Ephesians 3:19

THE LOVE OF CHRIST

‘To know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge.’

Ephesians 3:19

Well does St. Paul speak of ‘the love which passeth knowledge.’ We may go on to know more of it, but we can never know it all.

I. We ourselves would always be conscious of this love which ‘our Saviour has to us,’ but too often the sense of it grows faint; it is intermittent or seems to be suspended altogether, so that we lose the strength and joy that it cannot fail to bring when we realise it; but thank God, it comes back to us again.

II. It will help us ‘to keep ourselves in that love,’ if we will bear in mind one or two things.

(a) Let us be persuaded that the love of God is real and unchangeable for all ‘who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope which has been set before them’ in the gospel. God says to such, ‘I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.’ While we have too frequent cause to doubt our own love to Him, and must ever be ashamed when we think how poor and cold it is at its utmost, let us never grieve Him by doubting His love to us.

(b) Let it be one of the ultimate facts, one of the postulates which you must always take for granted, that Christ loves you. You are to believe it because God has revealed it, and not because of the comfort and joy which the knowledge of it may have given you in the past. Never let go your hold upon the truth that ‘God is love’; that God in Christ loves you. There you have ‘the hope of the gospel’ from which you must never let yourself ‘be moved away.’

III. The sense of God’s love will vary in the degree in which we ‘abide in Christ.’—We shall know more of it in the measure that we surrender ourselves to Him in a life of obedience to His holy will and commandment. As we abide in Him and His life flows into our being, the experience of His love to us will grow and deepen.

—Rev. F. K. Aglionby.

(SECOND OUTLINE)

LOVE A LIVING POWER

The sublimity of this chapter universally recognised. Some precious doctrinal truths are clearly stated; but the end of all doctrine is that it may transform the life. And so in closing verses Apostle dwells upon the most practical lesson of all—the love of Christ.

Text seems at first sight paradoxical; but there is a knowledge, just as there is a science, ‘falsely so called’; and the love of Christ cannot be interpreted by it.

But to the humble believing soul it may be given to know something of its breadth and depth, and length and height.

The spotless Life, the atoning Death, the triumphant Resurrection—these tell us much of His love, and His abiding Presence in His Church makes His love a living Power to-day. It is—

I. A drawing force—attracting men to God.

II. A restraining force—forbidding men to offend.

III. A constraining force—urging men on to duty, and investing it with a new beauty of character.

IV. A growing force.—When once planted in the heart it increases.

V. A continuing force.—‘Nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ.’

And then when the glory comes we shall know even as we are known.