THE LOVE OF CHRIST

Loving Him Because He Loved Us

by Mark Aites

“They bound the hands of Jesus in the garden where He prayed;

They led Him thro' the streets in shame.

They spat upon the Saviour so pure and free from sin;

They said, "Crucify Him; He's to blame."

CHORUS: He could have called ten thousand angels

To destroy the world and set Him free.

He could have called ten thousand angels,

But He died alone for you and me”

(Hymn by Ray Overholt; based on Matt. 26:53).

The Depth of God’s Love

Unless you have a heart of granite, you cannot help but be moved by the words of this song, as they remind us of what our Lord suffered that we might live. The recent movie, The Passion of the Christ, portrayed the horrors of crucifixion. Tears flowed as we were awed by the realization of the extent of the suffering of our dear Lord and Savior.

There is no greater explanation of what transpired at Calvary, than to say it was the love of Christ. Jesus Himself said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (King James Version, John 15:13). “Thy mercies how tender, How firm to the end, Our Maker, Defender – Redeemer and Friend” (Hymn by Robert Grant).

One truly wonders at the depth of God's love. As the beloved apostle penned Christians at Ephesus, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Eph. 3:14-19).

Jesus’ Sacrifice

Our Lord made two sacrifices to show the depth of His love. The first was His willingness to leave Heaven to come into this world of sinful men. John opened his narrative stating, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made . . . And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Our Maker voluntarily was born into this world. Announced by the angel, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

In Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, he challenged them saying, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:5-7). That, in itself, is a sacrifice that goes beyond our comprehension. An eternal home is the desire of every faithful Christian, and yet Jesus left that abode that we might be afforded an eternity with God.

In the apostle Paul's great chapter on love, he wrote, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth" (1 Cor. 13:1-8).

If we substitute Christ for each time charity is used, we can readily see that our Lord's love fits Paul's description perfectly. "Christ suffereth long, and is kind; Christ envieth not; Christ vaunteth not Himself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave Himself unseemly, seeketh not His own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Christ never faileth."

Our Lord did indeed suffer long. When we look upon the story of Calvary, we are amazed at what He endured. "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously" (1 Pet. 2:21-23).

Jesus’ Kindness to Others

His kindness to others is without question. Our Lord went about always doing good, touching the lives of so many people (Acts 10:38). He Himself did not manifest at any time a spirit of envy, nor of pride. His actions were selfless and pure. And truly, He was not easily provoked. When we consider the humiliation, the beating, the absolute torture, through it all, He maintained self-control. Despite all that He faced, His love never failed.

"I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how He could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean. He took my sins and my sorrows, He made them His very own; He bore the burden to Calvary, and suffered and died alone. Refrain: How marvelous! How wonderful! And my song shall ever be: How marvelous! How wonderful is my Savior's love for me!" (Hymn: I Stand Amazed In the Presence," by Charles H. Gabriel).

Conclusion

The greatest honor and respect we can pay to our Lord is to manifest that love to others. Jesus said, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:34-35).

It is John that reminds us that it is not enough just to love God. "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also" (1 John 4:20-21).

From the depth of our hearts, let us show our gratitude for our Lord's love by following in our Master's steps. "We love Him, because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).