THE LOVE OF CHRIST CONSTRAINETH US

2 Cor 5:14-15
14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which
died for them, and rose again.

[For the love of Christ constraineth us] We have the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, and this causes us to
love God intensely, and to love and labour for the salvation of men. And it is the effect produced by this love
which sunechei heemas, bears us away with itself, which causes us to love after the similitude of that love by
which we are influenced; and as God so loved the world as to give his Son for it, and as Christ so loved the
world as to pour out his life for it, so we, influenced by the very same love, desire to spend and be spent for the
glory of God, and the salvation of immortal souls. By the fear of God the apostles endeavoured to persuade and
convince men, and the love of Christ constrained them so to act.
(from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights
reserved.)
I. e., we get carried away by the love of Christ. More so a liberation than a restraint.

1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and
knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

I. THE LOVE OF CHRIST PRODUCES MONUMENTAL CHANGES IN PEOPLE.

A. Paul was changed from a persecutor to a promoter of the church.
1. Acts 22:12-16
12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up
upon him.
14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just
One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
6 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

2. Gal 1:13-17
13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I
persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
14 And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly
zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh
and blood:
17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned
again unto Damascus.

B. The Philippian jailer was radically changed.

1. Acts 16:27-34
27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his
sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
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31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his,
straightway.
34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with
all his house.

II. THE LOVE OF CHRIST CONSTRAINS US TO TURN AWAY FROM THE FLESH.
A. The flesh is crucified and buried.
1. Gal 5:24-25 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we
live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

2. Rom 6:3-4 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his
death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

B. We yield ourselves to God, not to the flesh.

1. Rom 6:12-18
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as
those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey;
whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine
which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

2. Gal 6:7-10
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the
Spirit reap life everlasting.
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the
household of faith.

III. THE LOVE OF CHRIST CONSTRAINS US TO BECOME NEW CREATIONS.

A. He died to make us new.
1. Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship , created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath
before ordained that we should walk in them.

2. Eph 4:22-24
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful
lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

B. We become new creations in Christ.

1. 2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new.
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IV. THE LOVE OF CHRIST CONSTRAINS US TO MAKE SACRIFICES.

A. Like the churches of Macedonia.

1. 2 Cor 8:1-5
1 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;
2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the
riches of their liberality.
3 For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;
4 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the
ministering to the saints.
5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

B. Like the church in Jerusalem.

1. Acts 4:34-37
34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them,
and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had
need.
36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of
consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,
37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

2. Acts 8:1-4
1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church
which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria,
except the apostles.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed
them to prison.
4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

C. Like Epaphroditus.
1. Acts 28:16; 30-31
16 And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was
suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.
30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,
31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all
confidence, no man forbidding him.

2. Phil 2:25-30
25 Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and
fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.
26 For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick.
27 For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest
I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
28 I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the
less sorrowful.
29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation:
30 Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service
toward me.
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 D. Like Paul
1. Phil 3:4-14
4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might
trust in the flesh, I more:
5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as
touching the law, a Pharisee;
6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for
whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung , that I may win Christ,
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the
faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made
conformable unto his death;
11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend
that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are
behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

2. Rom 12:1-3
12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove
what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more
highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of
faith.

3. Rom 9:1-3
1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

LET THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST CONSTRAIN YOU.

Invitation: Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess Christ as the Son of God, Be Immersed for the remission of
sins, and then grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, remaining faithful until death.

If you are a Christian and have sinned publicly, then you are invited to remove your
separation from God by public repentance so that prayers can be offered for you.