Mar 19
10
THE CONSTRAINING LOVE OF CHRIST
2 Corinthians 5: 14: For the love of Christ constraineth us;
When it came to believing and preaching Christ, some accused the apostle
Paul of being beside himself. Others accused him of being too serious.
But by the Holy Spirit of God, he answered, “Whether we be beside
ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.
For the love of Christ constraineth us” (2Co 5:13-14). The love of
Christ toward his people constrains every believer to do all that we do
for God and for our brethren.
We see Christ’s love for God his Father and his brethren on the cross.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for
his friends” (Jn 15:13). The greatest love of all is the love of Christ
manifest when he laid down his life to declare God the Father the
Justifier of his elect while justifying his people. Christ’s love is the
love of the law that he declared to be the fulfillment of the law! When
this love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, Christ
constrains his redeemed to believe on him and to love our brethren for
whom Christ redeemed by his precious blood. Faith in Christ and love
toward our brethren is lived out as we, the church and body of Christ
who he has fitly framed together, assemble ourselves together under the
preaching of Christ crucified. In love to our brethren we do for one
another whatever our Head enables us to do so that our brethren can
focus on Christ rather than the trials of life which are so distracting.
At the same time, in faith to our Lord, we trust our brethren to their
own Master, knowing that Christ alone is able to make them stand and
shall make them stand (Rom 14: 4).
Does the love of Christ really accomplish this in his people? Did
Christ’s love for Paul really make him forsake will-works religion and
publicly identify himself with the church of our Redeemer? Did the love
of Christ really constrain Paul to never forsake assembling together
with his brethren under the preaching of the gospel? Did Christ’s love
really constrain Paul to hazard his own life as he preached the
unsearchable riches of Christ? This is not a theory to those Christ has
united. It is not merely a doctrine to those in whom Christ dwells. This
is a sure and certain reality that Christ’s sanctified people experience
from the first hour he calls us to the last. “Whosoever believeth that
Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that
begat loveth him also that is begotten of him” (1 Jn 5:1) Christ’s great
love for us really constrains his people to persevere in faith and love,
“endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph
4:3).
Let folks say we are crazy or let them say we are too serious. We say
with Paul “the love of Christ constraineth us!”
Clay Curtis.