Article
This is Love
April 11, 2019
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." I John 4:10
I read the story of a young man who was brought up in a ritualistic religion that offered no assurance of sins forgiven. The young man faithfully adhered to the rites, ceremonies, and demands of his faith, yet confessed that he still felt separated from God by his sins. He had some Christian friends who invited him to church and gave him a Bible. The young man began reading the Bible and learned that Jesus Christ died on the cross for his sins. He said, "For me, the offer was irresistible! I cried to God to have mercy on me through Christ. Instantly it happened; I was free! I knew God had forgiven me. I felt so clean and filled with joy."
It was irresistible! What is it about Christ's death that makes it irresistible? The cross works like a magnet. It has a force that draws and attracts sinners to God. Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me." (John 12:32) What is the force that makes the cross irresistible? That magnetic force is the love of God. Many of us are familiar with the love of parents, siblings, spouses, and children. My own life has been filled with love, and yet, I struggle to find words even to attempt to define God's love.
In our society, we are accustomed to law enforcement and firefighters being willing to put their lives on the line, to save others. Men and women in our military, are willing to give their lives to secure freedom for us all. It would not be unthinkable for a man or woman to die for someone they love, but how can the human mind comprehend that a holy, righteous God would die for sinful, fallen humanity? However, that's exactly what He did! "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
In 1993, British police accused two ten-year-old boys of the brutal murder of two-year-old James Bulger. The two boys enticed the child from a shopping mall. They spent the afternoon torturing little James and then left him on a train track. After they fled the scene, his body was cut in half by a train. Even though the police had irrefutable evidence against them, the two boys would not confess. Finally, the parents of one of the boys assured him they would always love him no matter what he had done. That assurance of love broke the young boy down. In a soft voice, he confessed, "I killed James."
Unlike the parents in the story, God knew what we were and what we had done, and in spite of that, He loved us!
For several months, I have been teaching on the cross of Christ. As I began studying the agony Jesus endured in the Garden of Gethsemane, I saw His love as never before. The serene portrait many artists paint of Jesus praying in the garden bears little resemblance to the struggle that took place there. The Gospel writers leave no doubt about the ordeal and conflict Jesus experienced that night. With their descriptive language, Matthew, Mark, and Luke reveal that Jesus was suffering an overwhelming sorrow and mental anguish that hemmed Him in from all sides. They paint a vivid picture of the Son of God prostrate on the ground praying, sweating profusely as He looked with apprehension and dread at what lie ahead of Him.
He was under such duress; an angel came from Heaven to strengthen Him; this is love! He prayed, "O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt." (Matthew 26:39) The "cup" Jesus Christ shrank from, symbolized the spiritual agony of bearing the sins of the world -- in other words, of enduring the divine judgment those sins deserved.
Even though He could have called legions of angels to come to His rescue, the spotless, sinless Son of God left the garden and willingly offered Himself up as the Sacrifice for our sins.
Mary Ann Bird was born with a cleft palate. She grew up knowing she was different and hated it. In her book, The Whisper Test
, she revealed that when she started school, she faced cruelty and ridicule from her classmates. They made fun of her misshapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth, and garbled speech. She was convinced no one outside her family could ever love her. In the second grade, Mary Ann had a teacher she loved -- Mrs. Leonard. One day Mrs. Leonard gave the class a hearing test. Each child was asked to stand against the door, cover one ear, and the teacher sitting at her desk would whisper something; the child would repeat it back. When Mary Ann's turn came, the teacher whispered seven words that changed her life. Mrs. Leonard whispered, "I wish you were my little girl."
It was the love of God that sent Jesus Christ to the cross, and that love whispers to every person deformed by sin, "I wish you were My child!"
Christ died for our sins; Christ died for us that He might bring us to God. It was love that brought Jesus from Heaven to Bethlehem, love that won the battle in the garden, and the cross forever stands as a culmination of the love of God. This is love!
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:16
John 3:16
Share this Article
STAY UP TO DATE
GET WMA's Latest
Receive regular updates from the World Missions to Asia, and get a heads up on upcoming events.
Newsletter Subscriber
Related Articles
Related Articles
—THIS WAS A GREAT TESTIMONY—
Our Mission is to Grow Christianity in Every Nation With Speed and Excellence
Join us in Our Fall Giving campaign....Let's make a difference!