Les Feldick Bible Study

What does it mean that the closing verses of Romans 8 are a crescendo?

The closing verses of Romans 8 are called a crescendo because Paul's argument has been building through the first eight chapters and now reaches a climactic peak, like an orchestra swelling to clashing cymbals, declaring that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, the love of God.

Les teaches that the closing verses of Romans 8 are like the crescendo of a great orchestra. He explains that a crescendo is when the sound builds and builds and builds, and then you get the clashing cymbals that grab your attention. That, he says, is what these closing verses are. It has been building throughout the first eight chapters of Romans, but now comes this crescendo. Les suggests that if Paul could have verbalized it, or if we could have heard him say it, he would have shouted it at the top of his lungs: nothing, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, the love of God. Les also illustrates this with a fellow who thought he could cast himself out of the body of Christ by committing some horrible sin. Les responded that you cannot touch yourself so far as being in that position in the body of Christ any more than someone else can, because we are totally under the control and power of the sovereign God, and nobody can supersede His power. That is what Paul is literally screaming. Then Paul goes over things like tribulation or distress in verse 35, which were covered in the previous half hour.