The Great Eight - Pt 31

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:31-37 ESV).

Soon we will be coming to the conclusion of our series in “the Great Eight.” Today we are looking a bit deeper in the last paragraph of this part of the apostle’s letter. Here he completely exhausts the depth of the love of Christ found in this great sacrificial gift of grace through his death, burial, and resurrection. It is also the root of our love for one another. The reality is that if we do not rest in the love of God for us, we will not be able to love each other. The best example is found in the Gospel of John: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another (John 13:34). His love for us is first, and ours is an echo of it. His love for us is before and under our love for each other. And it is a deep, deep, unshakable love. All true love begins with this: God in Christ loved us and forgave us. Then he adopted us so that we are called his children. Then he lavished his ongoing love on us in the family. And now, and only now, on the basis of all that, he says, “Imitate me.” It’s the love of God in Christ for us that draws out and empowers our imitating love for each other. This is certainly radical Christianity. We have seen plenty of examples of selfish Christianity; however, Christianity that lays down its life for others, and shows how radically secure we are in the love of God is the way we should love. And, it all begins with him, not us. So that’s the reason for today’s focus: If God so loved us, we ought to love each other. And so we need to see that God did so love us — and does so love us. Unless I am badly mistaken, there is an immense longing in our world to discover new depths of love to each other, especially those who are our most difficult to love acquaintances. What is precious to me about this letter is the apostle’s combination of a God-centeredness in our lives and, in the same breath, with an incredible radiance and warmth of life toward others. The point today is that, if we are to grow in our love to one another, we must experience being loved by Christ with a deep, unshakable love.