Love's Commendation

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Romans 5:7-8

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.…

God's commendation of His love is not in words, but in deeds. "God commendeth His love not in an eloquent oration," but by an act. If thou wouldst commend thyself to thy fellows, go and do — not go and say; and if before God thou wouldst show that thy faith and love are real, remember, it is no fawning words, uttered either in prayer or praise, but it is the pious deed, the holy act, which is the justification of thy faith. Paul gives us a double commendation of God's love.

I. CHRIST DIED FOR US. Note —

1. That it was Christ who died.

2. That Christ died for us. It was much love when Christ stripped Himself of the glories of His Godhead to become an infant in the manger of Bethlehem; when He lived a holy and a suffering life for us; when He gave us a perfect example by His spotless life; but the commendation of love lieth here — that Christ died for us. All that death could mean Christ endured. Consider the circumstances which attended His death. It was no common death; it was a death of ignominy; it was a death of unutterable pain; it was a tong protracted death.

II. CHRIST DIED FOR US WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS.

1. Consider what sort of sinners many of us have been, and then we shall see the marvellous grace of Christ. Consider —

(1) I levy many of us have been continual sinners. Have not sinned once, but ten thousand times.

(2) That our sins were aggravated. When you sin you do not sin so cheap as others: when you sin against the convictions of your consciences, against the warnings of your friends, against the enlightenment of the times, and against the solemn monitions of your pastors, you sin more grossly than others do. The Hottentot sinneth not as the Briton doth.

(3) That we were sinners against the very Person who died for us. If a man should be injured in the street, if a punishment should be demanded of the person who attacked him, it would be passing strange if the injured man should for love's sake bear the penalty, that the other might go free; but 'twas even so with Christ.

(4) That we were sinners who for a long time heard this good news, and yet despised it.

2. Inasmuch as Christ died for sinners, it is a special commendation of His love for —

(1) God did not consider man's merit when Christ died; in fact, no merit could have deserved the death of Jesus. Though we had been holy as Adam, we could never have deserved a sacrifice like that of Jesus. But inasmuch as it says, "He died for sinners," we are thereby taught that God considered our sin, and not our righteousness.

(2) God had no interest to serve by sending His Son to die. If God had pleased, He might have crushed this nest of rebels, and have made another world all holy.

(3) Christ died for us unasked. If He had died for me as an awakened heir of heaven, then I could have prayed for Him to die; but Christ died for me when I had no power nor will to pray. Where did ye ever hear that man was first in mercy? Nay, rather, it is the other way: "Return unto Me, backsliding children, and I will have mercy upon you."

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