“Loving like God” is another way of putting something Jesus said: “As I have loved you…”

Romans 5 is perhaps the clearest statement in the scripture as to just how he loved us. Elsewhere we are told, “This is how we know what love is, Jesus Christ laid down his life for us…”.  Romans 5 tells us under what circumstances He did that:

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” Verses 6-10 

Jesus Christ laid down His life for his enemies. That’s the measureless love of God. Before His death He made a statement about the greatest love known to man up to the point of His death.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  John 15:13 

Viewed from the language of a patent examiner, that would be called “the state of the art.” That was “as good as it gets” before Jesus laid down His life.  Jesus redefined love at the cross. Anything short of this redefined love is unworkable, and unsatisfactory for building His Church.

-Reposted article, by Jay Ferris