The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I
have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness
have I drawn thee.
Is love enough for who, GOD? Was Love enough motive
for GOD to save his elect? "But God, who is rich in mercy,
for his great love with which he loved us," Ephesians 2:4
, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8. The answer
is yes.
It was this motive that caused GOD to marshall all of
his glorious attributes together to conceive and perform the redemption
of his people. Love called wisdom to the task of constructing a way
to redeem hell deserving sinners like you and I from eternal wrath and
punishment.
It was love that aroused the infinite power, like a strong
man awakened from drink, to face and endure an inflexible justice with
it’s eternal demands and inscrutable severity, and conquered hell swallowing
up the Jordan of death.
And it is this same divine and infinite LOVE, the GOD
of it, the knowledge of it, the power of it, that resides in the heart
and motivates the children of GOD, who are begotten by it, to perform evangelical
obedience for the glory of GOD and the cause of Jesus Christ, in the face
of opposition, continue doing it even unto the death. Nothing but
LOVE could do this.
Law could not do it. It was weak through the flesh.
Fear because of law could not do it. Fear itself hath too much
torment and is without perfect love. Reward could not do it. The
cost is too much. The debt is too great. The demands were too
high.
But love can and did. LOVE is powerful and enduring
and effectual and eternal and constant. LOVE needs no law. LOVE
is a law unto itself.
Read 1Corinthians 13.
And the principle of LOVE is the fulfilling of the law.
On this ground can a man serve Christ. And on this ground alone will he
serve The Son of GOD.
“If you LOVE me keep my commandments.”
“ If you LOVE me feed my sheep”.
Jesse Gistand, Pastor
Grace Bible Church
San Leandro, CA 94572
510-799-7934