What rhetorical effect do the closing verses of Romans 8 have?
The closing verses of Romans 8 function as a crescendo, building like an orchestra to a climactic clash that grabs attention. They present Paul's climactic declaration that nothing can separate believers from the love of Christ and God, likely shouted at the top of his lungs.
Les explains that these closing verses of Romans 8 are like the crescendo of a great orchestra: the sound builds and builds until the clashing cymbals grab your attention. He says it has been building throughout the first eight chapters of Romans, but now comes this crescendo. If Paul could have verbalized it and we could have heard him say it, Les suggests he would have shouted at the top of his lungs that nothing, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, the love of God. This rhetorical effect is one of climactic, emphatic assurance, underscoring that we are totally under the control and power of the sovereign God, and nobody can supersede His power.