But God demonstrates
His own love
toward us,
in that while
we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
It has been argued that immutability of God's love, the greatness and freeness of that love, His children can never be lost. This Paul argues from the point of God's love: "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things" (Romans 8:32)? It is not inconceivable that if God gave the greater thing we can be assured that He will not do less. Fact in point, He gave His Son, so will He not give us faith to receive His Son? Will He not give constancy to enable us to preserve unto the end? This love of God is so great towards His children that they cannot fail to be His objects. We cannot on our own merit obtain this love, it is gratuitous. That being so then it is not found on any attractiveness of His objects; us, just as the opening verse declares. It s by the blood of Jesus, that is, His death on the cross where His blood poured out, that our faith in that propitiation for sins is applied to His children because of His great love: "Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we hall be saved by His life" (Romans 5:9-10).
An example will well illustrate this love of God. I shall compare His love with that of parental love. A mother loves her child not because of his attractiveness, but because it is lovely. This mother love leads her to do all she can to make the child attractive and to keep it so. This love of God so mysterious inasmuch as it can be accountable to Him and not by anything of its objects, this He does by securing them in the beauty of holiness, giving graces of His Spirit. To say that God loves us for our goodness is a major mistake, this would be the Arminian view, that man has autonomous free will and because that sinner comes to love God and put their faith in God, then God will love him and give him graces and holiness. This the Bible does not teach, for we are sinners saved by grace and that not of ourselves.There is no goodness in man that would lead him to suppose that God's love is dependent somehow upon our attractivness, this goodness. We are totally depraved, all that we deserve is death, but by the mercy of God He enables and saves men according to His Sovereignty. We should look to God for our sustaining and our attractiveness for it is found in God as He applies His love to us. He will not allow us to fail, nor can Satan destroy our relationship with Him, we are made into the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore neither we or Satan can destroy this likeness which God has impressed upon our souls. God loves His children to the end, further Jesus Christ prays for them that their faith may not fail. When it is here stated that our faith can fail is not to be determined, lost. We may go through many trials, some we caused, some others caused, no matter what from where they came our salvation is secure: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time....that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it it tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory ant the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1Peter 1:3-5;7).
Finally, this we must never forget: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light:..."(1Peter 2:9). God's children have nothing to fear, we are kept by God, but we have work to do, and that work, to proclaim the Gospel in every manner, life, words, to our children, leaving no one out of our proclamation. We do not know who are elected be God, we only have the commission to take His Gospel to the word and God will draw and enable His children. Being involved in this work will lessen the chances that we must go through hard trials and fire for we will live by His Word and that Word will protect us from our evil hearts and from Satan fiery darts.
Whoever believes
that Jesus
is the Christ born
of God,
and everyone who
loves HIm
who begot also loves
Him who is
begotten of Him.
1 John 5:1
May Your Joy Be Full
Richard L. Crumb
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