Who can explain the love of Christ??
What man has the ability to fully comprehend the love of Christ?
How do we explain a love that was willing to leave Heaven and limit Himself to the flesh for the sake of sinners like ourselves?
How do we explain a love that was willing to be ridiculed and even persecuted, even though He was pure and innocent and True?
How do we explain a love that was willing to go to the Cross and suffer and die in the place of sinners?
We cannot, at least not by our human understanding.
We cannot, at least not by our human understanding.
But Holy Scripture tells us, the love of Christ SURPASSES KNOWLEDGE.
Eph 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Think about that.
His love goes way beyond knowing the facts; knowing what He did, it’s a supernatural spiritual understanding that can only be granted by the Lord, the Spirit.
John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
And when we grow up in His love, when we humbly seek to understand the love of Christ, the more and more we will see and be motivated from a different place.
And when we grow up in His love, when we humbly seek to understand the love of Christ, the more and more we will see and be motivated from a different place.
2 Cor 5:14a For the love of Christ controls us…
God wants our motivation, in all that we do, to be the love of Christ.
As a believer, the love of Christ should be our very motivation for getting up in the morning.
God desires we be controlled and persuaded by Christ’s love each and every day.
God desires we be controlled and persuaded by Christ’s love each and every day.
2 Thess 2:16-17 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.
The love of Christ is the supreme motivation in life; and His love in us can overcome all things.
Rom 8:35a Who will separate us from the love of Christ?
Knowing this, that NOTHING can separate true believers from Christ’s love,… that can help us get through anything in life.
As the rest of this passage says, we can and will overcome by the power of His love.
Rom 8:28-39 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered
Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,
“FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We note here that the love of God is IN Christ Jesus our Lord. He was LOVE INCARNATE. He not only lived out God’s love on our behalf, but He was and IS God’s love. Who can explain the love of Christ?!
2 Cor 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His
poverty might become rich.
God desires that we be “rooted and grounded” in His love.
Eph 3:14-19
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened
with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Eph 6:23-24
Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord
Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.
1 Peter 1:8
and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy
inexpressible and full of glory
Lord, show us more of your love! And increase our faith!
The love of Christ is the supreme motivation in life; and His love in us can overcome all things.
Rom 8:35a Who will separate us from the love of Christ?
Knowing this, that NOTHING can separate true believers from Christ’s love,… that can help us get through anything in life.
As the rest of this passage says, we can and will overcome by the power of His love.
Rom 8:28-39 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered
Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,
“FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We note here that the love of God is IN Christ Jesus our Lord. He was LOVE INCARNATE. He not only lived out God’s love on our behalf, but He was and IS God’s love. Who can explain the love of Christ?!
2 Cor 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His
poverty might become rich.
God desires that we be “rooted and grounded” in His love.
Eph 3:14-19
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened
with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Eph 6:23-24
Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord
Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.
1 Peter 1:8
and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy
inexpressible and full of glory
Lord, show us more of your love! And increase our faith!