, and the full enjoyment of him for ever __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
τις 5101 I-NSM ημας 2248 P-1AP χωρισει 5563 5692 V-FAI-3S απο 575 PREP της 3588 T-GSF αγαπης 26 N-GSF του 3588 T-GSM χριστου 5547 N-GSM θλιψις 2347 N-NSF η 2228 PRT στενοχωρια 4730 N-NSF η 2228 PRT διωγμος 1375 N-NSM η 2228 PRT λιμος 3042 N-NSM η 2228 PRT γυμνοτης 1132 N-NSF η 2228 PRT κινδυνος 2794 N-NSM η 2228 PRT μαχαιρα 3162 N-NSF
Robertson's NT Word Studies
8:35 {Shall separate} (cwrisei). Future active of old verb corizw from adverb cwris and that from cwra, space. Can any one put a distance between Christ's love and us (objective genitive)? Can any one lead Christ to cease loving us? Such things do happen between husband and wife, alas. Paul changes the figure from "who" (tis) to "what" (ti). The items mentioned will not make Christ love us less. Paul here glories in tribulations as in #5:3ff.
