Ephesians 5:2

Here we have. second argument urged, to walk in love one with and one towards another, drawn from the example of Christ; he also, as well as God the Father, hath loved us; and the instance given of his love, is the highest that ever was or can be given: He gave himself for us, an offering, and. sacrifice to God for. sweet-smelling savour.

Observe here, 1. The great duty of the law: Walk in love. This implies the exercise of this grace, not barely to have it in the principle and habit, but to exercise and exert it in the act; and it implies the universal exercise of grace; whatever we do both to God and man, must be done in love, Let all your deeds be done with charity. 1 Corinthians 16:14

Observe, 2. As the great duty of the law, to walk in love, so the great pattern of the gospel, as Christ also hath loved us. The particle as hath first the force of an argument, and is as much as because Christ hath loved us; and it has also the force of. rule to direct us in the manner how we should love one another, with an as of identity, but not equality: not with the same degree, but with the same kind, of love wherewith Christ hath loved us.

But why hath, rather than doth love us? Why in the past, rather than in the present, tense?

Ans. To denote both the priority of Christ's love; that he loved us before we loved him; yea, before we loved ourselves; nay, before we had any being in the world, we had. being in his love, even from all eternity. And also to denote the indubitable certainty of his love: He hath loved you; you need not doubt it, nor question it; he hath given actual and undeniable proofs of it; follow him from heaven to earth, and from earth to heaven again, and you will find every step he took to have been in love: Walk then in love, as Christ also hath loved us.

Learn hence, 1. That our Lord Jesus Christ hath given an ample and full demonstration of his great and wonderful love unto his church and people.

2. That this love of Christ towards us, should not only be an argument and motive to excite and quicken us to walk in love one towards another, but also an exact rule and copy to direct and guide us in our walking.

There are some incommunicable properties in Christ's love, which we cannot imitate. As his love was an eternal love, an infinite love,. free love, without motive, and in despite of obstacles,. redeeming love; such cannot our love be one to another; but as Christ's love was an operative love,. beneficent love,. preventive love,. soul love,. constant love: thus we are to imitate it, and walk in love one towards another.

Observe, 3. The high instance and expression which Christ has given of his love unto us: He gave himself for us,. sacrifice unto God,. c.

He gave; now gifts are expressions of love; he gave himself, that is more than if he had given all the angels in heaven, and all the treasures on earth, for us, more than the whole world, yea, than ten thousand worlds: he gave himself an offering and. sacrifice,. voluntary sacrifice,. meritorious, efficacious, expiatory, and propitiatory sacrifice, and this for us, to be stuck, and bleed to death in our stead. And he gave himself. sacrifice to God, as an injured and offended God; to God, as. revenger of sin; to God, as the asserter of his truth in the threatenings; he appeared before God as sitting upon. seat of justice, that he might open to us. throne of grace.

Lastly, For. sweet-smelling savour, that is, he gave himself with an intention to be accepted, and God received him with. choice acceptation. Our sin had sent up. very ill savour to heaven, which disturbed the rest of God: Christ expels this ill scent, by the perfume of his precious blood.

Learn hence, 1. That the sacrifice and sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ were very free and voluntary: he offered himself, and his offering was. free-will offering.

Learn, 2. That this voluntary sacrifice and free-will offering of Christ, was acceptable to God, because. complete satisfaction for sin's wrong; and efficacious for us, because. discharge from the obligation of sin's guilt.