Our unassailable anchor.
D. G. Barnhouse on the eternal love of Christ.
There is, perhaps, no greater pronouncement of God’s unfailing love for us than the words of the apostle Paul at the end of Romans 8. Of course, these anthemic verses serve as the capstone to Paul’s unfurling of the gospel, which began in Chapters 3 and 4 with his discussion of the righteousness of God that is ours through faith. As he reaches the climax of this discussion, an eruption of rhetorical questions allows him to bring to bear the permanency of the love of Christ Jesus, which offers peace and solace to those who are navigating troubled waters (Rom. 8:35–39). Notwithstanding the turbulence of life, nothing can disturb that which is eternal and steadfast. This is what the late D. G. Barnhouse, former pastor of the historic Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, asserts in his commentary on Romans 8. Here’s how he puts it:
The love of Christ was eternal, for it was that love which moved Him to leave Heaven’s throne and come down to this earth to redeem us. That love was deep, for it was that love which urged Him on to the end of the road as He humbled Himself to the death, even the death of the cross. That love was broad, for it was that love which opened the arms of God to all the world of sinners and made it possible for the very ones who nailed Him to the cross to be forgiven and come back to the Father’s heart. And that love is unchanging, for it is that love which comes to us today in the midst of our need, whatever it may be, and takes us out of darkness into light, and from doubt to certainty, and from death to life. (3:3.190–91)
The eternal love of God is our immovable anchor amid the raucous circumstances that swirl all around us. It is deep, wide, and sturdy enough to brace every sinner and sufferer. This love is unassailable and unquestionable because of Jesus. After all, as Paul declares, Christ “is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Rom. 8:34). No, God’s love won’t erase the uncertainties we face but it does give us something to hold on to, to cling to, when everything else crumbles.
Grace and peace to you.
Works cited:
Donald G. Barnhouse, Expositions of Bible Doctrines Taking the Epistle to the Romans as a Point of Departure, Vols. 1–4 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1982).