Romans 8: nothing can separate us from the love of God
Neither death nor life can separate us from the love of God.
Bible reference: Romans 8:35-39
At a glance
- Length, read slowly
- About a minute
- Where it goes
- New Testament reading · Christian funeral serviceRead by: reader or officiant
- New Testament Scripture · Homegoing serviceRead by: officiant or reader
- Scripture reading · Celebration of lifeRead by: family or friends
Have the officiant read your choice first: they have the last word.
We don’t show modern translations here: they are protected by copyright. You can find them in your church’s Bible or on the publisher’s website. Further down this page is the text from the King James Version, which you may use freely.
Use in your programWhat this reading says
Paul asks a question and then answers it himself. Can anything pull us away from the love of Christ? He lists the worst he can think of: hardship, hunger, danger, the sword. Then he says no, none of it can. He goes further and names death itself. Not one of them can separate us from the love of God. The passage does not promise an easy road. It promises that the road does not lead away from love.
When it fits
Families choose Romans 8 when the death was hard to watch: a long cancer, a death in service, a suicide. It fits because it names trouble out loud and then refuses to let trouble have the last word. Where John 11 has a sister arguing with Jesus, Romans 8 has a man arguing with fear and winning. For a gentler close that pictures the end of tears, go to Revelation 21. Romans is the one with the most force behind it.
Reading it aloud
In a funeral service this is often read by a lector or a family member right before the pastor speaks. The reading builds as a list, so let your voice climb through "neither death, nor life, nor angels" and settle on the final line. Do not rush the lists; each item deserves its own breath. The King James Version calls believers "more than conquerors," a phrase many American churches still quote. A modern translation reads "I am convinced" where the old text has "I am persuaded," which is plainer for a reader who did not grow up with the old words. Give the reader a printed copy from the funeral program a day early.
Text from the King James Version
Romans 8:35-39
This older translation is in the public domain in the United States, so you may print it in your program for free. A Catholic Mass reads from the lectionary, so for a Mass, paste the text your parish uses.
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.
Goes well with
- John 11: I am the resurrection and the lifeJohn 11:21-27A sister's honest grief before the promise, if Paul's certainty feels too quick.
- Isaiah 40: they shall mount up with wingsIsaiah 40:28-31An Old Testament reading with the same force, about strength that comes back.
- 1 Corinthians 13: love is patient1 Corinthians 13:4-8aFor a husband or wife after a long marriage: the love chapter they may have heard at their wedding.
- Death Is Nothing at AllA poem that says the bond is untouched by death, in everyday words.
Scripture readings for a funeral
- John 14: in my Father's house are many roomsJohn 14:1-6Jesus promises a place prepared for you. The reading pastors reach for first.
- Revelation 21: God shall wipe away all tearsRevelation 21:1-4God will wipe away every tear. The last word of the Bible on death, for the end of a service.
- Psalm 23: the Lord is my shepherdPsalm 23The one most people know by heart. Fits almost anyone.