Experiencing the love of God

Structure
(teaching) - know
(application) - ask and experience

Scriptures
Romans 5 and 8

Two weeks ago, while having bible study on the book of Romans at Austin's place,
we discussed about the experience that Paul had of the love of God so much so that
he was able to say that nothing would separate him from the love of God, not even
death. We discussed during the bible study that we have not experienced such love
of God in our lives until we were able to say what Paul said with similar faith and
conviction. We said we were missing this experience of God's love which Paul wrote
of in Romans 5 and 8. So our challenge today from Paul is are we able to say like
what he said 2000 years ago that nothing will be able to separate us from God and
His love for us. Are we able to say this convincingly and with full conviction live out
of lives in such a way?

Before we actually attempt to answer this question, perhaps we need to know first
of all what is the love of God. What is the love of God as understood in the bible? To
answer this question, we need to look at key passages in Romans 5-8. This is our
goal today. To find out how the apostle Paul describes his understanding of his
experience of the grace and the love of God in Romans 5-8.

Love, if it is not defined and understood within biblical teaching will mean different
sorts of things in our modern age. It's meaning can range from charity to the poor, to
filial piety, and even in purely sexual terms. So, we need to know how Paul
understood the love of God. He stated quite clearly the characteristics of love in 1
Corinthians 13. That is very true. However, we want to go one step further to
understand how Paul defined the love of God. And the answer is found partially in
Romans 5-8. In Romans 5:6-8, Paul has this to say about the love of God.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-though perhaps for a good person
one would dare even to die-
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The love of God is shown in the action of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. This
the Lord did while we were still sinners, while we were still His enemies, while we
still hated, mocked him and together with the Roman soldiers crucified Him in our
ignorance. How many times we mocked those who preached Christ to us while we
were still unbelievers? How many times we said the derogatory words of "kong Ye
Soo"?
In Romans 5:1, Paul says that we now have peace with God because of what Jesus
had done. This peace means that God is no longer our enemy and He would not
condemn us anymore. It is like a jail sentence that has been removed from us. We
have committed a crime worthy of life imprisonment but because of Jesus, we are
now free. It is like someone has taken the blame for us when we mess up our job. It
is like our parents taking care of us when we are in trouble even though we had
scolded or rejected them. It is like a victim who has lost his family to a drunk driver
but chooses to forgive the guilty person, and not only to forgive, but to see to his
restoration to turn away from alcoholism. It is like forgiving your political enemy
who has wrongly harmed you in all sorts of way. It is like forgiving the murderer of
your son or daughter. This is what Paul meant by God allowing Christ to die for us
while we were still sinners.

That is why we do not judge with the intent to condemn when we are wronged, no
matter how great the wrong is. That is why Paul says later in Romans 12,

17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of
all.
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written,
"Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."
20 To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him
something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head."
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

This is not being naive or stupid. This is not masochism where you love to be
wronged or suffer other people's wrongdoing. This is because we have done the
same thing to Jesus and He forgave us. More than that, He has restored us with the
hope of future blessing and He has commanded us to forgive those who do the same
thing to us, leaving it to Him to judge those who wronged us. And just as Jesus
forgave us, His enemies, to our benefit, we are to do the same for our enemies,
regardless of race, religion and political alignment. No matter how discriminated
you are, no matter how much you are ridiculed for your faith or no matter what the
political alignment your enemy belongs to, we are commanded to love them for
their benefit just as Jesus did for us. Christ died for us while we are His enemies and
God allowed this. This is God's love to us. And this is only part one.

The second part of God's love could be seen in the grace that God showers on us
after we have believed in Christ Jesus. We are commanded to obey God's law after
we have believed. But like Paul, we struggle to do what God wants us to do. Like Paul
in Romans 7, we say,

15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the
very thing I hate.
16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.
17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire
to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.

Like Paul, we cry to God for help in order to obey Him.

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.
22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,
23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and
making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

So, does God abandon us to struggle on our own knowing that we are weak and
would never be able to satisfy the righteous requirements of His law on our own
strength? It is very cruel if we see parents who do not help their children when they
are struggling with challenges in their lives. And most parents are more than eager
to help their children. That is why we have the term over protective parents. So, we
will definitely call God a cruel Father if He does not help us in our struggle because
He knows we do not have the capability and strength to overcome our sins. This is
where Paul rejoices in the grace of God that He has given us His Spirit to help us in
our weakness. To help us to think and walk in God's law. To help us to pray and call
out to God as His children. This is what Paul is saying in Romans 8.

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and
death.
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his
own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk
not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh,
but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and
peace.
7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's
law; indeed, it cannot.
8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in
you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life
because of righteousness.
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised
Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit
who dwells in you.
12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death
the deeds of the body, you will live.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have
received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"

This is the love of God, that He gives us His Spirit that we might have the strength
and capability to follow Him and be adopted as His children, to cry out to Him for
help in times of need without fear because we are His children. All parents will help
their children, how much more will God as Jesus has said. This is God's love for us
now as we learn to walk with Him in His Spirit.

Last but not least, the hope of God's glory is the last piece of the answer to the
puzzle on why Paul can say that nothing will separate him from God's love. For Paul,
God has promised something great which is the final proof of His love for us. That
promise which Paul hopes for is our final transformation into God's glorious
children. Paul says in Romans 8,

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with
the glory that is to be revealed to us.
19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who
subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain
the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of
childbirth until now.
23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes
for what he sees?
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

You see, Jesus did not die for us and the Spirit does not help us now in our
weaknesses without a purpose. God is doing this because His final act of love is to
give us His inheritance. The glorious inheritance to be transformed bodily into God's
children forever. To be with Him as His people in His new creation, a new earth. Paul
has already seen what our environmentalists are worrying about, that the entire
creation, the earth and for that matter, the universe, has fallen under a corruption
because of sin. We groaned for justice, and peace just as much as the earth is crying
for human beings to stop raping her resources. We are made to administer and
manage this earth properly, and not to abuse it for our sinful, selfish and hedonistic
way of life where the rich wastes on their surplus and the poor barely have
sufficient to survive. The economic inequality and injustice is also causing huge
environmental issues for all of us. Our world leaders struggle to tackle these
intertwined issues of politics, economics and environment whereas Paul has already
seen the answer 2000 years ago. The solution is found when God comes back to
eliminate sin completely and free us forever by giving us bodies totally uninfected
by sin, making us truly His children who are capable once and for all to restore and
manage this earth properly as how it should be. This is God's inheritance for us. This
is His ultimate act of love. This is the third part of Paul's understanding of God's love
that completes the jigsaw puzzle to form a glorious picture in the apostle's mind and
heart. This is the image of God's love which Paul is seeing when he wrote Romans.
This is the love of God that convinces Paul that he could not be separated from. I
hope that this will also be the glorious image of God's love that you will bring home
with you. And as you read through the bible, as you pray or when you struggle to
walk with God, may the Spirit use this image to warm your hearts and give you
strength to experience His great love as Paul did so that we could also say together
with the apostle that nothing will separate us from the love of God. To God be all
glory. Amen.