“But God commendeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)
LIGHT FOR THE NOW: Jesus is the gift of God’s love.
The love of God is revealed in the person of Jesus; meaning that knowing the person of Jesus means knowing God’s love because he is God’s love unveiled. Brother Paul in Romans 8:32 shed more light on this fact, it reads “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” So, Jesus was given up for us all. Hence, he is the gift of God’s love. When did God love us? While we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8). Now, if God loved us while we were yet sinners, if his love was his intent or plan before time began, when time began and after time began; then we can safely say that the death of Jesus was not a reaction to man’s sin (historically, Adam in Eden), rather the death of Jesus was the plan before man sinned. Meaning, salvation was not an afterthought, salvation was the thought even before man ever thought of disobeying God’s instruction. Revelation 13:8 lays emphasis to this fact, it reads “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world”. The phrase “slain from the foundation of the world” in Revelation 13:8 does not mean Jesus literally died from the foundation of the world; rather, that phrase in the text speaks of God’s foreknowledge. That is, in the plan, intent or foreknowledge of God, Jesus was going to be the substitute for sin. This means that the sin of man did not take God unawares, God’s plan to save man was in place before man sinned.
Hence, salvation was a pro-action. God did not plan for man to sin but God accommodated sin in his plan by his foreknowledge, so that salvation will not be God reacting to man’s sins; rather, salvation is a pro-action before man sinned. Meaning, before sin came to be, salvation had already been.
Thus, fundamentally, salvation is not just the cure for sin; salvation is the plan before man sinned (just that within this plan, sin will be cured). Therefore, one man (Adam) was the progenitor of sin but one man (Jesus) is the substitute for sin (Romans 5:12-19). Hence, before Adam was formed in Eden, the plan to save man was already in place (in Christ) even before the formation of man. Therefore, salvation in Christ preceded the fall of man; Jesus our substitute for sin preceded Adam the progenitor of sin. Hence, salvation was not a reaction but a pro-action. Therefore, God’s love in Christ revealed in the death of Jesus was the plan of God for man before the formation of the world. Thus, Jesus is the gift of God’s love; Jesus is the expression of God’s love. Jesus is God’s love dispensed; the disposition of God’s love is seen in Christ.
INSTRUCTION: Stay in his love.
PRAYER: Thank you Lord for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for uniting me with the father in your death, burial and resurrection, in Jesus name, Amen!
FOR MORE LIGHT, get the message ‘The Love of God’
QUOTE: God did not plan for man to sin, but God included the sin of man in his plan, so that salvation will not be a reaction but a pro-action.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: GENESIS CHAPTER 1; EVENING: ROMANS CHAPTER 5
LIGHT FROM THE WORD 