Infinite Love of God
The Lord God has chosen to fully reveal Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ. He has done it in such a way that a finite mind might grasp the essential truth of God’s infinite being (Rom. 1:19-20).
“No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (John 1:18). We have come to know God’s love “because He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16). “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9, 10). “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
God declared His love in the cross of Jesus Christ, and we need never question it ever again. Jesus Christ “loved me and gave Himself for me.” We perceive and understand the love of God because Jesus laid down His life for us.
In eternity we will have “a ceaseless unfolding of that fathomless expression of boundless love,” says Lewis Chafer. “For God so loved the world that He gave . . .” The ultimate picture of the love of God is the cross of Jesus.
Why such a demonstration of love? “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself” (2 Cor. 5:19). Every righteous judgment of God against sin was removed by Christ.
Sin is not a fleeting thing, or a small issue with God. It has eternal repercussions and was dealt with at Calvary by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The only means of dealing with sin is the all sufficient Substitute who stood in the sinner's place until all the grounds of our condemnation was dealt with past, present and future.
Jesus Christ died for me, and as a result, I will never have to bear what He bore on the cross on my behalf. Christ “died for me” so that I might not die. “The wages of sin is death.” Christ died my death for sin. God’s love provided a substitute for me which reaches out into infinity. This is His constant attribute toward the sinner.
Jesus is the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth.” God’s love is undiminished. God has perfectly demonstrated His love to sinful man. The cross is God’s perfect and final revelation of His love.
God manifest that great love while we were still hostile sinners (Rom. 5:6, 8). Sin created the greatest problem for God, and in the cross of Jesus God provided the only possible solution for Himself. Every sinner is at enmity toward God. The cross of Jesus reveals the desperate wickedness of our sins.
God alone accomplished the reconciliation of sinful, rebellious man to Himself. He accomplished it by the death of Jesus on the cross. “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him” (Isa. 53:6). “Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed” (Rom. 3:25). “For He [God] has made Him [Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
God accomplished our reconciliation to Himself through the death of Christ. “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.” Jesus said, “I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father” (John 10:17-18). Jesus was in control of His own death. “Father into Thy hands I commend my spirit.” Moreover, God the Father was involved in Jesus’ death (Acts 2:23).
Infinite love was unveiled at the cross in the saving act of God in the death of Christ. “God was in Christ.” In that death, “God has set forth Christ to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins. . . that He might be just and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus” (Rom. 3:25-26).
“God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
The Lord God has chosen to fully reveal Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ. He has done it in such a way that a finite mind might grasp the essential truth of God’s infinite being (Rom. 1:19-20).
“No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (John 1:18). We have come to know God’s love “because He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16). “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9, 10). “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
God declared His love in the cross of Jesus Christ, and we need never question it ever again. Jesus Christ “loved me and gave Himself for me.” We perceive and understand the love of God because Jesus laid down His life for us.
In eternity we will have “a ceaseless unfolding of that fathomless expression of boundless love,” says Lewis Chafer. “For God so loved the world that He gave . . .” The ultimate picture of the love of God is the cross of Jesus.
Why such a demonstration of love? “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself” (2 Cor. 5:19). Every righteous judgment of God against sin was removed by Christ.
Sin is not a fleeting thing, or a small issue with God. It has eternal repercussions and was dealt with at Calvary by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The only means of dealing with sin is the all sufficient Substitute who stood in the sinner's place until all the grounds of our condemnation was dealt with past, present and future.
Jesus Christ died for me, and as a result, I will never have to bear what He bore on the cross on my behalf. Christ “died for me” so that I might not die. “The wages of sin is death.” Christ died my death for sin. God’s love provided a substitute for me which reaches out into infinity. This is His constant attribute toward the sinner.
Jesus is the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth.” God’s love is undiminished. God has perfectly demonstrated His love to sinful man. The cross is God’s perfect and final revelation of His love.
God manifest that great love while we were still hostile sinners (Rom. 5:6, 8). Sin created the greatest problem for God, and in the cross of Jesus God provided the only possible solution for Himself. Every sinner is at enmity toward God. The cross of Jesus reveals the desperate wickedness of our sins.
God alone accomplished the reconciliation of sinful, rebellious man to Himself. He accomplished it by the death of Jesus on the cross. “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him” (Isa. 53:6). “Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed” (Rom. 3:25). “For He [God] has made Him [Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
God accomplished our reconciliation to Himself through the death of Christ. “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.” Jesus said, “I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father” (John 10:17-18). Jesus was in control of His own death. “Father into Thy hands I commend my spirit.” Moreover, God the Father was involved in Jesus’ death (Acts 2:23).
Infinite love was unveiled at the cross in the saving act of God in the death of Christ. “God was in Christ.” In that death, “God has set forth Christ to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins. . . that He might be just and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus” (Rom. 3:25-26).
“God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
