Paul and the Love of Christ

To really understand someone we need to grasp what makes them tick. For example, great athletes and artists are often driven to be the best at what they do. What about Paul? What motivated him to travel, preach, and start new groups of believers? Consider these comments.

Galatians

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal 2:20)

Yes, Christ gave himself for “our sins” (Gal 1:3), but Paul’s experience with Christ was also personal—Christ “loved me and gave himself for me.” Jesus died on the cross for us corporately and he died on the cross for us individually. When our eyes are opened to Christ’s personal love for us everything changes.

Ephesians

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:14-19)

Paul desperately wanted the Ephesian believers to know the love of Christ. Hence, he petitioned the Father to strengthen them by his Holy Spirit. Only with the Spirit’s help could they know this love. But what exactly does Paul want them to know about Christ’s love? It’s  dimensions or size. Since the size surpasses knowledge, we can only grasp it with the Spirit’s power “together all the Lord’s holy people.” No individual can reach this knowledge using their intellect alone. We need the Holy Spirit and other believers. Why did Paul pray for this? Because he knew something about the immensity of Christ’s love and he wanted them to know the same thing.

2 Corinthians

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Cor 5:14-15)

Why did Paul travel all over the Roman Empire and suffer persecution for his faith? He was flogged, beaten with rods, stoned, and shipwrecked. He says, “Christ’s love compels us.” He was motivated by the love of Christ—a love that was not for him alone but “for all.” This love transforms us from living for ourselves to living for him. Paul was captivated and compelled by the love of Christ.

Romans 5

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)

“God loves you” is a common platitude, but where do we see this love demonstrated? In the death of Christ because he died for us “while we were still sinners.” He loved us while we were running away from him.

Romans 8

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:33-39)

Christ’s love for us in not merely something expressed in the past. He loves us in the present as shown by his constant intercession for us. And nothing has the power to stop his ongoing intercession of love for us.

Acts

Based on all this information, when Paul heard Christ’s voice for the first time on his way to arrest Christians, what did he hear? Here’s the account in Acts 9:

 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (vv. 3-6)

I don’t think these words were spoken with a condemning or harsh tone. I think Paul heard and experienced love. After this encounter, he was blinded for three days and he didn’t eat or drink, but he was feasting on the love of Christ—a love that drove him for the rest of his life.

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