CHARLES HARRIS: God’s steadfast love has conditions

When you consider all that Jesus gave up in bearing the cross to save us from sin, you cannot possibly doubt His love. If anything, the magnificent love of Jesus was unfailing, and utterly unselfish. On the cross, the innocent Lord Jesus sacrificed everything. He kept silent and did nothing, while men slandered Him, falsely accused Him, condemned Him, scourged Him, mocked Him, and crucified Him (1 Peter 2:22-24).

Jesus bore the punishment and death for your sins, the punishment which you should have borne. The Lord laid on Himself your own iniquity (Isaiah 53:6). His suffering was physical and spiritual. Everything that Jesus did, He did out of an undeniable and pure love for you. Can you imagine what it must have been like for Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, to know of the scourging, suffering and crucifixion to come? According to Matthew 26:38 Jesus was greatly troubled and sorrowful, even to the point of death. Luke 22:44 says, “And being in agony He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

They didn’t merely bind Jesus, they nailed His hands and feet to a rugged, splintering cross and suspended Him in the most agonizing position. As they crucified Him, He prayed that the Father would forgive those responsible. They mocked Him, insulted Him, and did their very worst to Him. And through all of His suffering, Jesus remained quiet. He uttered no threats. He didn’t even revile them in return. He didn’t call for the 12 legions of angels to wipe them out. The Lord lovingly endured six excruciating hours on the cross. No matter how horrid men were to Jesus, His steadfast love held Him to the cross. He loved us to the end.

The Lord’s steadfast love, His covenant love of promise, has conditions. The Lord Jesus said in John 14:23-24, that “If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that liveth me not keepeth not my sayings, and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.” God promises His love as well as His abiding presence to those who love Him and keep His words.

It’s a fantasy to think that you can sin all you wish and still count on the grace of God. It’s fantasy to think that you can rebel against God and still be right with Him. It’s fantasy to think that you can remake God in your own image and still please Him. It’s fantasy to think that you can rewrite His commandments, ignore His holiness, corrupt His character, and forget His justice but still count on His love (Hebrews 10:26-31). You must never take the love and grace of God for granted. It’s much too valuable to squander.

The Lord created you for more than what takes place in this life. God loves you and is interested in your life here on earth and in the hereafter. He wants you to live with Him forever in heaven. As patterned by Paul, the Church of Christ at Beattie Road also prays “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

You need the love of God in your life every day. The more you grasp the depth of His love, the more you’ll purpose to demonstrate that same kind of lasting, committed love. Knowing the love of God will make you better fathers and husbands, better mothers and wives, better citizens, better children and better friends. God’s love teaches you patience and kindness, compassion and forgiveness, and forbearance and loyalty. His perfect love motivates you to be holy and faithful. It teaches you how to love the truth and to live with integrity and virtue. You need God’s love to become a commendable person.

The love of God should persuade you to want to become a Christian. When you become a Christian by placing your trust in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, when you turn away from sin, when you confess Christ before others, and when you’re baptized into Christ, you become a Christian (Acts 2:38; 8:37; 18:8). When you’re baptized, the Lord washes away your sins, and He adds you to His family the church (Acts 22:16; 2:47). And nothing you will do today could be more important than becoming a Christian, and professing Your love for God.

The Beattie Road Church of Christ meets at 1731 Beattie Road in Albany. Our times of services are Sunday: 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 6 p.m.; Wednesday: 7 p.m. If we can assist you in your spiritual journey, contact us at (229) 435-2193 or (870) 500-5535. You can also visit us online at beattieroad.com.