Soap Box 52-THE LOVE OF CHRIST
Paul gives us three references where these three words, LOVE OF CHRIST, are found.
Romans 8:35 – What shall separate us from the love of Christ ?
II Corinthians 5:14- For the love of Christ constraineth us……
Ephesians 3:19- …And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge…
Those who have experienced the love of God which is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us ( Rom. 5:5) also know of other verses which major on the love of Christ for us. Real living is loving and real loving is giving. It is here that Paul excels on this great theme.
To the Galatians, Paul says concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, that he is the one 'Who gave himself for our sins…' ( Gal. 1:4 ). This is part of that gospel message Paul received from Christ, to preach and deliver, 'that Christ died for our sins..' I Cor. 15:3
On a personal and individual level, Paul says concerning Christ, 'who loved me and gave himself for me…' ( Gal. 2:20 ) To Titus he spoke about the Savior, Jesus Christ, 'who gave himself for us that he might redeem us. To the Ephesians he wrote for them to walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.' (Eph. 5:2 ). Paul also writes about Christ as the one, 'who loved the church, and gave himself for it…' (Eph. 5:25)
There are three perspectives concerning the love of Christ that we can profit as we give attention. The first has already been mentioned and considered, the love of Christ for us.
This love starts within the heart of Christ and reaches out to every believer. It started in heaven's glory, with Christ there, who was willing to manifest this great love by coming down from that glory and 'became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.' (Phil. 2: 5-8 ) The cross is central to the Pauline Gospel. If you want to see the blackness and evil of sin, don't look in the pit of hell, GO TO THE CROSS. If you want to see sin judged, go to the cross. If you want to see the righteousness of God, go to the cross. If you want to see the love of Christ, in all its beauty and glory, warmth and compassion, you must go to the cross.
The second perspective concerns our response to Christ's love. This would be the love of Christ, the love that we now have for Christ. John gives a right beginning, 'Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.' Then, John also says, 'We love him, because he first loved us'. I John 4:19
We know John speaks of a love concerning God. But we also know that we cannot be separated from that very same of love of God, ( because we have found its source) which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord ( Rom. 8:39 )
Paul speaks about our relationship with Christ as a love affair, likened to marriage. ( Rom. 7:4 ) Like lovers, who forsake all others, and we choose to be with only Christ.
Paul says,
'Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by
the body of Christ, that ye should be married to another, even to
him who is raised from the dead….'
Here we have the likeness of lovers becoming 'officially' locked in love through marriage. This is the love of Christ , the love to Christ, that we have for him.
The third perspective is the love of Christ that is channeled through us to others. As we have often heard, Christ has no hands on earth, but our hands. Christ has no legs, no voice, no body but ours. He loves others through us. This is why the Christian life is impossible for just the Christian alone, to live. Paul mentions that in marriage, husbands should love their wives ( Eph. 5:25). That is one thing, but Paul continues………………..
Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.. This we must confess, we can not do ourselves. But, I can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth me and you and all others. ( Phil. 4:13 ) Husbands can love their wives, even as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it, by having the love of Christ working through them.
I am able to love others, as Christ loves through me. For the love of Christ ( for others) constrains, compels me, moves me. I can love the unlovely. I must learn to handle the world just like God handles the world. How does God handle the world ? He loved the world, and proved and demonstrated that love by giving his only begotten son. So, we must also love the world. But we can't do that alone. We can love the world as the love of Christ reaches the world through us. We give ourselves to the Lord and he uses us as the channels to love others. We can love the world as the love of Christ reaches the world through us.
Paul speaks about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Notice that it is not the fruits of the Spirit. We are like a tree, which bears fruit. If you have love, you have all.
Lovejoypeacelongsufferinggentlenessgoodnessfaithmeeknesstemperance are one fruit.
It is not good English to have it like the above. But it is good spiritual fruit to have it like that. Like a horse and carriage, love and marriage, one goes with the other. Even so, the fruit of the Spirit is a many splendoured thing.
We return again to those three references that speak of the love of Christ. If each chapter in Romans was a diamond on a ring, chapter eight would be the large, center sparkler.
It begins with 'no condemnation' and ends with 'no separation'. We learn about God's willingness to not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all. We learn that we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. We learn that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of Christ.
Neither tribulation
distress
persecution
famine
nakedness
peril
sword
death
life
angels
principalities
powers
things present
things to come
height
depth
any other creature
shall be able to do it.
II Corinthians chapter 5, begins with a blessed hope and ends with a beautiful reconciliation. The love of Christ motivates us. We conclude that he died for all, that they ( all ) could live, and that they should live not unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again. To live for him is to live for others. We have a ministry of reconciliation. This word of reconciliation explains how God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. We are ambassadors of an exiled One in glory. To be faithful and official representatives, we must be governed and guided by love.
Ephesians chapter 3, deals with the unsearchable riches of Christ and the excelling knowledge of the love of Christ. These believers are to be rooted and grounded in love. So that they may be strengthened to apprehend with all saints what is
the breadth ( of Christ's love )
the length ( of Christ's love )
the depth ( of Christ's love )
the height ( of Christ's love )
even to know the love of Christ
which passeth , excels, exceeds, goes beyond
even our capacity to know this very same
love of Christ.
We must be rooted and grounded in love, in order to begin to know the basic dimensions of Christ's love, a love that humanly speaking, we are incapable of knowing. But we are able, because he is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works, energizes in us.
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