who can separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? as it is written 'for your sake we face death all day, regarded as sheep to be slaughtered' but in all this, we are winning a most glorious victory through him who loved us. (Romans 8:35-37)
We do not want to fail, fall away, or turn back, we do not want to be divided or separated from God. And Paul states nothing can separate us from the love of God. I take this to include myself because God is faithful (2 Timothy 2:13;1 John 1:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:3...). He is faithful to those who are called into the fellowship of His Son (1 Corinthians 1:9). Those He predestined He called and justified through his Son (Romans 8:30). Therefore those he predestined he called and chose before he created the world to be holy, blameless in his presence, in love. Those he calls he loves and his love is steadfast, enduring forever (Psalm 136). Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (1 John 4:18)
now to the extent of all these, that agape love, which is the bond that leads to perfection. (Colossians 3:14)
The word bond means a bond, or joining, "closely identity with to bind." God's love binds us together. In the Church we grow up truth in love, each joint or member working together in the unity of faith and in the knowledge of the Son, and in love so that we grow up into mature adulthood, unto the full measure of the image of Christ. Therefore perfect or perfection is maturity in Christ, though we realize we are always striving for this and there will be a day when this will be consummated, when we will be made whole and complete forever. In this life we will suffer for our faith, we will suffer for righteousness sake.Paul writes of the dangers he experienced, of the hardships, of being hungry and thirsty... for the sake of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:23-30). Jesus was called “a man of sorrows” because He had to endure much suffering (Isaiah 52:13–53:12). As the prophet Isaiah writes "after he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied." This is the mindset God has been developing in me for some time, to look past the earthly circumstances, good or bad. He reminds me that no matter what happens in this life, I am deeply loved, and such love will enable me to endure suffering.
The mindset to have, which is convinced in his faithfulness and love, is whatever troubles come (and they will come) his love I will not be separated from, it will see me through. This thinking is like when the disciples were joyful because they had the power to cast out demons but Jesus adjusts their thinking, "rejoice that your name is written in the book of life."
We are established in faith and rooted and grounded in love so that we may grow up to be filled with the fullness of God. Though godly fear has its place, fear will not perfect us, but agape love will. This is perfect love; "By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world" (1 John 4:18). Love will lead us into maturity. This is what strengthens us, faith working through love (Galatians 5:6). Perfect love brings about maturity, which is obedience, or keeping the words of Jesus (1 John 2:5).
Maturity will not be achieved through the Mosaic Law, its power of fear of punishment and its ministry of condemnation did not perfect men. Nor by following rules or regulations of not touching, tasting, handling, nor through false piety, humility, or harsh treatment of the body because none of these things have value against the satisfaction that the flesh desires. But nothing can separate us from the love of God. Perfect love perfects us. This implies there is the power that will overcome the flesh.
both to know the love of Christ and to be filled to the extent of all the fullness of God (Ephesians 4:19).
Paul prays that we acquire strength through the Holy Spirit in our inner being, Christ established in our hearts through faith, rooted and grounded in love, so we might lay hold of a deeper love without bounds so that we may be filled to the fullness of God (Ephesians 4:15-21). This deep love of Christ and faith will establish us so that we grow up to bear fruit. Nothing can separate us from this love, which implies both God is faithful and his love toward us his children is steadfast, enduring forever, and when we are so deeply rooted, and established in his love we will not fall away when the troubles of this earthly life come our way. Even though "we face death all day, regarded as sheep to be slaughtered, in all this, we are winning a most glorious victory through him who loved us."