BULLSEYE!
ACCURATE BIBLE KNOWLEDGE!

QUESTION: “CAN YOU SHOW THE LOVE OF CHRIST TO OTHERS?”

ANSWER: “NO”

Everyone has heard about the love of Christ. It seems that it is one of those intuitive things that everybody seems to know what it is… but the opposite is true.

According to popular belief, it is something that shouldn’t have to be explained.

It seems obvious to anybody, unsaved or saved whether someone has it or not.

“Oh! He’s showing the love of Christ.”
or
“I didn’t like him at all, he was too cold or harsh. He didn’t show me the love of Christ!”

DO PEOPLE WANT THE LOVE CHRIST OR DO THEY JUST WANT TO BE LOVED?
The unsaved just want to be loved on a human level. They want to be shown kindness, respect, tenderness, care. Generally speaking, this is the love of Christ to them.

WHAT IS THE LOVE OF CHRIST?
When the love of Christ is mentioned in scripture it is associated with his death on the cross.

“Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:34-35)

“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:” (2 Corinthians 5:14 )

Furthermore, Christ so loved us that he died for all men.
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6)

WHAT IS THE LOVE OF GOD?
The love of God is found in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The love of God is that he spared not his own son (Romans 8:32) in that while we were sinners Christ died for us.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

IS THE LOVE OF GOD THE SAME AS THE LOVE OF CHRIST?
In a way – yes as Christ is God in the flesh, so when God gave us his Son, God gave us himself. God so loved us that he gave Jesus Christ. The Bible says

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…” (John 3:16)

and further

“Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

CAN WE DEMONSTRATE THE LOVE OF CHRIST?
No, but we can explain what it is to people and how they can get it. God the Father himself doesn’t demonstrate the love of Christ in that he commendeth his love toward us in the form of his Son Jesus Christ.

IS LOVING MY NEIGHBOUR THE SAME AS SHOWING SOMEONE THE LOVE OF CHRIST?
No.

CAN WE SHOW PEOPLE THE LOVE OF CHRIST WITH OUR GOOD WORKS?
No, but we show the effect of the love of Christ in our lives by our good works.

“The love of Christ constraineth us” (2 Corinthians 5:14).

Because of the love of God found in Jesus Christ our Lord, we are constrained and compelled that we should not henceforth live to ourselves. (2Co 5:15) and exhibit the works of the flesh, such as

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:” Gal 5:19

IS THE LOVE OF CHRIST THE SAME AS THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT?

No. Christ on the cross is not the same as a Christian’s behaviour.

For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;(Ephesians 5:9)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. (Galatians 5:22-24)

IS CHARITY (love between Christians) THE LOVE OF CHRIST?
No charitable works are the results and outworkings of having the love the Christ and believing on him.
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;1Co 13:4

WHAT IS THE LOVE OF CHRIST? IT IS …
1. A past historical event … it happened 2,000 years ago.
2. An external event … it happened out side of us.
3. A legal event … a written promise from God.
4. A non-experiential event … we were not involved when Christ went to the cross.

  It is something to believe and can’t be experienced …
5. A non-repeatable event … Christ died only once

THE LOVE OF CHRIST IS NOT
1. A present event as it happened 2,000 years ago
2. An internal event in the believer
3. An experiential event … we don’t experience the cross, only Christ did.
4. A repeatable event as Christ will die no more.

SO WHAT POINTS SHOULD WE EMPHASIZE TO PEOPLE WHEN TELING THEM ABOUT THE LOVE OF CHRIST?

1. God is pure and holy and without sin, and will not let sin or sinners into heaven.

2. Show that when Adam sinned we had his sin put into our accounts.

3. We sin because we are born as sinners. Our parent was Adam.

4. God’s Ten Commandments clearly show that no-one can keep his commands.

5. Use the Ten Commandments, to produce conviction of sin.

6. Not living up to one’s own standards is a sin, as the scriptures say
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. James 4:17

7. If you have broken one part of God’s law, you are as guilty as breaking them all.
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. James 2:10

8. Clear preaching on the doctrine of sin is needed leading to the conviction of the curse of the law and the wrath of God.

9. No future good behaviour can atone (pay) for past sins.

10. Nothing people can do, have done, or will do can rescue them from an eternity in hell.

11. All and any self-righteousness must be recognized … beaten down and defeated and seen as a false hope.

12. To break God’s laws is to immediately fall under the curse of it … separation from God & punishment in the flames of hell.

13. Hell is a real place.

14. There is no purgatory, reincarnation or ‘six-foot under’ – only heaven and hell.

15. God’s love in the Old Testament let the Jew sacrifice animal blood for their sins.
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Lev 17:11 .

Today, it’s the blood of Christ that washes away our sin (Rev 1:5).
16. Show that when Jesus died/rose again we can have his righteousness put into our accounts … if we believe.

17. Rev 21:8 outline the destiny for sinners.
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Revelation 21:8

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Harley Hitchcock

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