Romans 8:35-36 : Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Even as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. The phrase, "the love of Christ," can mean either the love Christ has for us or the love we have for him. Here it evidently means the love we have for him, for no one would think that the harsh things we suffer for him would separate his love from us; whereas it might appear reasonable to some that the sufferings we undergo in serving Christ might cause our love to grow cold, and even vanish. It will be noticed that all the evils mentioned are things that come upon us--things from without. If a man loves Christ as he should, none of the things mentioned will destroy that love only the conditions of our own heart can cause us to cease loving him. Jesus shows how we can be led astray: "And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray. And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of many shall wax cold" (Matthew 24:11-12).