Christs Demonstration of the Love of God to the Believer

By Nick Bibile

 

There is power in Gods love. We see the power of God in creation. He just spoke the word and instantly the heavens and the earth came into being. This is the magnificent omnipotent power of God.

 

Again we see Gods omnipotent power manifested in miracles. We see when the children of Israel trapped by Pharaohs army cornered at the Red Sea how God opened the Red Sea and they walked in dry sand.

We see When King Nebuchchednezzer made a golden image and made a decree for everyone to bow down, but when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship the image they were put into the furnace of fire but not a hair was burnt.

We see many like this, Daniel put to the lions death to be eaten alive but God shut the lions mouth.

 

We see in the ministry of Jesus, the power of God, healing the sick, raising the dead, providing food to thousands with a loaf of bread and fish, calming a storm, walking on water.

 

But where do we see the love of God to the believer demonstrated? We see his omnipotent, unchanging love to the believer when he came down from heaven to save the believer from hell and giving eternal life.

 

Mt 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

 

Yes, he shall save, not he may or possibly save but he shall save his people from their sins. This is the unlimited power of God and his love to the believer.

 

When we know that some of our relatives or friends are lost as they are not saved, we have compassion for them, pity for them as they dont see the truth, we can do everything what we can but we dont have the power to save them. Only God has the power to save the soul.

 

I want to show you the love of God to the believer in his humiliation.

 

Heaven is a glorious place, where there is no sin; there are no policemen, ambulances, hospitals, doctors in heaven. God is exalted in heaven in his throne. But the second person of the trinity, the Son who is eternal God to leave his throne of power and majesty to come down to this earth is a great humility.

Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Born to a poor family, in a manger yes, just for the believer, shows his unconditional love.

 

We were born sinners and have violated the laws of God, disobedient to God; we were under the curse of God on our way to damnation. We deserved the wrath of God. But Christ came to rescue us. We see his love for us in two ways.

 

His active obedience to God and his passive obedience to God.

 

What is his active obedience? His active obedience is fulfilling the law of God. How can a man become righteous before God? Righteousness can be obtained by obeying all of the law of God.

 

De 4:1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.

 

There is no one righteous, not one. (Rom 3:10)

Ro 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

 

Mt 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

 

Jesus loved the believers so much that he represented the believing sinner as we have violated all of the law of God but Jesus fulfilled all of the law of God in our behalf.

 

Now how did we benefit by the active obedience of Christ to the Father?

 

We obtained righteousness. At the cross the righteousness of Christ was imputed to the believing sinner so now we can go to heaven by the righteousness of Christ.

 

When we see our own unsaved children, relatives and friends as they live in disobedience to God and we can only tell them the right from wrong yet we can never give them the righteousness of Christ to them. We can only pray.

 

This is the love of Christ to the believer, he lived a sinless life, committed no sin although he was tempted by all directions and he obeyed and fulfilled all of the law of God on our behalf. This is his unconditional love to us.

 

Then we see the love of Christ in his passive obedience.

What is passive obedience? The word passive here is not doing anything, not inactive as it sounds but comes from the Latin word patior means to suffer and submit. Passive obedience has to do how Christ actively suffered on behalf of our sins.

 

When did his passive obedience begin? His passive obedience began when he crossed Brook Kidron to Gethsemane and from there to the cross.

 

Joh 18:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.

 

Brook Kidron

It is on the eastern side of Jerusalem, between the city of Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. There is a stream of water that flows during winter. Remember Hezekiah was a godly king who cleansed the temple and he ordered all the impurities that were in the temple also all the altars, incense altars that were in Jerusalem were cast into Brook Kidron. (2 Chronicles 29:15-16; 30:14; 2 Kings 23:6)

 

Here we see the Holy Son of God, Christ Jesus stepping into Brook Kidron, becoming the sinner on our behalf, taking of our impurities, our idolatries upon him.

 

Then we see the Lord Jesus coming to Mt of Olives.

 

Lu 22:39 And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the Mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.

40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, pray that ye enter not into temptation.

41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

 

What does the cup represents? The cup represents the sins of his people, the curse of the law, the ingredients of the wrath of God, this is the cup of fury, cursing and trembling.

 

Ps 75:8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.

 

The word dregs here are the sediments at the bottom of the cup. All our sins were compressed into a cup. This is the cup of Gods indignation.

 

Re 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.

 

See verse 44, his sweat were as greats drops of blood.

Just imagine, the curse of the law and all our sins were pressed down in fury with the indignation of God and the Lords sweat turned into blood.

 

Oh, how he loved the believing sinner. True love is shown in times of suffering.

 

Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

 

Note he calls us friends, before we were enemies of God.

 

His prayer was to do the will of the Father, as the Father sent his Son to save his people. After the prayer he went like a warrior to face the judgment of God for our sins.

 

He went forward to meet Judas; he did not run away, he faced them. (John 18:2-11)

 

He was ridiculed mocked and he was whipped but never opened his mouth. Then he was crucified to death. Beloved this is the love of Christ to the believing sinner.

 

Ro 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

Our guilt and punishment was transferred to him.

 

Now how did passive obedience of Christ benefit us? Passive obedience removed our guilt, pardoned us and forgave our sins.

 

If someone robs a bank and take $ 10 million and the thief get caught, but his rich friend pays $ 10 million plus another $10 million to the authorities, total of $ 20 million for all the damages were done. Can his friend be set free? No. Why he committed a crime by stealing money and his crime deserve a punishment. This is called in judiciary sense the penal code. A code of law relating to punishment of crimes.

 

Thats why Christ was punished for our sins. All our sins were charged, transferred to him who had no sin. Then the fierceness of Gods anger for sin came upon Christ.

 

Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

 

This is love in action. This is true love; true love is manifested in suffering.

 

This is the greatest love of all time, the omnipotent love of God to the believer as he came to seek and save those who were lost. His love will never diminish nor change as his love for the believer is an eternal love that will stay forever.

 

Once you realize how much and how humbly and painfully he demonstrated this love to you, what will you do as Christian?

 

The answer is you will love him back. We love him because, he first loved us.

 

If you love your husband, wife or children or your home, car, the material things of the world, your sports, TV, shopping more than the Lord Jesus then it is idolatry.

 

How can you enjoy the pleasures of sin and the delights of your flesh?

 

1Co 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

 

Anathema is a divine curse that the same bitter cup of the wrath and the vengeance of God, the curse of God will fall upon you in his judgment.

 

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