Thursday, October 18, 2012

No Greater Love

Back in John 13:35, we found another test of love. Jesus said: “By this (by love) all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Our love for one another can be used by the world to evaluate our salvation.

But, what kind of love is Jesus talking about? That’s pretty clear from John 13:34 – it’s Christ’s own love for you. John 13:34 says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” So how did Jesus love you?

Was it with eros love, the erotic love that dominates our movies? Nope! That kind of love is never used in the New Testament. This isn’t lust driven, based on how physically attractive the one loved is. That’s not how Christ loved us.

Nor is it phileo love – brotherly love motivated by strong emotional feelings. The kind of love bonds us into friendships. But Christ’s love isn’t based on the pleasing character of the one loved either.

Rather, this is agape love – the love that characterizes God. But, what is agape love? Agape love is sacrificial love. It is a love that gives and gives and gives, even though it might never receive anything in return. It’s a love that’s not motivated by the loveliness of the one loved, or how pleasing they are, but it loves in spite of it. It is a love that loves because we choose to love. We aren’t carried along by our eyes or our emotions. It’s not falling in love at first sight. Often, agape love acts in spite of our eyes and emotions.

Agape love is a volitional love. We will to act in loving ways regardless of how we feel.
This is how we can love humans that are deformed and far less than perfect physically. And this is how we can love people who are cantankerous and obnoxious. We choose to love.

That’s the kind of love that God both demands from us, and the kind of love that the world judges our salvation by whether it is present or absent in us. And God can demand that kind of love from us because that’s the kind of love God showed toward us

Christ, of course, set the example. Did you know that there is hardly a verse in the New Testament that speaks of God’s love that doesn’t also speak of the cross of Calvary? The cross is the proof, and the greatest example of God’s love.

The example of that is right here in 1st John 3:16, which says, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” How do we know what love is? Because Christ lay down His life for us. That’s the greatest example there ever could be.

And who did Jesus die for? Some worthy, respectable, beautiful person? No! Not on your life! He died for you. He made that ultimate, extreme sacrifice for someone like you.

Just so you don’t miss the point, here’s what Romans 5:6-10 says:
“For when we were still without strength (we were totally unable to save ourselves), in due time Christ died for the ungodly (That’s what we were, ungodly – we were without God). For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die (That’s how we humans usually operate – we sacrifice only for those who are worthy). But God (God is different) demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners (Still doing our own thing, still violating all God’s laws), Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies (Not even neutral, but set against God and His will) we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

That’s not very complimentary of us, but it’s true. Christ died for us while we were very unlovable, very much set against God. But He chose to love us, nonetheless, and proved it by dying for us.

Paul’s testimony is recorded in Galatians 2:20. He says, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Can you say that same thing? Do you know that Christ loves you and died for you?

1st John 4:10 says, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” The word, Propitiation, means to satisfy God’s holy wrath against sin. God poured that wrath out against His own dear Son rather than require we be punished for our sin. That is how much He loved us.
And of course there is John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Do you see? Every time we talk about God’s love, it is always in connection with Christ’s sacrifice. God loved us so much, He gave, and what He gave was His own Son. What sacrifice could be greater? What love could be greater? Can you imagine someone rejecting that great a love? Yet, so many do - I hope it’s not any of you.

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