“But God commendeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more, then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” ―Rom. 5:9-109Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Romans 5:9‑10).
A BOLD infidel once interrupted a faithful servant of the Lord, as he was addressing a large open-air assemblage, with the impious and startling assertion,
“I will prove to you, that Jesus Christ, whom you preach, told a lie.”
Alas, what will the temerity of the alienated mind and heart of man not dare to utter. A dead silence pervaded the audience, and all seemed riveted to the spot where they stood.
The modest but confident reply was, “If you can prove it, I will believe it.”
The suspense was extreme. Every ear was on the stretch. No one moved.
“Well,” rejoined the atheist, “Jesus said, ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,’ and is it not greater love for a man to lay down his life for his enemies?”
The crowd held its breath, and perfect stillness reigned. All eyes were turned to the preacher.
“Ah yes,” calmly answered the Lord’s servant, “but it does not say, greater love hath no God than this. It says greater love hath no man. Man’s love never went further, and it never will; but I am authorized to proclaim to you, and to all who hear me, that ‘God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’―nay more, enemies, ‘for when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.’ From what you have said, my friend, it is evident you are God’s enemy; still He commends His love even to you, and if you only knew it, the very breath you spend in blaspheming Him you owe to that love. How base your ingratitude.”
A sigh of relief passed over the company, and not a whisper more was heard from the poor, crestfallen, infidel. One would fain hope that the telling utterances from the speaker’s lips made him ashamed, and led him to the feet of Jesus; but anyhow they went home to many hearts in the crowd.
One was heard to say to his neighbor, “It cuts deep.” Another, “Does God really love me?” A third, “That is surely good news.” Tears were seen to roll down many a cheek. It was a solemn time. Not a few had reason to praise God for that day’s open-air preaching. That striking episode the Lord used for blessing, and graciously overruled it to render the word spoken exceptionally effective, and once more to demonstrate that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to any one that believeth, let the scoffer say what he will.
Now, my reader, that you may the better apprehend this very remarkable verse, I will put three questions, and, first let me ask,
WHOSE LOVE DOES GOD COMMEND?
Is it your love? No, that would be a poor thing indeed. It is God’s love. “For God commendeth his own love.” Not our love to God, but God’s love to us. And what is that? You could not put into words even your mother’s love, how much less can any human language tell the infinite love of God? It is beyond description. It defies formulation. Where was a fitting expression of that love to be found? All the angels in heaven could not have furnished it. No archangel could have been a sufficient representative of God’s love. His Son―His only begotten and well-beloved Son―alone was adequate to reveal it. He alone knew it and He alone could tell it.
God spared not His own Son. It was a new kind of dealing altogether. It was no longer demanding, but giving. It was not investigating your heart, but making known the thoughts of His own. This is not requiring goodness from you, but when you were nothing but badness, bringing goodness to you, and finding a way to put the evil away without putting you away. Love such as this was never heard of till it was manifested in Christ. Loving those that loved you was understood. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth was recognized. But such a thing as loving his enemies never entered man’s mind. God’s love is peculiar to Himself, and has its source and cause wholly in Himself, never reasoning from what we are to what He will be for us, but always from what God is and His work on our behalf, for God’s love exceeds all human thought. Thus there is no question as to the love―it is God’s―vast, unspeakable, and unfathomable as we have seen. It is God’s love, but let me ask
TOWARDS WHOM IS IT DIRECTED?
The good? No, “there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” The righteous? No, “there is none righteous, no, not one.” God commendeth His love toward us while we were yet sinners, ungodly, enemies, and without strength. It is to such the love applies, and we cannot be too decided as to this. A change in a man and then God will love him, is not the gospel, since the gospel is that God loves the sinner before he is converted.
This wondrous love, wherewith God so loved the world that He gave His Son, adapts itself to the sinner in all his varied experiences. If it is towards a poor needy sinner, this love takes the form of pity. If towards a sorrowing, suffering sinner, it takes the form of compassion. If towards a miserable sinner, it takes the form of mercy. If towards an obstinate, rebellious sinner, it takes the form of longsuffering. In all these ways God commends His love to sinners, yea, to His very enemies. It is indeed a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save shiners, and sinners, too, like Saul of Tarsus, who calls himself the chief. Hence, no matter who or what you may have been, dear reader, if you only take your true place as lost, undone, and good for nothing, all the blessed consequences of what that love of God has provided are made good to you on believing. Why not now?
Just a third question as to this love,
HOW WAS IT SHOWN?
The answer is, “Christ died for us.” But why has it to be demonstrated thus? Because God’s love is a holy love. It is a righteous love. “The wages of sin is death.” “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Hence “Christ died for us.” How simple, and yet how profound. Perfect love to the sinner: unmeasured judgment against his sin. God is glorified in all that He is in His nature as to it. The Son of man must be lifted up, no less than the Son of God given in fathomless love. We must be before God according to the truth of what He is and according to the truth of what we are. Christ’s death is the divine answer to this in all its length and breadth. It is impossible to exhaust what is included in the familiar expression, “Christ died for us.” It means not only that He bore our sins in His own body on the tree, but that He perfectly glorified God in all that He is, and that we, consequently, have full and free access to Him, all being the fruit of His own love, for “hereby we have known love, because that he has laid down his life for us.” What a gospel God revealed in love. His claims fully met sins completely borne, salvation to the vilest offered, perfect access procured, the conscience purged, and acceptance given according to all the value of the death of Christ.
Are you, my reader, going to miss all this vast blessing? Surely not. We affectionately urge you to possess it while now within your reach. God is beseeching you by us. Delay not, we implore you, a moment longer. Be ye reconciled to God. He waits to be gracious. He is ready to receive you. He longs to welcome you to His heart. Take Him at His word. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, saved at once, and saved forever.
W. S.