THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER
"Search the scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. " (John 5:39)

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 3, FEBRUARY 17, 2002

“HE LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR US”  

            When reading the books of the New Testament that were written by John, a person can not help but be impressed with the emphasis placed upon love.  In the seven chapters that comprise 1, 2, & 3 John, the word appears in 34 verses.  In the gospel according to John, it is found in 43 verses.  This does not take into consideration the number of times the word appears within these verses.  John also wrote the book of Revelation, and while the word does appear there, that book is of a different nature than the others that he penned.  

            Of all the manifestations of love that John wrote about, the primary one, the one that he holds up as an example for all of us to emulate, was the death of our Lord on the cross.  Several passages from the Gospel of John come to mind.  In John 10:17& 18, Jesus said, “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This commandment have I received of my Father.”  Note the voluntary nature of the death of Jesus.  He willingly gave His life.  

            In John 15:12 & 13, Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”  The true nature of the love that Jesus exhibited in His death is brought out so powerfully in Roman 5:8, where we read, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  If there is no greater love that a man can manifest than to lay down his life for his friends, what kind of love did Jesus show in dying even for those who were His enemies?  

            As we move to 1 John, we find several statements about the Lord’s death and how it demonstrated love.  In 3:16 , we read, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”  In 4:8 – 10, we find, “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”  And then in verse 19, “We love him, because he first loved us.”  

            Let’s examine closely 1 John 3:16.  “Hereby”, in that which is about to be said.  “Perceive we”, from investigation we come to possess certain knowledge.  “The love of God”, what it is – its nature.  “Because he laid down his life for us”, we have come to have this knowledge due to the fact that Jesus laid down His life for us.  In other words, we have become knowledgeable about love; we know what it is, because we have seen it displayed in the Lord’s death for us.  That little word “for” (huper), indicates purpose.  Jesus died in our behalf, for our protection.  One writer illustrated it in the following way:  

            “The picture in the preposition is of one who sees, for example, another who has fallen, wounded, in grave danger, and about to perish, and who rushes to him, stands over him, fights in his behalf, and enters the fray in his stead.  This, and more, Jesus did for us in his death on the cross.  He took our place; he suffered the penalty of law to be executed in his own person.”  (Guy N. Woods, Commentary on John, p. 281)  

            The love of God places certain obligations upon us all.  As verse 16 of 1 John concludes, “and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren”, we see how it applies.  In light of what God has done for us, we who are His children are morally obligated (the meaning of ought), to be willing to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters in Christ.  The Lord’s death was the greatest possible proof of love; it epitomized it!  Therefore, if we imitate Him as we must, we will be willing to manifest the same evidence of love that prompted the Lord to die for others.   

            In 4:11 & 12 of 1 John, we find, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.  No man hath seen God at any time.  If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”  There is that word “ought” again.  It speaks of a moral obligation placed upon us all by the death of Christ.  Even if we are never required to die for each other, we certainly ought to treat each other as if we truly would.  A helping hand, a concerned word, a laugh and a smile together at appropriate times; these are all parts of loving as we must.

                                                            Gregory Litmer  

PARTICIPATION  

Involvement is the key to a good local work.  No congregation will have much success until each and every member of the church is actively involved in the work.  Here are some suggestions for greater involvement:

            Be Present.  You surely can’t be involved when you don’t attend the services.  Be there as much as you can – not just for the good of the local church, but especially, for your own good.

            Ask to help.  So many people complain because they are not used and yet they never ask to be used.  Make it known that you want to help.  There is work for all of us to do.

            Pray for all.  The need for prayer for the work is obvious and it is one way you can be involved on a daily basis.

            Visit.  How long has it been since you turned off the TV or the computer and went to visit one of our members who is sick, or shut-in, or just having a difficult time?    --Via The Southside Reminder.