"For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died" (2 Cor. 5:11–15).
In defending his motives for ministry, Paul expounds on the two main principles of true religion. The first is that Christians fear the Lord, which means they have a reverence and godly fear toward His holy and righteous character: “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 1:7); “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ” (Eph. 5:21).
The second principle is the love of Christ. The love of Christ controls the Christian’s life, all his actions both in ministerial and worldly responsibilities.
“It is not benevolence which makes a man a Christian, for then all philanthropists would be Christians,” Hodge wrote. “Nor is it mere piety, in the sense of reverence for God, which makes a man a Christian, for then all devout Muslims and Jews would be Christians. Morality does not make us religious, but religion makes us moral. In like manner benevolence and piety (in a wide sense) do not make men Christians, but Christianity makes them benevolent and devout. A Christian is one who recognizes Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, as God manifested in the flesh, loving us and dying for our redemption; and who is so affected by a sense of love of this incarnate God as to be constrained to make the will of Christ the rule of his obedience, and the glory of Christ the great end for which he lives.”
Paul teaches in this passage that the love of Christ is what constitutes a true believer. The Christian is the person who is so constrained by the love of Christ that he consecrates his life to Him. The Christian lives for the One who died for him and because He died for him. “He only is a Christian who lives for Christ,” Hodge explains. “Many persons think they can be Christians on easier terms than these. They think it is enough to trust in Christ while they do not live for Him. But the Bible teaches us that if we are partakers of Christ’s death, we are also partakers of His life; if we have any such appreciation for His love in dying for us as to lead us to confide in the merit of His death, we shall be constrained to consecrate our lives to His service. And this is the only evidence of the genuineness of our faith.”
Read Deuteronomy 10:12–13; 11:1, 13. What should be the motivating principle of your life and your service to God? Spend some time thinking about the love of God and the motivations of your own heart. A helpful book to read on this subject is The True Christian’s Love to the Unseen Christ by Thomas Vincent.
