FOR THE SAKE
OF CHRIST
Ephesians
4:32: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even
as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
God looks on the heart. Therefore, a good deed can be a
bad if the motive is bad. Likewise, a deed which does not appear good to this
world can be a good before God if the motive is good. For instance, Rahab lied. God commends that as a good deed because God
knows she did it for the sake of Christ. With God, the motive of the new heart is
everything. The purpose in
everything God does and the only right motive in things believers do is “for Christ’s sake.” Notice, we are exhorted by this one motive, and
likewise, God is moved by this one
motive—“Forgiving one another, even, as
God, for Christ’s sake, hath forgiven you.”
One Reason
for Forgiveness
The one great reason that we have forgiveness of our sins
with God our Father is “for Christ’s
sake.” The very God we sinned against provided his own dear Son to suffer
and lay down his life that the very God against whom we transgressed might be
able to forgive us. God could not
forgive us any other way than for his law to be executed upon us. (Eze 18: 4;
20) In order for God to save his people and be just, it must be a sacrifice who
is God so that God might be just and the Justifier of his people. Amazing Love! Our great God and Father
provided himself a Lamb in his own Son who died in the place of his people. (1
Jn 4: 9-11)
Righteousness on The Cross
Look at Calvary’s cross and see perfect righteousness. “For all the law is fulfilled in one word,
even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Gal 5: 14) In
Christ we see the only one who loved his neighbor as himself in perfect
righteousness. Christ filled full the
righteousness of the law in perfect love when he willingly gave himself to be
separated from God in place of his people that God might righteously justify
his people. Christ condescended to the
furthest depths of shame to exalt God and his brethren to the highest heights
of honor! Therefore, God has forgiven us in harmony with his righteousness—“for Christ’s sake.”
Constrained by Love
Now God gives each his regenerate children this light and
easy yoke: “be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another.”
He has put this one motive in our hearts: “even as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven you.” It is not law
that constrains believers but God’s forgiveness “for Christ’s sake.”
Believer, when
you see what God has done for you for Christ’s sake does it not give you a
reverence for God above all others? Does it not take complete control of your
inner man? Grace and love is a light and
easy yoke because grace and love is a light and easy constraint!