Ephesians 4:32- 5:2 “Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
Pastor Herk continues: If we claim to be Christ-followers, then we need to follow in His footsteps and live the life of love that He exemplifies to us. Forgiveness is a significant aspect in the love of Christ. Another aspect are the cost Jesus paid. Most people do not consider what it cost Jesus to love us. The Lord Jesus instructs us in John 15:12-13 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus did that for His followers.
Jesus is God, the third person of Trinity. He could not set aside His Divine Person or attributes. Yet, Philippians 2:6–8 tells us that “ [Christ Jesus] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [1] Out of love, Jesus set aside His glory during His earthly visitation for us and our salvation. We must follow His example and love others even when it costs us greatly.
The second cost was [2] Jesus’ extreme physical pain. Hebrews 12:2 confirms, “Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame.” Isaiah 53:5 prophesized prior to His earthly appearance, “He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; the punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” The third cost was [3] fellowship with God the Father on the Cross, when the sins of the world were placed upon Him. In Mark 15:34, “At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabaktanei?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 1 John 3:16 tells us, “We know love by this, that He [Jesus] laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters.” So if we are to imitate the Love of God, then we need to love others, even when it costs us, loving others as Christ loves us.
Another aspect in the love of God is His love for us, even when we do not deserve it. Because of our sin, we deserve God’s wrath, not love. We do not deserve Jesus dying on that Cross in our place that our sins could be forgiven. We do not deserve God’s love and mercy; love and mercy are attributes of God out of which the grace of God flows. Romans 5:8 explains, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God sacrificed His Son for us. But, He must be received.
John 3:16-18, 35-36 proclaims, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Romans 6:23 declares, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” To the Believer, Ephesians 2:8 clarifies, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Why is Jesus the way to salvation? 2 Corinthians 5:21 expounds, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” We cannot buy it. We cannot earn it, and we do not deserve it. It is a love gift from God.
Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on Christ-like love in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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