Greetings in the love of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who laid down His life for the salvation of souls. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13.) And that is exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ did, that His beloved might have life. Alleluia! Hallelujah!
But even with such profound love with and for which He came, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not" (John 1:11), even though "All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made." (John 1:3.) For Jesus Christ is the WORD. And "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. ...And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, ...full of grace and truth." (John 1:1-2,14a-b,e.)
And "as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13.)
And that is the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Yet still, "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not." (John 1:10-11.)
Is that not as it has always been with man? God, the Creator of all that ever was and shall be, even all that now is, has called out to reprove the apostasies of His created. But God has said, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways". (Jeremiah 17:9-10c.) Therefore let all heed the Lord's warning of final recompense: "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." (Revelation 22:12-13.)
And thus did God give those who will believe a way of redemption. But why would God do such a thing for so wicked a creature? It is in the profundities of His love. Indeed, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:16-17.)
But not only so, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us". (1_John 3:16a-b.) As Jesus, "Who, being in the form of God, ...and was made in the likeness of men", said even before He laid down His life in such love, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (Philippians 2:6a-b,7c, John 15:13.)
"For the Lord is not slack... but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2_Peter 3:9[a],c-e.)
© March 4, 1997, The Standard Bearer
P.O. Box 765, O.O.B., ME 04064
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