The Character of Christ (3): Unconditional Love/Compassion

Yet again, as we press on in this series to look at the man Jesus and His personality, we can’t but realize that He was and is a man full of love and compassion. He is an embodiment of unconditional, unfailing love. The hallmark of His character is love. He, through whom and for whom all things were created, came to die for us (mankind) because He loved us so much. He laid down His life for us even while we were yet sinners (Rom 5:8). He did not wait until we started behaving well or did nice things for Him before He chose to die. Even while we spat on Him, mocked Him, flogged Him, and tortured Him, He still chose to die on the cross to pay for our sins and redeem us. He was an epitome of unconditional love.

A study of the gospels clearly shows that while He was physically on the earth, it was love and compassion that moved Him to perform the countless miracles He did. It wasn't because He wanted to draw attention to Himself or show off. It was all about love. When he decided to go to a solitary place by boat to get some rest with His disciples, and the people ran ahead of Him by foot; instead of sending them away or ignoring them, He had compassion and took care of them. The bible records that after He stepped off the boat and saw the great multitude He was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd, so He began to teach them many things (Mark 6:34) and healed their sick (Matt.14.14) and in the evening of the same day when they were hungry He fed them all, five thousand men with five loaves of bread and two fishes. He saw that the people were sick and lost and He was moved with compassion to teach them the truth and heal them. He was propelled by love and compassion; He sacrificed and denied Himself for the sake of others. He was full of love.

Even when He raised the dead, it was love and compassion that propelled Him. The scriptures make us understand that when He drew near to the gate of the city of Nain and saw the dead body of the only son of a widow being carried out, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” So the widow’s son who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother (Luke 7:11-15). Also, when He heard that Lazarus had died, the bible records that Jesus wept and the Jews who were around seeing Him weeping said, “Behold how He loved him!” (John 11.35-36), then He raised Lazarus from the dead. The basis of everything He did and does is love, every one of His words and actions were and are laced with compassion.

Again, on his way out of Jericho, hearing two blind men crying out to Him, the bible records that He was moved with compassion and touched their eyes; and immediately they received their sight, and followed Him (Matt. 20:34). Also, it was recorded in Mark 1:40-42, "Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand, touched him, and said to him, “I am willing, be cleansed." 

Without doubt, Jesus genuinely walked in love while He lived as a man on the earth and it's His undying relentless unconditional love that still keeps Him knocking at the door of our hearts till today even when we keep rejecting Him over and over. He keeps on saying "Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man hears me and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him and he with Me" (Rev 3:20). He loves each and every single one of us too much to allow us perish. Oh! How He loves us. 

Friends, as followers of Christ, we ought to be an embodiment of His love and love others as He loved us, just as He commanded in John 13:34-35, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another." Let us examine our hearts. Do you genuinely love others? Do you show love only when you hope to receive something in return? Do you show love only to those who are in your good books? Do you love only those who are easily lovable? Do you love others only in your words or do you actually show love by your actions? Do you have the material things of this world yet you show no compassion to those in need (1 John 3:17-18)? Do you know the truth of the gospel yet keep quiet without sharing it with all those that are heading for destruction all around you? What exactly are you doing for others in love? What sacrifice are you making for others? Does the love of God really abide in you? 

It is sad to say that love has been given different definitions over the cetnuries. Love has been colored to suit the selfish desires and ambitions of men hence it is essential that we know the kind of love we are referring to. This is God’s definition of love: love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and keeps no record of wrongs. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. (1 Cor. 13:4-6)

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1 John 4:7-8)

Oh Lord, transform us into your likeness, help us to be full of compassion and love for others like you! Amen.

The Character of Jesus (2): Complete Focus on His Divine Assignment

As we continue in this series to study the scriptures in order to clearly see the character, behavior and mindset of our Lord Jesus so that we can be conformed to His example and walk in His steps (1 John 2:6), we find that another aspect of His character that was very glaring while He walked as a man on the earth was His total unwavering dedication to the divine assignment He was sent by the Father to accomplish.

Right from His youth, growing up in Nazareth, He knew what His purpose in life was all about and He faced it squarely. He was never confused about what His life was about. When His parents were looking for Him after the Passover Feast in Jerusalem, not knowing that He stayed back in the temple discussing with the Rabbis, He told them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49)

He didn’t for once allow Himself get carried away or distracted by the crowd. His focus was to complete the mission for which He was sent. That's why He said in John 9:4, "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day, the night is coming when no one can work." He had no time for irrelevant things. He went on to say, “Behold, I have come - In the volume of the book it is written of Me - to do Your will, O God” (Heb 10:7). 

In John 6:15, after Jesus had fed the five thousand men, the bible records that He perceived that they wanted to make Him king by force. Instead of taking advantage of such a great opportunity for prestige, fame, and enjoyment, He decided to choose the cross! His priority and focus was to do the will of His Father not the will of men and that was to die on the cross for the salvation of mankind not to be crowned by men. Indeed for this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).

Even when the devil came to tempt Him promising to give Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory if only He would bow to him (devil), He didn’t bulge. (Matt. 4:8-10). He stood His ground, His gaze was fixed on the heavenly mandate upon Him. He did not allow the things of this world to entice Him and shift His focus.

Jesus knew the will of God for His life and so He boldly declared as recorded in John 6:38-40, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” And then He went on to say, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Furthermore, He was not half-hearted or lackadaisical/nonchalant in His commitment to fulfilling God’s purpose for His life. He didn’t have one leg in and one leg out. He didn’t try to manage His time between fulfilling God’s will for His life and chasing His own selfish ambition/dream. He was completely resolute in sticking to that which He was sent to do. He did not permit any distractions. He threw Himself in fully to carrying out God’s call on His life with complete zeal.

He wasn’t ready to compromise the completion of His assignment in any way. In Mark 1:37-38 instead of choosing to stay with his disciples at Capernaum, as they expected He would, since they had a great reception there and there were lots of miracles, Jesus said, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth." He didn't comprise the mission for the sake of His own convenience. He went all about doing good, healing the sick, opening blind eyes, casting out demons, delivering the oppressed, and preaching the good news as it had been written of Him by Prophet Isaiah (Luke 4:18). Also, when Peter began to rebuke Him after He told them about His imminent crucifixion and resurrection, He said, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Matt. 16:23). No matter the scheme the devil tried to use in distracting Him from His mission, He remained focused and little wonder why He could say to God at the end of the day that, “I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” (John17:4)

My friends, the Lord has also sent each and everyone of us into the world just as the Father sent Him (John 17:18). Each one of us has a specific mission and purpose to fulfill in this world. We are not here on earth just to occupy space, we are not here to play and gallivant around, we are not here to live for ourselves and die. We all have been sent by God to do something for Him not for ourselves. We all have a specific portion of God’s work on the face of the earth that has been assigned to us even before we were born. Have you sought the Lord to discover God’s purpose for your life? Are you living for yourself, chasing your own dreams? Has the devil succeeded in diverting your focus from God-given assignment? When your life is about to end will you be able to boldly say like Paul the Apostle, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith?” (2 Tim 4:7)

Oh Lord, transform us into your likeness, help us to be completely focused on our divine assignment like you! Amen.

The Character of Jesus (1): Other-Centeredness

Jesus said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me (Luke 9:23). In the Gospels, Jesus' command for us to follow Him appears repeatedly and following Jesus means obeying His word, going where He leads, learning to be like Him, walking in His steps, and conforming to His example. In the same vein the Apostle John said, “whoever says he abides in Him (Christ) ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.” (1 John 2:6)

Now, in order to walk the way He walked and be conformed to His example, we need to examine Him closely through the scriptures so as to discover how He handled different situations, how He lived as a man here on earth, His attitude, His lifestyle and His character. As we begin this study of His life, it won’t take long to realize that, at the center of Christ’s personality is His other-centeredness, a genuine care for others, which is the direct opposite of self-centeredness or selfishness. 

The greatest example of other-centeredness is seen in the life of Christ. Here is the King of Kings (1 Tim 6:15), the begotten son of God who left His heavenly throne to come and dwell with sinful men. Mankind was lost in sin and at enmity with God. In order to make things right and reconcile men back to God He left His heavenly glory and came to the earth to be an example and a scape goat, who was mocked and brutalized. He wasn’t self focused, He had the power to create wealth in order to buy as many horses as He wanted, to dwell in the best of houses but He didn't use His power to do any of these, rather He channeled all that power and authority to preach, teach, heal, deliver, reconcile men back to God and destroy the works of darkness.

The bible says in 1 Cor. 10:24 "Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being". This was exactly what Jesus did throughout his days on earth and even right now in heaven because He is before the Father advocating for us (1 John 2:1). Another example of how Jesus embodied selflessness was when He met the Samaritan woman by the well. The bible records that he was tired and his disciples went into the city to get food. Jesus had the right to rest, to lay His head down and take a nap but He gave up that right to minister and bring salvation not only to the woman but also to the entire town.

Finally, the highest point where we can clearly see Jesus’ other-centeredness while He walked here on earth was at the cross. A medical analysis of death by crucifixion asserts that the nailing of hands and the feet would have forced Him to push up against the weight of his own body to take a single breath. So Jesus couldn’t talk much while He was hanging on the cross, and the few statements He made had to be extremely important for Him to have gone through the pain and agony of uttering them. Four out of the seven statements Jesus made on the cross were totally about others. He wasn’t busy complaining about His pain. He wasn’t self-centered.

His first statement on the cross was His prayer for the very people who killed Him: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). That was astounding! Then His second statement was His response to one of the thieves that was crucified along with Him who said to Him “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” and Jesus replied "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:42-43). Thirdly, in order to ensure Mary, His mother would be taken care of after He was gone, He said to his mother "Woman, behold your son!” and said to John, “Behold your mother!" (John 19:26-27). Then, before His final words on the cross, He made that famous announcement which marked a new day in the history of mankind: "It is finished" (John 19:30). The victory was won over sin, flesh, satan and death. The price of our redemption was paid in full. We were set free. Halleluiah!

My friends, let us examine ourselves and learn of Him. Are you absorbed in selfish ambition? Are you self-focused and immersed in selfishness? Are you always thinking about yourself and seeking your own interest without considering the well being of others? What are you doing for the good of others? Let us choose to walk in His steps, let us choose to be other-centered. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. (Phil 2:4)

Oh God, transform us into your likeness, help us to be selfless like you! Amen.

THE OLD CROSS AND THE NEW

Written by A.W. Tozer

ALL UNANNOUNCED AND MOSTLY UNDETECTED there has come in modern times a new cross into popular evangelical circles. It is like the old cross, but different: the likenesses are superficial; the differences, fundamental.

From this new cross has sprung a new philosophy of the Christian life, and from that new philosophy has come a new evangelical technique—a new type of meeting and a new kind of preaching. This new evangelism employs the same language as the old, but its content is not the same and its emphasis not as before.

The old cross would have no truck with the world. For Adam's proud flesh it meant the end of the journey. It carried into effect the sentence imposed by the law of Sinai. The new cross is not opposed to the human race; rather, it is a friendly pal and, if understood aright, it is the source of oceans of good clean fun and innocent enjoyment. It lets Adam live without interference. His life motivation is unchanged; he still lives for his own pleasure, only now he takes delight in singing choruses and watching religious movies instead of singing bawdy songs and drinking hard liquor. The accent is still on enjoyment, though the fun is now on a higher plane morally if not intellectually.

The new cross encourages a new and entirely different evangelistic approach. The evangelist does not demand abnegation of the old life before a new life can be received. He preaches not contrasts but similarities. He seeks to key into public interest by showing that Christianity makes no unpleasant demands; rather, it offers the same thing the world does, only on a higher level. Whatever the sin-mad world happens to be clamoring after at the moment is cleverly shown to be the very thing the gospel offers, only the religious product is better.

The new cross does not slay the sinner, it redirects him. It gears him into a cleaner and jollier way of living and saves his self-respect. To the self-assertive it says, "Come and assert yourself for Christ." To the egotist it says, "Come and do your boasting in the Lord." To the thrillseeker it says, "Come and enjoy the thrill of Christian fellowship." The Christian message is slanted in the direction of the current vogue in order to make it acceptable to the public.

The philosophy back of this kind of thing may be sincere but its sincerity does not save it from being false. It is false because it is blind. It misses completely the whole meaning of the cross.

The old cross is a symbol of death. It stands for the abrupt, violent end of a human being. The man in Roman times who took up his cross and started down the road had already said good-by to his friends, He was not coming back. He was going out to have it ended. The cross made no compromise, modified nothing, spared nothing; it slew all of the man, completely and for good. It did not try to keep on good terms with its victim. It struck cruel and hard, and when it had finished its work, the man was no more.

The race of Adam is under death sentence. There is no commutation and no escape. God cannot approve any of the fruits of sin, however innocent they may appear or beautiful to the eyes of men. God salvages the individual by liquidating him and then raising him again to newness of life.

That evangelism which draws friendly parallels between the ways of God and the ways of men is false to the Bible and cruel to the souls of its hearers. The faith of Christ does not parallel the world, it intersects it. In coming to Christ we do not bring our old life up onto a higher plane; we leave it at the cross. The corn of wheat must fall into the ground and die.

We who preach the gospel must not think of ourselves as public relations agents sent to establish good will between Christ and the world. We must not imagine ourselves commissioned to make Christ acceptable to big business, the press, the world of sports or modern education. We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum.

God offers life, but not an improved old life. The life He offers is life out of death. It stands always on the far side of the cross. Whoever would possess it must pass under the rod. He must repudiate himself and concur in God's just sentence against him.

What does this mean to the individual, the condemned man who would find life in Christ Jesus? How can this theology be translated into life? Simply, he must repent and believe. He must forsake his sins and then go on to forsake himself. Let him cover nothing, defend nothing, excuse nothing. Let him not seek to make terms with God, but let him bow his head before the stroke of God's stern displeasure and acknowledge himself worthy to die.

Having done this let him gaze with simple trust upon the risen Saviour, and from Him will come life and rebirth and cleansing and power. The cross that ended the earthly life of Jesus now puts an end to the sinner; and the power that raised Christ from the dead now raises him to a new life along with Christ.

To any who may object to this or count it merely a narrow and private view of truth, let me say God has set His hallmark of approval upon this message from Paul's day to the present. Whether stated in these exact words or not, this has been the content of all preaching that has brought life and power to the world through the centuries. The mystics, the reformers, the revivalists have put their emphasis here, and signs and wonders and mighty operations of the Holy Ghost gave witness to God's approval.

Dare we, the heirs of such a legacy of power, tamper with the truth? Dare we with our stubby pencils erase the lines of the blueprint or alter the pattern shown us in the Mount? May God forbid. Let us preach the old cross and we will know the old power