Controlled by Christ

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 - "For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised."

You know, we really had it pretty good before The Fall. Adam and Eve got to walk in the garden with God each day and experience His love in a very tangible way. Of course we all know the story, sin entered the world and separated us from God. No longer do we have the advantage of that very real, physical relationship with our Creator. That doesn't mean that He no longer loves us, and it doesn't mean that He won't find ways to still do that tangibly.

Consider 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. If Christ lives in us and we now live for Him, does that not make us tools available for His use? Certainly He can use us to show His love to others! Sometimes though, our vision of Christ's love is limited. We only have one word for love, but the Greeks had 3: agape (unconditional), phila (brotherly), and eros (romantic). Keep in mind that God is in His very essence, love, and He's the inventor of it. If the Greeks could identify three separate forms, then certainly God's love for us is made up of all of those.

Take agape, the unconditional love of a parent in God the Father. A good parent is willing to do anything to protect their child, including taking the pain on themselves to spare the child. Sound familiar, like God providing a way to take our place? Then there's phila, the brotherly love of our Savior and brother. In that role, it is more of a sense of accountability, counsel, and friendship, marked with the a willingness to back us up no matter what. Finally, there's eros, the love of a romance. This seems to be the easiest to forget and toughest to wrap our minds around. Even so, we're referred to as the bride of Christ, and that is clearly a reference to a romantic form of love. Think of the imagery of a bride and groom becoming one flesh, then consider the way the Spirit lives in you as a part of who you are.

When I considered each of these I thought of the agape love of my mother, the phila love of my brothers and sisters (both biological and those that adopted me), and even the eros love of a special young lady. No matter who they are, they each offer a glimpse of the love of Christ in their own way. We're all broken, so none of them can offer the complete package, nor are any of them perfect in their own role (not that they don't try!), but they do offer insight. I find it encouraging that God uses people in our lives to offer us these hints of what He is about by extending His love through Christ in us. While each of these are satisfying in their own way, the full love of our Father will be so much greater when we can experience it in all its perfection!