“For the love of Christ compels us”:
It is the love which Christ has for man that is the constraining power of
Paul’s preaching. The greatest proof to us of the love of Christ for mankind is
that He died. “If One died for all, then all died”: Christ died for all who died in Him, or one
died for all, therefore all died. The preposition “for” means “in behalf of” or
“in place of.” This is the heart of salvation! Everyone who “dies in Christ”
receives the benefit of His substitutionary death. In this verse Paul defined
the extent of the atonement and limited its application.
“For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son”: Christ died for mankind,
and His atonement is extended to all as a free gift of grace. “That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life”: To “believe in Him”... “Into Him” captures the Greek better, is to be
firmly and absolutely persuaded about who He is and the truthfulness of His
promises, creating complete dependence, wholehearted commitment and conviction
as we trust in, cling to and rely upon Him. To
“believe in Him” is to “Die in Christ”, to die to Self and all the
Self-interests of earth-life, submitting to Christ as Lord and aligning one’s
heart with the heart interests of our King.
Believing is the price of accepting God’s free gift of
atonement, that which limits its application. Christ died
for all, “that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him
who died for them and rose again ... for the love of Christ compels us.”
(2 Cor.
5:14-15; Jn. 3:16)
ENDNOTE:
Captured in the verb “Believe” is the essence of God’s plan for mankind:
Transformation into Christlikeness, the metamorphosis of sin stained spiritual
cripples into beacons of radiant light reflecting the holy nature of Christ to
a world drowning in sin’s darkness. Many people wade in this verb, not
realizing the depths of its meaning could drown an elephant.
“FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST COMPELS US.”
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