How To Do the Will of God: Part 2

There is another motive even greater than the motive of fear. Another force at work in our lives has power to move us even when the fear of God leaves us unmoved. Look at 2 Corinthians 5:12-15:

For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us; (controls us, overmasters, urges us, drives us) because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

What does Paul mean when he says,”Christ love constraineth us?” Is it Christ’s love for Paul? Paul’s love for Christ? Or is it Christ’s love flowing out of Paul to others? 1 John 4:10 suggests where love begins:

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Love begins with God-not with us!

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

When our hearts have been first stirred and then awakened by God’s love, we are ready to reach out in love to our others. It takes all three of these phases to fully manifest the love of Christ. But the important point is that love, not duty, is the proper motive for Christian functioning.

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” It is not the other way around- If you keep my commandments you will love me. Love makes obedience easy, not vice-versa. It is the delight of love to do what the loved one desires. So when the heart grows dull and obedience is difficult, the proper response is not to grit your teeth and decide to tough it out but to remember who it is that asks this of you and then for His sake to do it.

When a Christian responds this way he will find to his own amazement that his own attitude has changed. Look at 2 Corinthians 5:16-17:

Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. How did Paul view Christ before and after? He didn’t look at him the same way. We should seek to do the same… from the base motive of love, which holds all the other things in our Christian life together (Colossians 3:14).

Posted on 6/05/2008 under Pastor Cornett's Blog. Comments RSS feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.