ARTICLE – 3 Apr 2016
Christians are called in their service to God to persuade people to be reconciled to God. They must be armed with the right motives and equipped with the right message. The Apostle Paul told the Corinthian Christians the three motives to this godly intent – the fear of the Lord, the love of Jesus and the commission of Jesus.
The Fear of the Lord We will all have to stand before the judgement seat of Christ where our works are judged and rewarded. It will be a time where our works will be revealed and we are to give an account of our labour. For those who have been faithful, they will be rewarded accordingly. Jesus commanded us to spread the gospel to the ends of the world and we must be obedient to His command. We will face many challenges in doing so, and the Bible reminds us that our focus must always be towards God, in maintaining a clear conscience and not looking to the praise of people. When the Apostle Paul went around to spread the gospel of Jesus (Good News), he always took pride in the goodness of God and the gospel was always the centre of His message. He encouraged the Corinthian Church to look at the motives of the Christian preachers and teachers and not the outward appearance such as the letters of commendations which was highly prized by the Church at that time.
The Love of Jesus This is reflected in His sacrificial death for our sins – He died so that we might have eternal life. The hymn “Glorious Day” that is familiar to us shares about God’s unconditional love for us:
Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me; Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever: One day He’s coming—O glorious day!
Jesus’ death on the cross reflects the hope that we will share in the New Creation. We now have the hope in which our relationship with Jesus has been reconciled. What should our response be as Christians who are undeserving of this gift? When constrained by the love of Jesus, we are compelled to share it with others!
The Commission of Jesus The work of Jesus on the cross reconciled man to God where all our sins have been paid for. Those who believe in Jesus as Saviour are blessed since their sins are forgiven and are not counted against them (Psalm 32:1-2). As Christians, our response to this wonderful teaching of reconciliation should motivate us to serve and obey God. As Christians we should be compelled by the love of Jesus, knowing that He has already paid the price for our sins. We act in obedience to His directive to us as His ambassadors to spread the love of God to those around us. Many times, we will see that serving God will not be easy but it is our privilege to labour hard for the Lord for all that He has done for us.
