~ by Mark Maulding
Many Christians believe that when they sin, God removes His love for them until they repent. Only then will He fully love them again. They often use their negative feelings or circumstances as a barometer to prove God’s love has been removed or diminished.
I have good news for anyone who struggles with this. The good news of Jesus Christ is that God NEVER removes His love for any of us who are in Christ when we sin. God also doesn’t add more love for us when we live righteously.
Our Abba Father’s love for us is eternally linked to the completed work of Jesus Christ through which we who believe have been united with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection:
Romans 6:1-7 (ESV) “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.”
As a result of this union, we have eternal, unbreakable fellowship with God for a few reasons. A very important one is that our forgiveness from Him is not a result of how we live; it is an exclusive result of being IN CHRIST. Paul is clear about this when it says,
Ephesians 1:7 (NIV) “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace”
Do you see where our forgiveness is found? It is found IN CHRIST, which is where we always and forever will be. Another rich truth of the gospel of grace assures us that God’s unending, unstoppable love for us is also an exclusive result of being IN CHRIST. Let’s look closely at Romans, which comforts and encourages us with these words:
Romans 8:38-39 (NIV) “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Did you notice the location of God’s love for us? We joyfully see that God the Father’s love for us is in the only place it could be. His love for us is IN CHRIST!
Our Father’s eternal love for us is based on His grace works, not our great works. When we embrace the fact that His love for us will never stop because of our sins and will never increase because of our righteous living, we will be motivated in a magnificent way. We will be motivated to obey Him and serve others, not from fear of punishment but from our focus on His unstoppable love being IN CHRIST.
Why don’t we all live loved this week because we are IN CHRIST?
Live Free In Christ,
Mark Maulding, President and Founder
www.GraceLifeInternational.com – Leading Christians Into the Life-Giving Power of God’s Grace
© Mark Maulding (But feel free to share this.)
Bestselling Author God’s Best-Kept Secret: Christianity Is Easier Than You Think – now available on AUDIO
