Surprised by His Love

In a Sunday Bible study session at a small Church in Piazza, the center of Addis Ababa, an Ethiopian Bible teacher, Menelik Asfaw, was vehemently expounding the preeminence of Love. It has been quite a while, about fifteen years ago, but I still remember his teachings quite vividly. He taught from the 13th chapter of Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians. I remember him drawing zeros for every attribute the apostle Paul described between verses one and three, beginning with the word: "IF." That is,

"If I speak in the tongues of men (0) and of angels (0) but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers (0), and understand all mysteries (0) and all knowledge (0), and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains (0), but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have (0), and if I deliver up my body to be burned (0) but have not love, I gain nothing."

I remember him adding zeros after zeros on the blackboard before the Sunday Bible class. That is to show his students that all the language proficiency, prophetic power, understanding of mysteries and knowledge, possession of great faith and charity, and sacrifice one could have without love amounts to nothing.

0+0+0+0+0+0+0+0 = 0.

All that one can be and all that one can do amounts to zero if there is no love in it. As a Christian, the norm by which God wants us to measure our faith and practice is none other than by the Bible, His word. Just as Menelik Asfaw thought, love has preeminence above any other virtue or act in a Christian’s life according to the Bible (1 Corinthians 13 ESV).

The virtue the Lord Jesus Christ wishes his disciples to be recognized for is their love for one another. He said in John 13:35 ESV that,

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

And therefore, He commanded them that they love one another (John 15:17). However, the Lord did not stop there. By further instructing His disciples to love even their enemies, Jesus displayed the character of the new faith He was inaugurating to the world. Look at the following Scripture verses;

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?" (Matthew 5:43-46 ESV)

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. (Luke 6:27-35 ESV)

Anyone who has experienced Jesus' love finds it undemanding to love others. When you and I understand the love of God, which He poured into our hearts in spite of our rebellions and shortcomings, then we are able to love our neighbor who inflicted pain upon us. Emulating Jesus' own life, as He Himself loved His enemies, is the key to learning how to love others. Check out the following segments of Scripture to learn Jesus' love for His enemies:

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!" (Luke 13:34 ESV),

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." (Romans 5:6-10 ESV),

I believe all of our Christian experience has to do with love. God loved us, and He sent His beloved son into the world to pay for the penalty of our sins(John 3:16 ESV). As a result, we're reconciled with God (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV), and knowing the fact that the Almighty loves us, now we love Him (1 John 4:19 ESV) and willingly comply with His commandments to love Him and others:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”(Matthew 22: 36-40 ESV)

"Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." (Romans 13:8)

I don't know about you, but I'm surprised by Jesus' love for me. According to Romans 5:6-11 ESV:-

1. While I was still weak,

2. While I was still a sinner and

3. While I was God's enemy, Christ died for the ungodly me; God has shown his love for me, and I'm reconciled to God by the death of His Son.

I know He did this for me neither because of what I've done nor what I'd do in the future, but by the grace of God, I am what I am. (1 Corinthians 15:10 ESV). Paul emphasized the fact that we're saved not of our doings but because of God's grace and mercy. He wrote to the Ephesian Christians in 2:8,9:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

For Timothy: on 2 Timothy 1:9 ESV:

"who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began"

And again to Titus in 3:5,6 ESV:

"he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior"

I'm surprised to know that the Lord Jesus loves me. Had it not been for his love and mercy, my life would be void and meaningless. But now that He is my Lord and Saviour, I have got a purpose in life. Everything fell into place. Even my uncertainties and questions have answers because of Him. Jesus decorated my life. When I begin to understand the extent of his love, I'm more surprised than ever. How could He do this? Wow! The love of the righteous for the wretched; the almighty for the impotent; The omniscient for the fool? You can not find all of these anywhere but in Jesus.

I'm surprised to find myself befriended by Jesus. In the upper room, at the last supper, Jesus to his disciples and by extrapolatory application to all come to believe in him said,

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another" John 15:13-17 ESV

Who am I to be called a friend by Jesus? He did all this and more out of his Godly love, and I'm eternally grateful to Him.

According to Ephesians, because of Him, I'm no longer a stranger and alien to the covenants of promise, but I'm a fellow citizen with the saints and members of the household of God built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.

1st Peter 1:9 and 10 ESV also tells me: I'm part of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a member of people for his own possession, that I may proclaim the excellencies of him who called me out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once I was not among the people, but now I'm part of God’s people; once I had not received mercy, but now I have received mercy.

What he has done for me is priceless. Jesus taught in Matthew 16:26-28 ESV that Without salvation for our souls, all of our lives labor and toil amounts to nothing, and to merit salvation for our souls, there is absolutely nothing that one possibly can do. But He did it all for us. He accomplished it in our stead. Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Jesus!

All I can do now is love you back and worship you. I understand that I no longer live for myself and die for myself. Your word instructs me that as long as I live, I live to you, Lord, and if I die, I die to you, my God. So then, whether I live or die, I am yours, Lord (Romans 14:7-9; 2 Corinthians 5:14,15).