Thus far we have not only learned of man’s natural condition and deserved punishment, but also how God has sent a solution to our doleful problem – a Savior, Jesus Christ God’s Son. It has been revealed through scripture that Jesus was made into a sacrifice for our sins; that for each of us individually, who were well deserving of God’s wrath, Jesus Christ rose up in our stead, coming to earth as a man so that He could shed His blood as an atonement for our sin. It was for our sakes that Jesus Christ came and died, being a flawless, sinless substitute, who willingly took upon Himself the punishment due to us. It was for us that Jesus “emptied Himself, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men;” and it was for us and our desperate and wretched condition that He, in that human state, “became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” [Phil 2:7-8] And regarding His death, we have seen the great sufferings which were laid upon Him, those which were laid upon Him alone to bear: both physically and spiritually. However, this is but half the story. There is yet more to discover. Most importantly, and forthcoming, we shall speak of Jesus’ resurrection – for He did not just die, (as many men have died), but He rose again out from the dead, and is alive today, seated at God’s right hand. But for now, we shall speak of His love. For Jesus Christ did not do these things apathetically, but zealously, but passionately; Jesus did not come to earth and die out of obligation, but out of a willing heart. Jesus is love, and in a great and everlasting love for us He accomplished these things.
This motivation behind Christ’s death is of supreme importance. You must see, dear reader, that Christ loved you. As Paul said regarding himself, “the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of The Son of God, [Jesus], who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” [Gal 2:20] There may not be another soul upon earth who loves you, but Jesus loves you. There may not be another mind upon earth who thinks upon you, but as it is written of God’s mind, “how valuable also are your thoughts concerning me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand;” [Psa 139:17-18] and, “your thoughts which are toward us cannot be reckoned up in order unto you: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” [Psa 40:5] Whosoever reads these words, treasure this truth and take it for yourself: God thinks about you. Dear man, Christ loves you! Look not to the left, nor to the right, look dead center and realize Jesus Christ loves you and died for you! There may not be one person upon earth who delights in your presence or who wishes to hold you dear – that may be so, you may be the most wretched man alive today; but, dear man, you must see that Christ loves you still. As The LORD says, “yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you.” [Jer 31:3] If you have not yet accepted Him as your Lord, as your Savior, know that Jesus pursues you with love and out of love, as God says, “I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love.” [Hos 11:4]
Jesus tells us in John’s gospel that just as in Moses’ day, where a solution for deliverance from death was given, so too God has given all men the one-and-only solution for eternal deliverance. He reminds us that just as Moses put a bronze serpent upon a standard, a symbol of sin being judged, and whosoever sincerely beheld it was saved, (as the law says, “any man, when he gazed upon the serpent of brass, he lived.” [Num 21:9]), so too Jesus must be lifted up in judgment for sin, and that whoever continues to believe on Him will be saved.
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must The Son of Man be lifted up: that whosoever continues to believe in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His One-and-only Unique Son, [Jesus], that whosoever continues to believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” [Jn 3:14-17]
Notice that Jesus says, “God so loved the world,” and for that reason sent Jesus to die for sin. The great love of God for mankind provoked Him to send Jesus to die for us, to be our propitiation; that is, to be the sacrificial offering which conciliates the wrath of God and renders Him favorable toward those who accept it. As we are told again, that God, “who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has made us alive together with Christ.” [Eph 2:4-5] Though you may be utterly sinful; though you, dear reader, may be the worst of sinners and inescapably lost, wicked to the core – yet Christ loves you. And “God demonstrates His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” [Rom 5:8] Jesus did not come for the righteous, nor did He come for the godly; but as it is written, “when we were yet without strength,” without any hope or ability to save ourselves; yes, in that state, “in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” [Rom 5:6] To the natural man, it doesn’t seem logical; rather, it appears highly unreasonable. The love of the world is not God’s love, nor does it ever come close; as it is written, “the love of Christ…is surpassing knowledge.” [Eph 3:19] The length, and breadth, and height, and depth of Jesus’ love is as great a distance as from earth to the furthest point of the observable universe. As it says in scripture regarding God, “for your steadfast love is great above the heavens.” [Psa 108:4]
Having expounded briefly upon Jesus’ great love, let us take an example from His life, which will reveal it to us yet further. To understand this, first let us see a few words Jesus spoke regarding His life. Jesus says, “I can of my own self do nothing;” [Jn 5:30] and, “verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees The Father do;” [Jn 5:19] and, “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father has taught me, I speak these things;” [Jn 8:28] and once more, “the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but The Father that dwells in me, He does the works.” [Jn 14:10] From these passages, we conclude that whatever things Jesus did or said, all of them were directly given to Him or shown to Him by His Father in Heaven, that is The LORD God. And to this Jesus bears yet more witness, saying, “I always do those things that please [The Father];” and, “I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me.” [Jn 8:29; 6:38] Therefore, having this knowledge, let us read what Jesus says,
“I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep…I am the Good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As The Father knows me, even so I know The Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep…Therefore my Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” [Jn 10:11, 14-15, 17-18]
From Jesus’ words we know that whatever He did and said upon earth came directly from The Father. He did not go so much as below or above those words, being obedient to what was written, “do not add unto His words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar.” [Prov 30:6] Therefore, let us take special heed to what Jesus said, “I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself.” Jesus, declaring, “this commandment have I received of my Father,” shows us that He had complete power over His life: when to die and when to rise up from the grave. Knowing this, let us meditate upon Jesus’ sufferings; for it was not until “Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, [that] He said, ‘it is finished:’ and [so then] He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.” [Jn 19:30] As we have seen through a study of Jesus’ sufferings, the physical toll was almost unbearable. It would have been easy for Jesus to give up His life sooner than He did; after all, The Father had given Him the option to. But He did not. It was not until all was fulfilled, until the full payment for my sin, for your sin, was paid for, that Jesus then gave up His life after saying, ‘it is finished.’ In Isaiah we learn the reason behind His endurance upon the cross: it was for His love for us. It is written, “He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days…” [Isa 53:10] “Seed” in the passage refers to those who trust in Him and are thus adopted into His family; as we are promised, “and if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” [Gal 3:29] And again, in Isaiah, the saints of God are referred to as “the seed of The Blessed of The LORD.” [Isa 65:23] In this we see the great love of Jesus for us. Upon the cross, Jesus had the option to freely, whenever He chose, give up His life. But, seeing us and loving us, knowing that what He was suffering was for our sake and benefit, He, as Isaiah says, prolonged His days. In addition to this, Jesus’ love for us is shown in the fact that Jesus did not even have to go to the cross to die for our sins. No, in no wise: it was utterly of His own free will. But as He said in John regarding His pure and love-motivated intentions: “now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour[?] but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify your name.” [Jn 12:27-28] Jesus had the option to resist the cross and die a more pleasant death, (albeit a death which would not atone for sin and save men), perfectly available – but He did not. For it is written in Matthew’s account in the Garden when Jesus was being arrested, so that He might be condemned and crucified, that,
“And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and cut off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, ‘put up again your sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Do you not think that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?’” [Mt 26:51-54]
Jesus’ love for us was so passionate, so true, that He was unwilling to take any way of escape – for love’s sake He went to the cross, and that with joy, for we read, “for the joy that was set before Him [He] endured the cross.” [Heb 12:2] The joy set before Christ was us – it was those that should believe in Him and be saved, for we read regarding those saints of God, that Jesus “will rejoice over [them] with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over [them] with singing.” [Zeph 3:17] And so, because of His great love, Jesus endured the cross; because of His great love for you, dear reader, He died – taking upon Himself your sins. “Hereby we perceive love, because [Jesus] laid down His life for us.” [1 Jn 3:16] You may not love nor recognize these truths today, but even still Jesus loves you: yes, because it is written that “He first loved us,” [1 Jn 4:19] and, “God is love.” [1 Jn 4:8] Again, dear reader, hear it once more very clearly: “Christ also has loved us, and has given Himself for us [as] an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance.” [Eph 5:2] Jesus has poured out His life for you, that you might be saved, for He loved you; yes, even still He loves you.
But do take heed, for just because God loves you, does not mean you shall inherit the kingdom of God. Though God clearly states, “I have no pleasure in the death of Him that dies,” yet He gives you the freedom to exercise your will and choose Him, Him saying to you, “wherefore turn, and live;” [Ezek 18:32] and again He says, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life.” [Deut 30:19] Do not think that you are too far gone or unsavable; do not fall victim to the snare of the devil. Hear God’s voice, which speaks to you even today from the scriptures, from the mouth of the prophet Isaiah, the vessel which The LORD used to say,
“Seek The LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto The LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says The LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” [Isa 55:6-9]
The LORD’s mercy and love for you is beyond your own comprehension. Good man, you may think yourself a wretch, and you may be right – but Christ loves you. God’s love for you goes beyond your feeble understanding; therefore accept His love; therefore choose life that you may live, and not die – that you may experience the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. For His eternal, fatherly, covenant love is found only in His Son Jesus. As Paul writes through inspiration of The Holy Spirit,
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?...For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Rom 8:35, 38-39]
If you still yet refuse God’s love, hear echoing throughout the ages what God said once to Israel: “turn you from your evil ways; for why will you die, O House of Israel?” [Ezek 33:11] Why will you die? Why will you refuse the love of God which is found in Christ Jesus? His love is pure and great; His love is “longsuffering, and is kind,” and “never failing” but “enduring all things.” [1 Cor 13:4-8] It is not The LORD’s will for you to die; even as it says in another place, “He does not afflict from His heart or grieve the children of men;” [Lam 3:33] and again, “mercy rejoices against judgment.” [Jam 2:13] You may still yet reject His love and offer of salvation, but know, dear reader, that it is not His will – for Christ Jesus loves you and died for you.
But and if one still rejects the eternal and passionate love of the Savior, Jesus, in effect choosing rather to be their own god, casting off His restraints, do know where such a choice leads. For you may willingly choose to reject Him and not be with Him in eternity. But as it is written,
“And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that has The Son has life; and he that does not have The Son does not have life.” [1 Jn 5:11-12]
And so, having rejected His loving sacrifice, the only acceptable atonement for sins, in the resurrection your part shall not be life but damnation and death, as Jesus says, “they that have done evil, [shall come forth], unto the resurrection of damnation.” [Jn 5:29] And likewise Daniel, “many of them that [have died]…shall awake…some to shame and everlasting abhorrence.” [Dan 12:2] The choice is yours, dear reader: today the option remains available, but tomorrow is uncertain. Accept Jesus’ sacrifice and give your life to believe in and follow Him, thus gaining to yourself all of God’s love; or reject His sacrifice, and pay eternally for your sins in separation from God and from all that is good.