THE MATCHLESS LOVE OF GOD

By Charles N. Spence, Jr.

Romans 5:12 teaches, "Through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned." The one man referred to in the passage is Adam. In Genesis 3 is found the event that altered the course of human history. Adam and Eve, after eating the forbidden fruit, died as promised in Genesis 2:17. Although Adam and Eve did not die physically on the day that they ate from the tree, they did die spiritually, however. The garden, which represents the dwelling place of God, could no longer be the home of Adam and Eve. God, whose nature could not allow sinful man to come in his presence, drove man out of the garden (Gen. 3:24). By this act we understand what spiritual death is. Sin separates man from God (Isa. 59:2).

From Genesis 3-11 one can see that the progressiveness of sin resulted in further alienation from God. At one point God was sorry that He had made man and sought to blot mankind out of existence (Gen. 6:6-7). Although God had brought the flood upon the earth wiping out all of mankind save Noah and his family, man continued to sin, (Gen. 9:20-27). Thus, sin is reoccurring and universal, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23).

Man was and still is deserving of nothing more than death, "For the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). God could have wiped man out at any time. But just as sin spanned the ages, God's love spanned the ages even more. "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for a good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:6-8). God did not look down upon mankind saying, "Look how wonderful they are. Let Me do something nice for them." He saw how pathetic man was and reacted to it.

God loved mankind in a way that could not be expressed in words. God's love was such that it had to be demonstrated. He demonstrated his love by sending His son to die. "God SO loved the world that He gave His only begotten son" (John 3:16). Who in this world would allow his child to die so that others might live? The question is tough enough. But when asked if one would sacrifice his or her child for ungodly, undeserving and pathetic people, what would the answer be?

For the reasons previously mentioned one must consider God's incomparable love to be truly awesome. After all, man loves God because God first loved man, (1 John 4:19). Do you love God enough to do all that He commands (John 14:15)?