Short answer: Paul ends his greatest chapter by naming everything that might conceivably cut a believer off from God's love — death, life, angels, powers, time, space — and declaring that none of it can. The final clause, "nor any other created thing," closes every remaining gap, because everything that exists apart from God is created.
The World English Bible renders it: "For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from God's love, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
The King James Version reads: "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."
The context: the summit of Romans 8
Romans 8 begins with "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" and climbs from there. Paul moves through life in the Spirit, adoption as sons, the groaning of creation, the Spirit's intercession when we do not know how to pray, and the promise that God works all things together for good (Romans 8:28).
Then he begins asking questions, and they get harder. If God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)? He who did not spare his own Son — how will he not also freely give us all things (Romans 8:32)? Who will bring a charge against God's chosen (Romans 8:33)? Who will separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35)?
That last question is the one verses 38 and 39 answer. And before answering, Paul quotes Psalm 44:22 about being killed all day long and counted as sheep for the slaughter (Romans 8:36). He is not writing from comfort. The list that follows is composed by a man who expects some of these things to happen.
What it means, phrase by phrase
"For I am persuaded" — Paul does not say "I hope" or "I feel." The verb suggests a settled conviction he has been brought to, on the basis of evidence. The evidence is the chapter behind him and the cross behind that.
"neither death, nor life" — the first pair covers the entire range of existence. Death cannot take you out of God's love; neither can anything that happens while you live.
"nor angels, nor principalities... nor powers" — the language of spiritual beings and cosmic authorities. Whatever unseen powers exist, they lack the authority to sever this bond.
"nor things present, nor things to come" — time itself is disqualified. Your present circumstances cannot do it, and neither can any future you fear.
"nor height, nor depth" — space is disqualified too. Some scholars note these were also terms in ancient astrology for a star's position at its zenith and nadir, which would add the sense that no cosmic force or fate governs the believer. Paul's meaning is secure either way: no location, no dimension.
"nor any other created thing" — the master clause. Paul has been listing categories, and now he sweeps up everything he might have missed. Reformed readers have long pointed out what this quietly includes: you are a created thing. Your own weakness, your doubt, your failure — all created, all named in the list, all unable to separate you.
"from God's love, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" — note carefully what is guaranteed. Not that suffering will not come; verse 36 promised it would. The promise is that suffering cannot sever the love.
Where Christians differ
Nearly all Christian traditions read these verses as a magnificent statement of God's faithfulness. They differ on what the promise implies about a believer's ability to walk away.
Those in the Reformed tradition read it as securing the perseverance of the saints: since nothing created can separate us, and we are created, no believer will finally be lost. Those in the Arminian and Wesleyan traditions agree that no external power can separate us, and read Paul's list as a catalog of hostile forces rather than of the believer's own will — holding that a person may still, through persistent unbelief, cease to be "in Christ Jesus," where this love is located.
Both agree that nothing outside you can pry you from God's love, and both find in these verses profound assurance for anyone facing death, persecution, or fear.
Cross-references
- Romans 8:28 — God works all things together for good.
- Romans 8:31–32 — if God is for us, who can be against us?
- Romans 8:35–36 — the question this passage answers, and Psalm 44:22.
- John 10:28–29 — no one snatches them out of my hand.
- Philippians 1:6 — he who began a good work will complete it.
- 1 Peter 1:5 — guarded by God's power through faith.
- 2 Timothy 1:12 — "I know him whom I have believed."
How to apply it today
Preach the list to yourself by name. Paul wrote a catalog, not a slogan, because assurance works specifically. When the fear is death, say death. When it is a diagnosis, a memory, or a future you dread, find it in the list — things present, things to come — and note that Paul already put it there.
Do not skip "any other created thing." Most people who doubt God's love do not fear angels or cosmic powers. They fear themselves. Paul's final clause was written for exactly that fear.
Notice that Paul does not promise deliverance from the things he names. Verse 36 says the sheep are slaughtered. What he promises is that the love holds through them, and that in all these things we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) — not because we escape, but because we are loved.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "nor any other created thing" mean? It is Paul's catch-all. Having listed death, life, angels, powers, time, and space, he sweeps up anything he did not name — and since everything other than God himself is created, the clause covers the entire universe. Many readers observe that this necessarily includes the believer, whose own doubt and failure are therefore also unable to separate them from God's love.
Does Romans 8:38-39 mean a Christian can never be lost? Christians differ. Reformed traditions read it as securing perseverance: nothing created can separate us, and we are created things. Arminian and Wesleyan traditions read Paul's list as a catalog of external hostile forces and hold that a person may still fall away through persistent unbelief, since the love is located "in Christ Jesus." All traditions agree that no outside power, circumstance, or spiritual force can sever a believer from God's love.
Why does Paul mention "height" and "depth"? At the plainest level, the pair covers all of space, just as "things present, nor things to come" covers all of time. Some scholars additionally note that both words were used in ancient astrology for a star's highest and lowest points, which would extend Paul's denial to any notion of fate or cosmic determination governing a believer's life.
Does this verse promise Christians will be spared suffering? No, and Paul rules that out explicitly. Two verses earlier he quotes Psalm 44:22: for God's sake we are killed all day long and accounted as sheep for the slaughter (Romans 8:36). The promise is not that hardship will stay away but that it cannot separate us from God's love — and that in the middle of it we are more than conquerors through him who loved us (Romans 8:37).