What Can Separate Us?

4/15/2022

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39  NIV

We have all experienced broken relationships in our lives to some extent or if you haven’t already, you will.  It can be very gut wrenching and stressful. A wall of hurt is built up that seems impenetrable and the one you were once close to is now far off. The separation can be a very lonely time to walk through. Often, there will be a good-hearted person who will try to reconcile the relationship and bring peace.  Blessed are the peacemakers.

The Hebrew greeting “Shalom” is commonly understood as the word peace or the “absence of conflict”. But the root word of Shalom is shalam which carries the ancient Hebrew meaning to “make something whole”. When we experience strife in a relationship it is the absence of peace and wholeness; for what was once whole is now broken or separated.

The message and power of Good Friday can be characterized by one word, reconciliation. The blood of Jesus Christ spilled on the cross that day broke down the wall of separation in the relationship of God and man. Jesus Christ has a love so immense that He bore the penalty of our sin for us and He became the peace maker or the One who makes us whole with God. The book of Colossians describes it this way:

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (Christ), and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.  Colossians 1:19-20

To some degree, all of us are broken vessels with many frailties and cracks in need of wholeness. Wholeness begins with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who reconciles us to the Father freely by His grace.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ for He is our Shalom.  What was once broken He has made whole.