The Power to Love

My wife and I recently watched the BBC version of War and Peace. Known as the greatest novel ever written. A movie that is based on Leo Tolstoy’s novel. And in the final scene of the movie. The two main characters – Pierre and Natasha. After years of being ignorant of their love for one another comes together by providence. And as Pierre approached Natasha to make his heart known. He looked into her eyes and asked, “Can You Love Me”? Not “I love you”. But CAN. YOU. LOVE. ME? Almost to say that, to not be loved is possible. Not only based on who he was. But also based on who she is. He may not have been her preference. And she, even if he was okay as a man. And she may have been superficial. So the question is loaded but true.

And today we see Paul’s thinking about love. Not necessarily romantic love. But a love that is far more profound. That is, the love of Christ. That Christ is the source of love, the sensibility of love, and the scope of love. Here, Paul continues his thinking about power. But this time with love in mind. And last time we saw. That power is granted to the church out of God’s riches. We also saw that power is an internal strength within the believer’s inner person. And that, power is the reason why Christ dwells within the believer more and more – the objective view of God’s power. Today, we will see the subjective side of God’s power in the believer. And that is the believer’s power to love.

Three times in the NIV. Paul uses the word “Love”. In verse 17. So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love. The believer is rooted and establish in love by power.

In verse 18. May have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. Power allows the believer to understand, comprehend and grasp the love of Christ.

Verse 19. And to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Power assist the believer to know that this love goes beyond human reason. In other words, the believer’s ability, tendency, and commitment to love comes from God’s power in Christ. Yes, there must be a general inbuild care for fellow humans that God placed in us. All people are made in the image of God. And their human dignity needs to be recognized and respected as part of God’s creation.

However, biblical and Christian love moved by power is a far richer and deeper reality and action. Than merely recognizing someone else’s fellow humaneness. Love moved by power is a kind of love. That moves us beyond being nice, superficial and having good manners. For Paul, it’s the kind of love that makes a Jew love a Gentile. Something that would have been impossible without God’s power. Paul says earlier in verse 7-8. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ. It was the power in the gospel that caused him to love the Gentiles. And here is our dilemma.

The reason we struggle to love is because we lack the power of God to love. Not lacking love. As if God’s power is not available for us to love others. Because the day you got saved. God’s power became yours and is always accessible to you in Jesus Christ. But many believers lack love. Because they depend on an artificial means of love and not on God’s power. Many people fool and therefore pride themselves thinking. That they do not need God’s power to love, because they have loving personalities naturally. But there is no such thing as a love that functions independently from God’s power. In fact, C.S Lewis says, even your niceness God gave you. The point is, real Christian love comes from God’s power, not yourself. Now Paul tells us that. Biblical, Christian and obedient love is grasping that it is only in the person of Christ alone that one can love others truly.

Notice verses 14-17a. Paul says first that God’s power is what helps the believer to have Christ dwell in their hearts by faith. Power is an internal strength. That shows the person of Christ. Now Paul says in the second part of verse 17. That his first point is that, Christ is the source of love. That the result of Christ’s dwelling by power is love. Look at verse 17. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love…So Christ is not only God’s power. He is also God’s love. This means that, it is impossible to have Christ dwell in you. That is, to call oneself a Christian, or a spirit-filled believer, or one who is regenerated from your old ways. And not be loving. Christ in you by power is the reason for love flowing out of you. Love is the root and foundation of Christ’s presence in you.

And by Christ’s presence in you. Paul means to be Christ-like. Imitating his example to love. Loving God, loving the poor, loving your neighbour, and loving your enemies. Simple put, loving God by loving others. Matthew 22:37 says, Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. Your whole person ought to be committed to love love both God and people. 1 John 4:11-12 says, Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. The way God is seen in us in Jesus is if we love. And the way people experience the completeness of his love in us is if we love. Like a tree, your rootedness in love does not only make you stand in Christ. But your rootedness in love make you produce the fruit of Christ’s love. In John 3:16 says, This is how we know what love is, Jesus Christ aid down his life for us. The source of love is the person of Christ himself.

Look at verse 18. Pau says that. And it’s our second point. That God’s power does not only make you possess love in the likeness of Christ. But Paul says that, God’s power also helps you to understand God’s love in the likeness of Christ. He says, May have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. You have power to grasp Christ’s love. Meaning, what was once incomprehensible and unthinkable is now clear. That in Christ the hateful heart can love. Paul at one point only felt hatred towards the Gentiles. But in Christ he loves them. And not only love them. But understand why he loves them. So he prays the same thing for the Ephesian church, that they will grasp.

In other words, to love as Christ loves is the first step of God’s power in you. The second is God’s power in you will also make you understand why you ought to love. This is foreign to the world. Because they have no basis for love. This is why love doesn’t make sense. Notice Paul’s answer in the rest of verse 18. To grasp how wide, and long, and high, and deep is the love of Christ. Power makes the believer grasp the all-encompassing love of Christ. You understand love not because you are so loving, or because someone else is so lovable. But you understand your love because, by power, you grasp the love of Christ – his love is wide, long, high, and deep.

This means that God’s power. Makes you realize that God placed you in a love affair with the church. One that is far greater than the love you can ever give out of yourself. And that’s Christ’s love. Because your love is narrow, his is wide. Your love is short, his is long. Your love is low, his is high. Your love is shallow, his love is deep. And we this in the passion week. When his disciples’ imperfect love failed, they deserted him. Yet, he forgave them. And when the crowds poured out hatred on him. He asked the Father to forgive them.

Notice in verse 18 again. Paul tells them the scope of love, which is our third point. Meaning, who it is that grasp that God’s power is effectually the love of Christ in them. May have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. All the Lord’s people in togetherness is suppose to grasp, understand, and comprehend the love of Christ. No one is the exception to grasp the love of Christ. This means that, if you claim to be a believer of Christ Jesus. And that God’s power is therefore in you. You ought to understand, not only to love because Christ love. But you should also realize, that no one ought to be excluded from your love. Because Christ himself loves all those who trust in him. The believer does not only love those they get along with easily. They also love those who are not so easy to love.

God’s people come in a variety of personalities, temperaments, quirks and weaknesses. These things are not necessarily sin. But it does demand a measure of patience and love from fellow believers. And even when believers do sin one against another. They are commanded to love by forgiving one another. Christ love for us is vast. So we need to grasp his love in a way that materializes in our love for all God’s people in togetherness. God expects us to love other regardless of how difficult it is. And love them with sincere Christ-like love.

So it leaves you with a question. Do you love Christ and his people? Do you even grasp Christ love for you? If you don not. Perhaps its because you do not have the power of God at work in you. To produce this kind of Christ-like love in you.  And this is why you struggle to love, and why you filled with hatred and vengeance. The Bible promises us that those who place their trust in Christ will be filled powerfully with his love.