- Overcomer Literature Trust
- Swindon
- Wiltshire
THE KINDNESS OF CALVARY.
By the Editor.
“Do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, forbearance and patience, not realising that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2 v4).
The love of God is rooted and grounded in Calvary. It was love that took our Lord Jesus Christ to the Cross for the redemption of humankind. So we must find our satisfaction and our worth only through the Cross the Calvary, on which He died. The Cross was an extravagant representation of Divine mercy and love. For anyone to die for another person’s crime is rare and unheard of in any human society. Yet, the Innocent Lamb was freely given by the Father, not only this, but He willingly gave Himself as a sin-offering for you and for me.
Calvary is a magnificent opportunity to glorify and exalt the Lamb who was slain. When we gaze in wonder at His actions for us all, we see that only pure love could have come up with an eternal plan involving dying in such a humiliating way upon a wooden Cross at the hands of the ones He had created. Let us think again on why He did this?
There are two reasons that are worth thinking about, firstly love has to give. Once the Father, Son and Holy Spirit had created a world full of those made in their image, their existence proved to be the object of their love. This love was not impassive or uncaring, nor was it lazy or immovable, no it was an active, creative and practical love, which was given to humanity. This love would have been unsatisfied to not give a good gift to His beloved, the apple of His eye. His love is rooted in the very nature and essence of God, for the Bible says “God is Love” (1 John 4 v8).
According to 1 Corinthians 13 verse 4 love is patient and kind. Nehemiah 9 verse 17 also reminds us that God is gracious and compassionate. The love of God is characterised as being merciful in the Bible. When Adam and Eve disobeyed Him and ignored His loving advice in the Garden of Eden by listening to the serpent’s voice, we see that love immediately operated in mercy. God clothed them in “garments of skin” (Genesis 3 v21) and further offered them a relationship, but this time it was no longer in a perfect sinless world for the world was now fallen. In other words, the same God but in a different world, the same love but in a different and harder situation and the same destiny of Heaven but a harder way to get there.
Secondly Christ’s amazing method of salvation had to be fulfilled at Calvary. The fallen race of Adam was in trouble, and these sinners needed a Saviour. Without a solution there was no atoning sacrifice for God’s wrath, for not only is He love, He is also just. Justice is an important aspect of His love. If love is slow to anger (Psalm 103 v8), the implication is that even love gets angry, because love does not seek its own, it looks to the needs of others. Sin is selfishness and focuses on “my wants and my desires”, at the expense of others. Love, however, looks to help others, particularly the oppressed. Therefore, love gets angry at injustice and marginalisation, we read, “You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and You listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror” (Psalm 10 v17-18).
From many Bible passages we see that God was angry at the nation of Israel for their disobedience and turning away, which led to abuses of power, idolatry, warfare, greed and sins that were unjust. He said, “they made Me jealous by what is no god and angered Me with their worthless idols” (Deuteronomy 32 v21). Yet we further read in the Old Testament that He said, “I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there My house will be rebuilt” (Zechariah 1 v16). Love must always bring justice and this was our Lord’s method to bring salvation.
Love was compelled to hang on the Cross of Calvary, to satisfy justice, to buy back those who were in slavery to sin, and to demonstrate in one final unquestionable act that God is love. The Cross was a love-letter to humanity, for no one could have died in such a way for those unknown to themselves. Yet, the Lord Jesus Christ knew us before the world began and the Father knew that in sacrificing one Son He would receive many more children. “In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what He suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters” (Hebrews 2 v10-11).
The act of supreme love demonstrated by Calvary led to, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1 v27). This is because, after Calvary each person has a chance to receive in their heart a new birth by the Holy Spirit. He confirms that love came to earth, demonstrated the Father’s will, was betrayed and tortured by the one’s He had created, the object of His love, died a physical death taking on the sins of the human race and then miraculously rose again in His glorified body.
The Lord proved that love keeps His promises, because He had foretold the events in the Old Testament and then fulfilled them on the Cross. Love’s method, the justice of the Cross, was to prove that love is faithful, giving and kind. Romans tells us that, “God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance” (2 v4).
By His Spirit I pray that we will come to Him in repentance for He alone can cleanse our hearts from dead works. He is the author and perfecter of our faith, which is rooted in the love demonstrated at Calvary, proving how much He values and loves each one of us.