Secure
In His Love
By Arthur J Licursi
“Who
shall separate us from the love of
Christ?” (Rom. 8:35).
Christians have been saved from the penalty for their sins for one
reason alone: because of “the
love of God, which is (manifested) in
Christ Jesus our Lord.”
It's not our love for
Him, but it's His
love for us, that saves us. It's His
love to us that Saves Us and also Keeps Us.
This realization is where we must begin the Christian life. My prayer is
that we could all have this TRUTH fixed solidly in our understanding. We
are secure in His love!
“Herein is love, not
that we loved God, but that
He (the Father) loved
us, and sent His Son to be the
propitiation (satisfaction or payment)
for (all) our sin. (1 John
4:10)
“But
God commendeth (Gk.,
synistao, proves) His Love Toward Us, in that, While We Were Yet Sinners, Christ Died For Us.” (Romans
5:8)
I must admit that early on after my salvation, I appreciated Christ, but
I didn't really "love Him." Then, after failing Him
repeatedly, I learned that "The
Law" could never make me faithful to the Lord. It was
only then that I realized a deeper knowledge that Christ
Loves for Me - No Matter What, and that Nothing Shall Ever Separate Me From His Love.
This realization of His love broke through to our heart. This
makes the sincere believer
determine, by God's continuing grace and the power of Christ's new found
life within him, to be true to Him.
Salvation
can't be said to be of God's grace (a free gift) if there's even just
one added condition that we must perform in order to be saved. Paul
wrote; "if
(salvation is) by grace,
then is it No More of Works: otherwise
Grace Is No More Grace. But if
it be of works, then is it no more grace…" (Rom
11:6).
We
can only be saved one way, which is "unconditionally."
When we teach that man is saved under the condition of faith in Christ's
cross PLUS
just this or that one thing, then we are teaching salvation by works of
"the Law," which is NOT
GRACE AT ALL.
"For
By Grace Are Ye Saved Through Faith;
and that Not of Yourselves:
It Is The Gift Of God:
9 Not
Of Works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians
2:8-9)
Paul's
"gospel of the grace of
God," settles the Sin
issue and provides believers eternal security in Christ.
Some accuse us as pure grace
believers, saying this kind of teaching will only make Christians careless.
They don't understand the greatest motivator in ones heart is to know
and receive His unconditional love, which moves our hearts to love Him
and walk with Him. Yes we may still sin, but under "the
gospel of the grace of God" for today our occasional
sinning after believing cannot "separate
us from the love of God." He has committed Himself
to us unconditionally
by literally placing Christ's "Spirit
of life" into our "spirit,"
making us "one spirit (with
Him)" (1Cor 6:17),
and He will never leave us.
Paul's
words here answers this accusation, that grace causes carelessness. "For THE LOVE OF CHRIST CONSTRAINETH
(COMPELS) US; … (so)
that They Which Live Should Not Henceforth Live Unto Themselves, 0
which died for them, and rose again. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)
Paul
wrote this below to the Galatians who had been tempted, by certain
"false brethren" from the
Jerusalem
church, to give up their liberty and go under the
Israel
's "Law." "Christ
Is Become Of No Effect
(no benefit) Unto You,
whosoever of you (think you) are justified by the law; ye
are Fallen From Grace. (Galatians
5:4)
The doctrine of the believer's eternal security in Christ's love by no
means leads to careless living. On the contrary, it affords the greatest
possible motivation to "live
soberly, righteously and godly in this present world" (Titus
2:11-12). We are motivated and held only by the bands of His
love toward us... constraining our hearts. "We
love Him because…He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).
