The Distinguishing Love of Christ | The Whole Counsel

The Distinguishing Love of Christ

Fourth, this love of Christ is a distinguishing love.

Yeah, so distinguishing. Again, it's a strange phrase, but it really is a precious one. When we think about ourselves, I mean, I know what I think about Chuck, and I don't know what Chuck thinks about me.

I'm not asking. You know, everybody that we are around a lot, they have certain qualities that we think like. So Chuck, if you guys don't know Chuck, Chuck, you're generally a quiet guy, a thoughtful guy, a kind guy, gentle, but not a pushover.

There's a theological rebar in your soul. And so I think of a lot of things. We've been friends for over 30 years. There's a lot of things that that distinguishes you. And there's things about ourselves that we think.

We think people think of us a certain way. So I mean, I'm not going to say what I think people think of me, but, you know, we like. So if I walk into a room and everybody turns, there's just this quiet voice inside of us.

It says they think this, you know, and it might be very embarrassing or you might be puffed up. But to realize that the single most outstanding, remarkable thing about you that's so extraordinary that it distinguishes you above every other feature, male, female, what race you are, education, no education, age, nothing compares to that distinguishing mark that God has set his love upon me.

And for us to come to grips with that is so sanctifying.

The People of God and the Mystery of Election

Yeah, I was thinking about the passage in Peter. You know, you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. And that is distinguishing. It's wonderfully distinguishing. And it is the work of God.

And we cannot pretend that we understand why God does that. Or we better not pretend that we look inside and say, well, here's obviously the reason why he does that. You know, as you said earlier, he draws his reasons from himself.

Hymns on Distinguishing Grace

I was thinking about a hymn, How Sweet and Awful is the Place with Christ Within the Doors. The hymn says, While all our heart and all our songs join to admire the feast, each of us cry with thankful tongues, Lord, why was I a guest?

Why was I made to hear thy voice and enter while there's room when thousands make a wretched choice and rather starve than come?

And that is a mystery. Yeah, it reminds me of a hymn by Isaac Watts when he talks about the distinguishing love that God gave to his people, even in eternity past, and was not given when angels sin. So the sinning angels fell, and justice and wrath cast them down.

But man, vile man, prefers himself, and mercy lifts him to a crown. You know, one sin on the act of the angels, and that one third that fell, there is no offer of grace. Ten thousand times ten thousand sins in my heart.

And I wake up, and the scripture assures me that the mercies that Christ purchased for me are new again this morning.