Power of Love

God’s Love

Jesus proclaimed that the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in Him. Jesus knew that Judas began the road to the cross. This is the greatest display of love that has ever been given. God gave His Son as a propitiation for our sin. Jesus bore our sin on the cross. We see love demonstrated by both the Father and the Son

The Love of Jesus

The love of Jesus is displayed by the cross. The death on the cross is the single most important act in every person’s life. Without the cross there could be no resurrection and without the resurrection there could be no eternal life. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

1 Corinthians 15:12–19 NASB95

Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.

Paul writes that if Jesus has not been resurrected then our faith is in vain, we are false witnesses against God, and we are still in our sins and to be most pitied among men. He says that we are deceived and worst of all we are still in our sins. If we are still in our sins then our fate is destruction in the lake of fire.

Praise God that Jesus went to the cross died for our sins and was resurrected on the third day.

The cross demonstrates the atrocity of our sin. Our sin was so repulsive to God that there was no way for atoning for our sin apart from Jesus. Sin is serious to God. Jesus knew the hopeless plight of man and chose to bring hope to hopeless man by becoming the sacrifice for our sins. 2 Corinthians 5:21

2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB95

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

The cross was the defeat of Satan. What Satan created through Adam was undone by Jesus. The treasures of heaven have now been dispensed to humanity to live in right relationship with God. 2 Peter 1:2-4

2 Peter 1:2–4 NASB95

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

Jesus love for us opened the door through the cross to live lives through Him, for Him and to Him!

The Love of God

What does the cross tell us about God? First, it reveals God’s perfect justice, for even when it was his own Son who bore the guilt of our sins, God did not withhold the righteous sentence of death. Men might well have questioned God’s justice, for during all the long ages it seemed that people had sinned and gotten away with it. Paul admits that “in his divine forbearance [God] had passed over former sins” (Rom. 3:25). Why wasn’t David punished for his adultery with Bathsheba? Why wasn’t Moses condemned for his many sins? These biblical figures did suffer temporal punishments, such as the death of David’s child and Moses’ bar from entering the Promised Land. But they did not suffer the eternal consequences of their sins, just as we have not suffered the hell that our sins deserve. Is this because God is not just to uphold his law? The cross of Christ displays that God is perfectly just, for he has passed judgment on his Son, dying in our place

Richard D. Phillips, John, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, 1st ed., vol. 2, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2014), 175.

God gave up His only Son to overcome his own justice. Being that God is perfectly just, He must punish sin. He knew that mankind could not endure His wrath towards sin, so He sent Jesus who could. John 3:16

John 3:16 NASB95

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

A Disciples Love

Jesus commanded the disciples to love one another as Christ loved them. One may ask, “what makes this commandment new? Doesn’t the Bible say in the old testament to love God and love others?” Yes it does but what makes this love “new” deals with the object, measure, and power.

Object of love

In the Old Testament the love refers to the love for the brethren of Israel. It was limited in the object of it’s love. We see the fallacy of this in the New Testament by Israel’s disdain and hatred for the Samaritan and Gentile. They felt as if they were not obligated to love anyone outside the nation of Israel.

In the New Testament we are commanded to love all people. Matthew 5:43-48

Matthew 5:43–48 NASB95

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The object of our love should extend even to our enemies and those who persecute us. This goes far beyond what the old testament says.

Measure of Love

Jesus instructs the disciples to love one another just as Jesus loved them. You may ask, “How did Jesus love them?” John 15:12-13

John 15:12–13 NASB95

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus calls us to love to the point of laying down our lives for our friend. We see this in Jesus case by dying on the cross. However, we also see it in the disciples by them dying for their friend Jesus. All the disciples died a martyrs death.

How far are we to go in our love for one another? Are we willing to go to that measure?

Holy Spirit Power of Love

With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we have the power to love as Christ commands. We do not have the capacity apart from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit makes possible what was impossible for man.

The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to love as Christ loved us.

Loves Identity

Jesus says that we will be identified as His children by our love for one another. Followers of Jesus Christ exude love for all people. When we love people that from the worlds perspective we should not love, it demonstrates that we are loving higher than our own ability to love. It demonstrates that we are loving as Christ would love. A lost and dying world is transformed by the display of Christ’s love through us.

We live in such a fractured world that love is not expected. The world expects us to demonize those that are not like us or have different beliefs than us. This is not the kind of love Jesus had. Jesus loved Judas who would betray Him. Jesus loved the rich young ruler who would reject Him. Jesus loved the people that were insulting Him and crucifying Him. Jesus love was not based on people agreeing with Him or following Him. It was based in His nature. God is love! When we have the nature of God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we can love as Christ loved.

When a lost world sees infighting among Christians they discount our faith and rightfully so. Christ says that we will be known by our love for one another.

WE are known as Christ Followers by our Love. If you were to be judged by others how would you be known? Would you be known as a Christ follower?