In this episode, we will be investigating the love of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind. This topic is significant because the Bible provides us with intriguing details about the love of Christ. And our scripture of emphasis will be Ephesians 3:17-19 and Romans 5:8.
To truly appreciate the love of Christ, we first need to understand human love. When everything is seen as special, nothing feels truly special. However, the love of Jesus Christ will stand out when we understand the pitfalls of man’s love.
The Love of Man
It is not exactly true that love is everlasting, especially when we consider the complexities of human nature. When human love faces stress and challenges, cracks can begin to show. Various circumstances can cause love to fade, regardless of how strong the connection may seem. Even a mother’s love has its limits, and there are many instances where parents have disowned their children.
I once had a conversation with a young man who had identified as homosexual. He reached out to me in hopes of reconnecting with his mother. He implied that her anger stemmed from his not being married, but I sensed his mother’s disdain when I spoke with her. I couldn’t help but think that her anger was likely related to the fact that her only child had come out as homosexual. I’ve seen a video of a man crying bitterly upon witnessing his sons dressed in women’s clothing.
There are numerous reasons why parents may react strongly against their children, and conversely, children sometimes reject and disown their parents for various reasons. We often see siblings live in perpetual hatred, and marriages often falling apart. While I don’t want to delve into the reasons why love may fail, it’s important to recognise that humans are wired to have rational thoughts, feelings, actions, and reactions. When the reasons for which they feel or do things have diminished or are overshadowed by other circumstances, they will also change and act very differently.
Additionally, some forces can kill human love, such as disrespect, insults, lies, distrust, infidelity, and even certain spiritual influences that may cause individuals to lose affection for others. Human love often comes with expectations. When someone loves you, they typically anticipate some form of reciprocation. If those gestures are not returned or are met with negative elements, that attraction may eventually fizzle out.
The love of men has heights of expression. No matter how much I claim to love you, there are just some things that I can never do for you. I cannot die for you to live. I cannot kill my own child for a loved one. If a beloved child trespasses and is sentenced to life or death, they have to carry their own cross. Our love contract has terms and conditions.
We can summarise human love as conditional, limited in its giving, influenced by circumstances, and subject to questioning.
The Love of Jesus Christ
That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. – Ephesians 3:17-19
In Ephesians chapter 3, verse 17, Paul explains that through faith, Christ takes abode in our hearts. He continues by saying that when we become rooted and established in love (note that this is the fruit of love, which is unique to all saints). Now, when this love is evidently in us, and we are grounded in it, that is to say, we come to realise what love truly means, we will then comprehend what the love of Christ is.
Paul continues to tell us that we will then achieve a comprehension of the width, length and height, and also get to know the love of Jesus Christ, which is beyond all knowledge.
What does it mean when we say that His love is beyond knowledge? It implies a love that is unreasonable, irrational, and beyond understanding. Whatever is beyond knowledge surpasses human understanding. This is how Paul describes the love of Jesus.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
In Romans 5:8, Paul speaks about the love of Christ, referring to it as a demonstration of God’s love. The God who loves and the God who died for us are not different beings; they are the same. The entire Godhead has demonstrated His love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ, the second person of the Trinity, died for us. We will explore the love of Christ through three undeniable facts.
The Love of Christ is Unconditional
Unconditional love is the love that does not have any conditions attached to it. This is the primary love that God has for mankind. While certain attributes may influence our affection for one another, this is not the case with Christ. It does not matter what someone has done or what they will do; this love remains constant until the end.
Even though God and Christ hate sin and will ultimately punish the wicked, He still loves them. Even though God will punish thieves, homosexuals, liars, and other sinners, He holds strong affection for them and works tirelessly for their salvation. It does not matter whether we beat Him, spit on Him, curse Him, mock Him, betray Him, kill Him, or fight against Him—His love persists. This is why Paul refers to it as being beyond reason.
His love for those who are his enemies is why the gospel exists. That is why he calls evangelists and has commanded the church to go out, so that somehow his enemies can know and accept his love and become His friends and sons.
The love of Christ is sacrificial
Hopefully, with an understanding of the sacrificial love of Christ, believers can recognise the level of their selfishness and false profession of love. Christ’s sacrificial display of love was shown in that…
- He sacrificed his divinity and worship because spirits demand worship from mortal men, but he chose to abandon that exalted position and embrace humanity for our sake.
- He sacrificed a comfortable life and lived in poverty, sharing in the meagre meals of the poor. If he had chosen to, he could have come as a wealthy Christ, but that would have undermined God’s plan. What if Christ had been rich?
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich – (2 Corinthians 8:9) - He sacrificed his life for sinners and humanity.
The love He exemplified was one that puts away pleasure, painfully labouring for the work of Him who sent Him, which is ‘MAN’. In contrast to today’s believers who profess love but hardly ever make sacrifices to substantiate it. While we claim that the love of God is in us, there is no sacrificing our time, resources, sleep, or pleasures for the sake of others and the gospel. Why is the kingdom failing today? Because believers are no longer ready to sacrifice and hazard their lives to advance it. Our selfishness is over the roof; our unwillingness to make sacrifices has stunted the growth of the kingdom of God. Food and relaxation are what we pursue today, even our Pastors today love sleep and the fatness of the flesh.
Let us understand that from the days of John the Baptist, the Kingdom of God has been advancing by sacrifice. Men who sacrificed their lives, time, relationships, marriage, love, family, resources, values, and welfare brought us the message of the kingdom. And if today we begin to become self-centred and selfish, the kingdom will go nowhere. Not even the next generation will see any light unless men make sacrifices to ensure that.
The love of Christ is Redemptive
Redemptive love is a powerful form of love that strives to save one from danger. No one who truly loves a person will be eyes open to the destruction of whom he claims to love. One scripture that encapsulates this concept is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish.” This scripture summarises that Christ has loved us to save us from destruction.
Consider a parent who claims to love their children but allows them to make harmful decisions without guidance or accountability. This approach is often echoed by those who say, “I support my gay child” or “I support my transgender child.” However, true love involves more than mere acceptance. When one recognises the potential consequences of a child’s choices and fails to intervene, that is not love; it is neglect. Real love seeks the best for others, even when it requires uncomfortable conversations. Christ’s love was not merely about acceptance; it was a love grounded in redemption and the pursuit of the best for us.
