Separation from God?

[bushy]

Pretty often I hear a guy on the radio advertizing his religion (aka scaring the hell out of people) warning about eternal separation from God for anyone who doesn't do such and such before they die. I imagine he is trying to soften the blow a little by calling it separation from God instead of torture in fire.

So an answer came to mind from Romans 8 which directly contradicts any separation from God.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 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.

That sounds like nothing will ever separate us from the love of God. But remembering from my former understanding of these things, I would have thought it meant only christians. But earlier in the chapter it says some things that I think eliminate that possibility.

19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

So clearly the whole creation will be set free. But then I remember wondering if the creation here included people or just the mountains and rivers and lakes as in cleaning up the pollution caused by people.

Psalm 8,  3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
4 What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
5 Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
6 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,

So man is not only part of the creation, he is the crowning glory of it, the most important part of it.

22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Wow, we really do have an exciting future waiting for us.

[marie glen]

Pretty often I hear a guy on the radio advertizing his religion (aka scaring the hell out of people)

...and scaring hell into people! :faint:

warning about eternal separation from God for anyone who doesn't do such and such before they die. I imagine he is trying to soften the blow a little by calling it separation from God instead of torture in fire.

yep, it is a little indigestible..


I think you've brought up some very good points Bushy! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Like when Jesus says He is the savior of the world.. surely, He doesn't mean merely plants and animals.. surely not men's towers and kingdoms (imo) and warring factions..

But the perfection of all things.. and mankind/people are part of that all things...  It's baffling to me, how if we care for our loved ones, saved and unsaved (not yet saved!) and even strangers.. how then can we imagine that God cares less for them. Oh- it's not that He doesn't care some may say, but that He is unable..

oh really? I would definitely need some verses to back that up before even ever considering it.

Yep, we have learned better.. How hard is it really, to consider "eternal' vs the Bible's "age-lasting" - but, learned (indoctrinated) things are the hardest to pierce through.. maybe that's a reason why we're living through this life of mankind doing everything wrong in the first place.. so we learn true from untrue - aka, good from evil.. (life from death; what works from what simply cannot ever work)

And an imperfect God... could NEVER work.. How could it? So we wait for His Perfection, resting blessedly upon the vine, in His "finished work" - "finished from the foundation of the world".. from the beginning.. And if it's finished, doesn't seem it could be imperfect, with any spot, blemish or wrinkle. 'Hell', to me, seems like it would be quite a blemish... Even if He shrunk into the size of an atom, there would still be all those lost persons... Nope, far from Perfect.

   :thumbsup: :goodpost:

[Ross]

" 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 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."

Amen!! :dsunny:

Romans 9 to 11 Highlights the difference between Jew and Gentile.
Finishes with the statement of God showing mercy to All. Hence true equality.

" So man is not only part of the creation, he is the crowning glory of it, the most important part of it."

The true story. :gimmefive:

[Shev]

Fantastic posts! Truly, any separation is only for a time, like the prodigal son, and even then only in our minds, not in the Father's heart.