No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
Romans 8:37 NLT
“Despite all these things.”
Not “after all these things,” because God is not a cruel torturer who wantonly inflicts pain out of spite or baseless desire.
Not “because of all these things,” because God is not a merciless schoolmaster who metes out measured punishment for slights whether they are deserved or not.
Not “regardless of all these things,” because God is not an uncaring ruler, looking down at us from His lofty pedestal; unreachable, cold, and disconnected.
The “things” mentioned in the verse are trouble, calamity, persecution, hunger, destitution, danger, and even the threat of death.
No one on earth is exempt from these. Whether by design, or by circumstance; by human carelessness or societal pressures, all of these unfortunate experiences are not withheld from anyone living on earth.
And it is being reinforced that “despite” all these, victory is with us. And not just a single win, or a small prize, but overwhelming victory. A crushing defeat of opponents. A grand sweep.
And this victory is ours through Christ who loves us.
No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:39 NLT
Nothing in all creation then. Not the terrible “things” mentioned earlier. Not even those that we cannot imagine or speak of. Things unknown or unseen, it doesn’t matter — none of it can take away God’s love from us.
In spite of how terrible life can be, God’s love saves us, is here to stay, and can never be taken away.
The nature of a God that blesses can very easily be misconstrued as a performance-based, transactional relationship, in which God only provides if we are “good” enough, or “faithful” enough, or “obedient” enough.
Nothing can be further than the truth. God is a gracious God who provides regardless of anything else.
Which is the best possible arrangement for us humans, struggling, stumbling worms that we are. We deserve nothing. No, worse than that, we deserve the “terrible things” being referred to in the verse above. That is what we deserve, and nothing more.
But Jesus doesn’t work that way. His love is is provided willingly, freely, to all those who seek.
His love is unconditional. God help us, but it is.