The Son of God Who Loved Me

Let us now turn to the passage that we read.

Paul's letter to the Galatians, chapter 2, and we may read again at verse 20.

Galatians 2 · chapter mention

! I have been crucified with Christ.

It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

And the life I now live in the flesh.

I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

And I'd like particularly to focus on the phrase,

the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

The letter to Galatians was written in the first instance to former recovering Pharisees,

a people who found it difficult to leave their legalism behind.

Who better to write such a letter under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit

than a recovering Pharisee himself?

The letter has been called the Magna Carta of Christian liberty.

You could say that the same verse is a declaration of independence.

Yet we know, wrote the Apostle,

that a person is not justified by works of the law,

but through faith in Jesus Christ.

Could I suggest that it is not just former Pharisees

who have a problem in leaving legalism behind?

Is it not true of the Christian believer today

that although saved by grace alone,

we do not always know how to live by grace alone?

As one commentator expressed it,

we are legalists by nature.

The letter to the Galatians challenges

many of our preconceptions

about what it means to have a right relationship with God.

So you can say that this letter

was also written for people just like us.

Whether we like to admit it or not,

there is engraven in our DNA

the principle,

do this and live,

was the principle that was engraven

in our first parents.

And it follows us

even into a state of grace.

This letter then,

speaking to us too,

the Church of Christ

at any one time

is full of recovering Pharisees

who need to receive the Gospel again

as if for the very first time.

That ought not to fill us

with anger and indignation

or resentment,

but ought to make us humbly

examine our lives

in the light of the challenging content

of this letter.

Martin Luther,

who wrote a very valuable commentary

on this letter,

tells that his liberating moment came

when he discovered

that Christianity was not about

what he had to do for God,

it was about what God

had done for him

in Jesus Christ.

In his lectures

on Galatians,

had the theme

of the free grace

of God and Christ

received by faith.

And through the writing

of Luther,

incidentally on Galatians,

John Bunyan

came to a great appreciation

of Luther.

In Bunyan's

spiritual autobiography,

grace abounding

to the chief of sinners,

he tells how he found

his condition

in Luther's experience.

And I quote,

I found, he said,

my condition

so largely

and profoundly

handled

as if his book

had been written

out of my heart.

In the chapter

we read,

Paul boldly,

fearlessly

and publicly

rebukes

the apostle Peter

for his behavior

and the example

he was setting.

When Cephas

came to Antioch,

I opposed him

to his face

because he stood

condemned.

Peter apparently

did not wish

to offend

those

of a Jewish

persuasion,

the reason being

he feared

the circumcision

party.

And you could say

there was a kind

of standoff

between what

the law

accomplishes

and what grace

accomplishes.

May have been

that Peter

did not like

confrontation

and so went

out of his way

to avoid

conflict.

However,

looking at the

life of Peter,

you have to

conclude

that not

for the first

time was

Peter

influenced

by his

prevailing

circumstances.

Remember his

denial

in the hall

of the high

priest

where he was

adamant in

stating

that he was

not associated

with the

accused

prisoner

Jesus Christ.

And in this

context,

he was challenged

by Paul.

The rest

of the Jews

thought Paul

acted

hypocritically

along with him

so that even

Barnabas

was led

astray

by the

hypocrisy.

When I

saw that

their conduct

was not

in step

with the

truth of

the gospel,

I said

to Cephas

before them

all,

if you

though a

Jew

live like

a Gentile

and not

like a Jew,

how can

you force

the Gentiles

to live

like Jews?

We're not

told of

Peter's

reaction

to the

rebuke

of his

fellow

apostle,

but I

would

expect him

to have

accepted it

in the

manner

in which

it was

given.

But it

must have

been some

moment.

Peter

was the

older

apostle,

and here

is Paul,

the younger

apostle,

and he's

upbreding

Peter for

his behavior

and the

way that

he's leading

people

astray.

For

Paul,

it was

not peace

at any

price,

but the

gospel

at all

costs.

such

was his

fervent

zeal,

because the

message of

the gospel

and the

estimation

of the

apostle

was at

stake.

It was

a battle

for the

gospel of

free grace.

The

message of

good news

proclaims

that through

the death

of Christ

on the

cross

and his

resurrection

from the

dead,

Jesus

has done

everything

required

by God

for the

salvation

of

sinners.

Nothing

else is

needed to

receive

forgiveness

for sins,

enjoy

fellowship

with God,

or have

the hope

of eternal

life.

Accept

trust

in Christ

alone.

That is

briefly a

summation,

if you like,

of the

gospel of

free grace.

And Paul

was fighting

to make

sure that

the church

continued to

live by

the gospel

it had

always

preached.

And so

you find

him

writing,

yet we

know,

he says

in this

letter,

that a

person is

not justified

by works

of the

law,

but through

faith in

Jesus

Christ.

So we

also have

believed in

Christ Jesus

in order to

be justified

by faith

in Christ,

not by the

works of

the law,

because by

works of

the law,

no one

will be

justified.

It's a

key text

that teaches

the doctrine

of justification

by grace

alone through

faith in

Christ alone.

And Paul

mentions the

term three

times in

the one

verse.

The principle

that justification

cannot come

by works.

It's what

distinguishes

Christianity

from other

religions in

the world.

And Paul,

being a

student of

the scriptures,

knew what

was taught

in the

scriptures,

in the

Old Testament,

in the

book of

Psalms,

for example,

where the

psalmist

states,

enter not

into judgment

with your

servant,

for no

one living

is righteous

before you.

And Paul

translates that

in the

New Testament

by works

of the

law,

no one

will be

justified.

Out going

to church,

a good

habit,

reading the

Bible,

another

profitable

habit,

giving to

charitable

causes,

all good

things.

But none

of that

of itself

will ever

get us

into heaven.

That is

one very

good reason

why the

doctrine of

justification

by faith

alone in

Christ alone

is of

such supreme

importance.

You know,

there was a

character in

Greek mythology

by the

name of

Atlas,

who was

condemned

to hold

up the

heavens or

sky for

eternity.

And James

Packer,

in one of

his writings,

made the

observation,

the doctrine

of justification

is like

Atlas.

It bears a

world on

its shoulders,

the entire

evangelical

knowledge of

saving grace.

when Protestants

let the

thought of

justification

drop out

of their

minds.

The true

knowledge of

salvation

drops out

with it

and cannot

be restored

till the

truth of

justification

is back

in its

proper place.

When Atlas

falls,

everything

that rested

on his

shoulders

comes crashing

down to

James

Packer.

Well,

to our

text this

evening,

first,

the person

who loved,

second,

the proof

of his

love,

thirdly,

the person

loved,

and finally,

the power

of love.

First,

the person

who loved.

Paul wrote,

the Son of

God who

loved me.

Now,

just repeat

that to

yourself.

Is that

not an

astonishing

statement

to make?

The Son

of God

who loved

me.

There is

no other

personal

statement in

the whole

of the

New Testament

that can

compare to

it.

Yes,

you will

find verses

that speak

of Christ's

love for

the church,

but not

this personal

statement of

being loved

by the

Son of

God.

So,

let us

select from

the Bible

some of

the information

given about

the identity

of this

person who

loved.

Note,

Paul didn't

write,

Jesus loved

me.

That would

be true,

but that's

not what he

wrote.

We may make

the statement,

Jesus loves

me,

and when

challenged

us to

our basis

and confidence

for making

such a

statement,

we may

quote from

the hymn

that we

learned as

children,

Jesus loves

me.

This I

know,

for the

Bible

tells me

so.

Nor did

Paul write,

Christ loved

me.

That is also

true.

That's not

what he

wrote.

He wrote,

the Son of

God loved

me.

The identity

of the one

who loved

him,

important to

the apostle

as it

should be

to every

believer.

Paul is

surely

stressing

the divine

identity of

the one

who loved

him,

person who

has no

beginning.

His

generation

was complete

from

eternity.

In the

words of

one of the

early church

fathers,

the Son

is the

unoriginally

God has

repeatedly

applied to

him the

incommunicable

name of

Yahweh or

Jehovah,

a name that

is descriptive,

exclusively,

of the

supreme

being,

the one

only living

and true

God.

The Son

of God

repeatedly

described in

the Bible

as the

first and

the last.

His

coming

forth is

from

old.

He is

described as

the Alpha

and Omega,

the beginning

and the

ending,

who is

and who

was and

who is

to come

the

Almighty,

one who

searches

the minds

and the

heart of

the children

of man,

one who

is unchanging

in the sense

that he is

the same

yesterday and

today and

forever,

the great

creator

God.

And as

Paul wrote

in his

letter to

the Colossians,

for by him

all things

were created

in heaven

and on

earth,

visible and

invisible,

whether thrones

or dominions

or rulers

or authorities,

all things

were created

through him

and for him.

And he is

before all

things and in

him all

things hold

together.

He is the

head of the

body,

the church,

he is the

beginning,

the firstborn

from the

dead,

that in

everything

he might

be

preeminent.

made.

And you

remember how

John in

his prologue,

how he

speaks of

all things

were made

through him

and without

him was

not anything

made that

was made.

The scope

of Christ's

authority

extends to

the bounds

of his

creation,

for by him

all things

were created,

heaven and on

earth,

visible and

invisible.

scientists

tell us

that the

span of

the physical

universe

is 93

billion

light years.

Now I

have to

confess

that my

understanding

of that

piece of

information

is virtually

nil.

But does

it not

convey a

sense of

the majestic

power of

the Son

of God,

much on

earth that

is absolutely

astounding.

He created

the tiniest

creatures,

for example.

I read

somewhere that

there are

800,000

catalogued

insects with

billions in

some of the

species.

And on a

warm,

calm,

damp August

evening,

I don't think

any of us

would find that

piece of

information

difficult to

grasp when

we are

attacked by

the dreaded

image.

Think of

the genius

of divine

wisdom in

the wonder

of the

human brain

or the

complex

working of

the human

eye with

its millions

of points

of data

that

instantaneously

focus into

a single

image.

every form

and kind

of matter,

simple or

complex,

the atom

and the

star,

the sun

and the

cloud,

every grade

of life

from the

worm to

the angel,

every order

of intellect.

Being

and being

around us

and above

us,

the splendors

of heaven,

the nearer

phenomena of

earth are

the product

of the

one designated

the son

of God.

And Paul

wrote,

this person

to whom

belongs

infinite

majesty

and glory,

the one

who was

ever in

the presence

of the

father,

loved

him.

This love

is not

general.

It is a

love that is

special.

it focuses

on those

whose names

are written

in the

Lamb's

book of

life.

Those who

are precious

to him

are engraven

on the

palms of

God.

It is a

selective

love.

He loved

me,

wrote the

apostle.

It is a

personal

love.

It is a

love that

knows no

variation.

Although

there may

be very

different

manifestations

of it

in the

lives of

believers.

Some

manifestations

of love

that may

cause

you

to

query

his

love

for you.

Yet

it is,

I believe,

a source

of

everlasting

wonder

to the

saints

in glory.

It lies

at the

heart of

their

united

harmonious

choral

praise.

It is a

source of

continuing

amazement

the lives

of believers

on earth

that Christ

loved

them.

Lives

that were

crippled

and twisted

by the

pervasive

debilitating

power of

sin.

Divine

Christ

this

evening.

You

experienced

the power

of Christ's

love in

its

intensity.

So as a

helpless

sinner,

you were

unable to

respond to

the overtures

of grace.

And you

can also

testify,

the Son

of God

loved me.

This

love of

Christ is

eternal,

it is free

and unmerited.

Nothing in the

life of the

sinner to

draw out

that love.

And the

measure of

this love

is how

much it

gives and

that brings

me to

my second

point,

the proof

of his

love.

If the

first statement

blows you

away,

what about

the second

part of

the statement?

The Son

of God

gave himself

for me.

me?

This is,

I believe,

the ultimate

definition of

love.

Jesus himself

taught,

greater love

has no one

on this

that someone

lay down

his life

for his

friends.

And in

order for

this love

to be fully

demonstrated,

the Son

of God

became flesh

and dwelt

among us.

One

commentator

expressed

it,

that the

creator and

upholder of

the universe

should come

down to

such a

world as

this and

clothe

himself in

the inferior

nature of

its race.

And in

that nature

die to

forgive and

save it.

It's the

most amazing

of revelations.

What

sublimity is

shed around

the gospel?

The God

of the

first chapter

of Genesis

is the

babe of

the first

chapter of

Matthew.

Think about

that.

Think about

the wonder

of that.

He was

always the

Son,

but he

became man.

And Paul

is reflecting

on the

wonder of

the plan

of redemption

as accomplished

by the one

who loved.

You see,

love is not

something tangible.

You cannot

put it in

the palm of

your hand

and say,

that's love.

You have

to find

the proof

of love.

You need

evidence.

And Paul

gives us

the evidence.

He places

the irrefutable

evidence or

proof of the

love of the

Son of God

before our

minds.

The Son

of God

gave himself

for me.

And what

Paul states

is not

merely the

innocent one

taking the

place of

the guilty.

It's God

the Son

in our

nature

taking the

place of

the guilty,

enduring in

himself his

own condemnation

of sin.

That's why

he took human

nature in

order to put

himself in a

position where

he had blood

to shed and a

soul to pour

out in death.

the fourth

servant song

in Isaiah

so powerfully

prophesied.

Therefore I

will divide him

a portion with

the many and

he shall divide

the spoil with

the strong

because he

poured out

his soul

to death.

Numbered with

the transgressors

bore the sin

of many makes

intercession for

the transgressors.

Ask yourself

the question

for whom did

he shed his

blood and

poured out

to soul?

And the

biblical answer

is an

innumerable

number of

people whose

souls were

enveloped by

thick spiritual

darkness which

could never be

removed unless

their guilt

was removed.

Fallen man

is under the

wrath and

curse of a

holy God.

You know

there's a

vivid picture

portrayed by

the prophet

Jeremiah of

the incorrigible

wickedness of

the human

heart.

The prophet

speaks of

the sinful

practices of

the nation

of Judah.

Sin of

Judah is

written with

a pen of

iron with

a point of

diamond.

It is

engraven on

the tablet

of their

heart.

The sins

of the

nation,

they weren't

just written

in pencil.

Something that

could easily

be erased

or rubbed

out.

They were

chiseled

into their

stone cold

hearts with

a metal

pen.

In other

words,

that corruption

was deep

seated and

ineradicable.

That's how

deeply ingrained

sin is in

all of our

hearts unless

we are in

receipt of

divine

forgiveness.

The Bible

reminds us

that without

the shedding

of blood,

there is no

remission of

sins.

And the

apostle sets

before us the

price of

redemption.

In the

words of

our text,

the Son

of God

gave himself

for me.

That involved

the Son of

God in our

nature entering

into the

darkness and

bearing the

wrath and

curse.

The only

way which

the guilt of

sin could be

removed in

order for

light to

replace

darkness was

for the Son

of Man in

our nature

to enter

into the

darkness in

bearing the

wrath and

curse.

He gave

himself.

He gave

himself as a

sacrifice to

satisfy divine

justice and

reconcile sinners

to God.

He gave

himself.

That was the

supreme sacrifice.

He laid down

his life.

And in doing

so, he

was laid in

the dust of

death.

Was that

not what

prompted the

hymn writer on

an occasion to

write?

Long my

imprisoned spirit

lay, fast

bound in sin

and nature's

night.

Thine eye

diffused a

quickening ray.

I woke,

the dungeon

flamed with

light.

My chains

fell off.

My heart

was free.

I rose,

went forth

and followed

thee.

Amazing love,

how can it

be that

thou, my

God,

should die

for me?

Oh, does it

fill you

with astonishment

this evening

that the

Son of God

gave himself

for you?

And that

brings me to

my third

point.

The proof

of his

love, the

person who

loved, the

person loved.

Paul wrote,

the Son of

God who

loved me

and gave

himself for

me.

He loved

me, wrote

Paul.

He gave

himself for

me.

Was the

meal from

Paul wrote

a believer

and a

faithful follower?

Was that

the focus

of the

love of

the Son

of God?

No!

Was that

the kind

of person

for whom

he gave

himself?

And again,

no.

For one

will scarcely

die for a

righteous person.

Though for a

good person

one would

dare even

to die,

but God

shows his

love for

us in

that while

we were

still sinners,

Christ

died for

us.

When

Christ met

with Saul

of Tarsus,

he was

behaving like

a wild

animal in

his threats

to the

followers of

the Church

of Jesus

Christ.

The book

of Acts

tells us he

was breathing

threats and

murder against

the disciples

of the

Lord.

He asked

the high

priest for

letters to

the synagogues

at Damascus

so that if

he found

any belonging

to the

way man

or woman

he might

bring them

bound to

Jerusalem.

He was

engaged in

active

persecution

of the

Church of

Christ.

And as

Christ

forcefully

reminded him

on that

never-to-be-

forgotten

Damascus

road meeting,

Saul,

Saul,

why are

you

persecuting

me?

Saul was

ignorant of

the identity

of the

questioner.

Who are

you,

Lord?

He asks.

And the

response,

I am

Jesus.

I am

the

Savior of

sinners.

I am

the Son

of God.

And what

was true

of this

person who

speaks of

being loved,

who can

state that

the Son

of God

gave himself

and his

place?

Well,

you may

remember his

own

biographical

description

of his

own

former way

of life.

I was a

blasphemer,

persecutor,

an insolent

opponent,

until mercy

arrested me.

I received

mercy,

says the

apostle.

He had

been under

the dominion

of darkness.

Remember how

he wrote in

his letter

to the

Colossians,

God has

delivered us

from the

domain of

darkness

and transferred

us to

the kingdom

of his

beloved

Son.

He included

himself among

the number

who were under

the domain

of darkness

and were

delivered.

Yet such

is the

devastating,

blinding

effect of

sin in

his

pre-conversing

days,

that that

was certainly

not how

he viewed

himself.

He was

striving to

keep the

law.

If anyone

else thinks

he has

reason for

confidence in

the flesh,

I have

more.

Circumcised

on the

eighth day

of the

people of

Israel,

of the

tribe of

Benjamin,

a Hebrew

of the

Hebrews,

as to

the law

of Pharisees,

as to

seal,

a persecutor

of the

church,

as to

righteousness

under the

law,

blameless.

Oh,

often,

is that

not how

we tend

to think

of ourselves?

I'm not

really such

a bad

person.

Oh,

I know

I'm not

what I

should be,

but,

oh,

we may

fervently

believe that,

but the

reality is

that we

are sinners.

We are

under the

condemnation

of the

holy,

just,

law of

a

righteous

God.

Nothing

we can

do

can

alter

that

fact.

That is

why the

statement

of love

is so

really

wonderfully

amazing.

Remember

how Paul

prayed

that

believers

be empowered

by God

to grasp

this love

that

surpasses

knowledge.

and in

doing so

Paul wrote

about the

immeasurable

dimensions of

Christ's love.

Its

breadth and

length and

height and

depth.

Reminds me of

the story of a

little boy who

was out fishing

with his dad.

They were

using hand

lines and

the little boy

was letting

down his

hand line.

He could

touch the

bottom.

He could

feel the

bottom.

But they

moved further

out to

sea.

And when

the little

boy

let out

his

hand

line he

could no

longer

feel the

bottom.

He

turned to

his dad

and he

said,

surely

this is

the

great

ocean.

And his

dad said

to him,

no,

when you

are in

the middle

of the

great

ocean

there is

no

bottom

or no

shore.

when you

come face

to face

with the

love of

God

and Christ

it is

like a

huge

ocean

with no

bottom

and no

shore.

And the

terms used

by Paul

are calculated

to set

before our

minds the

immensity

and inexhaustible

nature

of Christ's

love.

irrespective

of

background

or race

or age

there is

room in

the extensive

embrace

of love.

There was

a place

for me

states

Paul

the arch

persecutor

striving to

keep the

law and

you go

through the

Bible

and you

discover

there was

a place

in the

love of

Christ

for

Rahab

the

prostitute.

There was

room for

backslidden

penitent

restored

Samson.

There was

a place

for Naomi

who experienced

being emptied

in order

to be

even more

filled.

A place

for Rose

the Moabite

who became

an heir

of the

promises.

There was

a place

for the

woman

there was

a sinner

who came

into the

house of

Simon.

There was

a place

for little

Zacchaeus

the greedy

tax collector

and we

could go

on.

And oh

my friend

the wonder

is there

is a

place for

you and

the likes

of you

and me.

Does that

not humble

you if

you find

yourself this

evening in

the embrace

of this

love?

For you

do not

possess

knowledge of

anyone like

you possess

of your

own self.

love of

the

love of

the

love of

the

judgments

of a

heart

that is

deceitful

and

desperately

wicked.

But even

with impaired

biased knowledge

of self

you know

if you are

in Christ

this evening

you never

deserved a

place

in the

all

embraces

all

enveloping

love

of the