Preparing for the sermon this week, I spent some time meditating on aspects of the love of Christ (Rom 8:35-39). These meditations will not make it into the message. However, a sampling may be encouraging and helpful to you.
Before I share one snippet…let me give a brief refresher on the Puritan method I have used in recent months to guide my biblical meditations. Upon choosing a truth for meditation, one can work through these prompts:
- Definition. (What is it?) Begin by defining the truth clearly using Scripture.
- Divisions. (What are its parts?) Dissect the truth into components, degrees, or types.
- Causes. (Where does it come from?) Examine the origins or roots of this truth.
- Effects and Fruits. (What does it produce?) Analyze the consequences, outcomes, and spiritual benefits.
- Properties and adjuncts. (What are its marks?) Identify the distinquishing characteristics or traits associated with it.
- Opposites and contrasts. (What is its contrary?) Hold the truth up against the opposite to make its value clearer.
- Comparisons and similes. (What is it like?) Use biblical metaphors and natural illustrations to make the abstract concept concrete.
- Scriptural Testimonies. (What else does God say about it?) Gather other biblical passages, promises, and historical examples.
I find it helpful to write as I meditate. It slows down my mind and keeps me engaged.
Below is one part of my meditation on the “divisions” of Christ’s love. I simply considered, “what different facets might I find of Christ’s love and how do the Scriptures help me understand it?” I meditated on Christ’s love as our brother.
Christ’s love for us is the love of a brother (Heb 2:10-18). Prior to the cross, Jesus regarded the disciples as servants and then friends (John 15:15). Upon His resurrection, Jesus said to Mary Magdalene, “…go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and to your Father…” (John 20:17). There is an intimacy and kinship unique to those who have the same parents. We share a Father with the Lord Jesus. Therefore, He regards us with the unique closeness, the kinship of a brother.
Yet, Christ is unlike most earthly brothers. We are conceived in rivalry and selfishness. Accordingly, even with our brothers and sisters we are loathe to share what is rightfully ours. Conversely, Jesus is eager to share with His brothers all that is His, up to and including His very own glory (John 17:22; cf 16:15). To those who conquer, He promises they will sit with Him on His throne (Rev 3:21). Astonishingly, He would share with them also His name (Rev 3:12).
He is eager to share even though He is clearly the older, superior brother. He is worshiped by angels (Heb 1:6). The best of us are not worthy even to untie His sandals (Matt 11:11; John 1:27). Yet, Jesus is the antithesis of the older son/brother in the parable of the prodigal (Luke 15:11-32). He does not begrudge the returning son anything that is His, but gladly shares all with him.
Jesus’ love is all the more striking because He is the only begotten of the Father (John 1:14; 3:16, 18). He is utterly unique, God’s only natural son, as it were. Any brothers and sisters Christ would have must be adopted. Therefore, anything and everything Christ’s siblings would enjoy from the Father is not by virtue of birth but grace (John 1:12-13). Further, all that they might enjoy was first rightly only Christ’s. All the blessings of sonship rightly belong only to Jesus. The love of the Father, the glory of heaven, the pleasures of holiness—these all and much more belong to the only begotten of God.
All of these, which could have remained His alone eternally, He shares with adopted sons and daughters, brothers and sisters.
In His sharing all, Jesus expresses no sense of regret or loss to Himself, but only joy (Heb 12:2). Even that joy He would share with His brothers and sisters (John 15:11). As a brother who dearly loves His family, Jesus desires to be with us always (John 17:24). To that end, He has gone to prepare a place for us in the Father’s house; He will return Himself to deliver us there that we might always be together (John 14:2-3).
Christ’s brotherly love is shown in that He not only shares what belongs to Him, but He shares Himself. He does this in two senses.
First, His incarnation—His taking on human flesh, living perfectly, dying atoningly, rising triumphantly, and ascending to the Father—is the gift of Himself in bringing many sons to the Father (Eph 1:5; Phil 2:5-11). We might say the adoption fee that made us children of God and siblings of Christ was the life and death of Christ.
Second, His union with the saints—He shares all His blessings with His brothers and sisters by joining Himself to them. All the blessings in the heavenly places come not with Christ but in Christ (Eph 1:3). Indeed, to know Him is to have eternal life (John 17:3). He gives us what is His by giving Himself.
This is meditation is on but one aspect of the love of Christ. One could meditate similarly on other aspects: Christ’s love as a shepherd; Christ’s love as a friend; Christ’s love as a prophet, a priest, a king…
Such meditations are tremendously valuable in that they enflame our love for Him. What a miracle of miracles, what a blessing of blessings that nothing in heaven or on earth, no created things will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!
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