UNSPEAKABLE
AND SACRIFICIAL LOVE
“The Son of God, who
loved me, and
gave himself for me”
(Galatians 2:20).
We
know that
God's love is immeasurable because it is ETERNAL, as He is Himself: He
who is
God "even from everlasting to everlasting" (Psalm 90:2) can
say to each one of His people: "Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3); and so we have the assurance
that
nothing in all of creation "shall be able to separate us from the
love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39). But you
know
what makes God's love beyond meaure to me? It is not only that He loved
me from
eternity, but that He loved me so much, that He would be willing to
come down
from heaven and become Man in order to give Himself as a Sacrifice for
my sins!
The wonder of it all that He would even consider doing it for me! Oh,
all
praise and glory be to Him for loving me, even though I am so
unlovable; and
abundant thanksgivings for giving Himself to die on the Cross for my
sins when
He had every reason not do it, other than His great love for me.
Wouldn't you
also say this is true of you, my beloved brother and sister in Christ? What greater proof can
one give to
the one loved, if not to be willing to give all for the sake of the one
loved! Here
we see, in our text, the greatness of the Lord Jesus’ love for one of
His own.
But oh, the wonder of it is that it is not just an abstract love, i.e.
a love
that one simply reads about. No, it is concrete, it is experiential,
and it is
practical.
As I was praying
one
afternoon, it was impressed on my heart and mind the awfulness of my
sinful
life. In confessing my sins, I was reminded that when the Lord Jesus
went to
die on Calvary's Cross, He "his own self bare (my) sins in his own
body
on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24). Then as I remembered my sins,
tears
flowed from my eyes, because I saw all of my filthiness and depravation
laid
upon my precious Savior's body so that I would be forgiven of all my
sins. But
also I remember, that the Father, who is "of purer eyes than to
behold
evil, and canst not look on iniquity" (Habakkuk 1:13), when He saw
my
sins on His beloved Son on the Cross, instead of dealing "with (me)
after (my) sins", and rewarding "(me) according to (my)
iniquities" (Psalm 103:10), He turned His back on His Son, causing
Him
to cry out, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew
27:46). And why? Because "he loved me, and gave himself for me".
Oh, my Lord, may this reminder make my heart tender to the things of
God; and
to be filled with love so that I will love you, because you first loved
me.
Amen.