How we cite our quotes: (Chapter:Verse)
Quote #4
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NRSV 8:35-39)
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (KJV 8:35-39)
Wow, that is some strong love. Even the sword (a.k.a. getting beheaded) can't keep us from God's never-ending love. Too bad love alone isn't bullet proof.
Quote #5
As it is written, "I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau." What then are we to say? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." (NRSV 9:13-15)
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (KJV 9:13-15)
Here, God gets a little selective with his love. Paul relates the story of Jacob and Esau to show why God has passed over the firstborn son for the second. He's trying to explain why God has set aside the Jews for the Gentiles. But is he just making God look bad?
Quote #6
As indeed he says in Hosea, "Those who were not my people I will call 'my people,' and her who was not beloved I will call 'beloved.'" "And in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' there they shall be called children of the living God." (NRSV 9:25-26)
As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. (KJV 9:25-26)
Paul uses this term, "beloved," from time to time. He's not talking about a romantic love interest, though. It's actually just anyone who is very, very loved. Here, the Jewish people were God's beloved, but now he's cast them aside. Ouch. That's gotta be a pretty big heartbreak. Break out the Spotify break-up playlist.