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“For the love of Christ constraineth us…and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live into themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
The verb “constrain” means to force or compel someone to do something by moral or physical force. The love of Christ does not force us physically to do something, but if we realize how much He loves us, and how much it cost Him to save us, then how could we refuse to do something He wants us to do?
I have left out part of verse 14, but it says, “If one (the Lord Jesus) died for all, then were all dead.” That means that before we were saved, we were “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). Now we have life — new life in Christ, because the love of Christ took Him to the cross to die for us. His love ought to constrain us, but sometimes it does not have that effect. Why not?
You have all seen a magnet, and it attracts iron. But if you have a small magnet, and place it thirty feet (about nine meters) from some iron filings, it will not attract them. Why not? Because they are too far away from the magnet. In the same way, sometimes we are spiritually too far away from the Lord, and we do not feel the attraction of His love as we should. We need to get closer to Him, and enjoy His love more!
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