LOVE BEYOND ALL LIMITS

“For God loved the world in this way He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 HCSB)

Poets have written about it. Singers have sung of it. Publishers have profited from it. Men have died over it. What is it? Only the largest little word in the world—love!

Legend has it that Helen of Troy was so beautiful that her faced launched a thousand ships. Love for her led to bloody war.

None of Shakespeare’s works is more famous than the love story, “Romeo and Juliet.” The writer knew the power of a love story to capture the reader’s imagination.

But, the Bible contains the greatest love story. When poets’ tongues lie silent in the grave; when every silly love song fades from memory; when all romance novels crumble into dust, the story of God’s limitless love will go on and on and on!

Luther called John 3:16, “The Gospel in a nutshell.” In a few brief words is written the most profound of truths—this story of limitless love!

Notice THE ORIGIN OF LIMITLESS LOVE: “For God loved the world…”

The infinite Lord is the source of immeasurable love.

Every love story must have an author. So does this one.

This greatest of love stories was written by God, recorded in letters of crimson, penned by an old rugged cross. It is God who is the initiator—God who is the originator—of limitless love.

The Bible says that “Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us…” (1 John 4:10). Love originates with God for Scripture declares, “God is love.” (1 John 4:8).

While it is true that God is unfailingly holy and unwaveringly just—and, thus, unalterably MUST punish sin—still He loves us and offers forgiveness through the substitutionary death of His Son. He has made a way for sinners to be justified and yet He remains just in doing so. Love motivated God to do this matchless deed on Calvary.

Further consider THE OBJECT OF LIMITLESS LOVE: “For God loved the world…”

This isn’t talking about the planet. He cares about His creation without a doubt, but that isn’t the world spoken of here.

This isn’t speaking about a principle of evil—the world system. That is anti-God and God is at war with that world of wicked philosophy, passion and practice. He hates that “world.” He calls on His followers to do the same. To embrace love for this world system is to exclude love for the Lord (read 1 John 2:15-17).

If it isn’t the world as a planet or a principle, then what is it? It is the people dwelling on this planet who are prisoners of this world of wickedness. These wretched souls are the object of God’s love.

This is incredible!

Jesus came to this world of sinful humanity and they cursed Him as a devil and crucified Him as a criminal. Nothing had changed. Most continue to reject Him.

Yet He loves. He holds out a nail-scarred hand and the world slaps it away. He reaches out again and again. That hand will continue to reach out until the last Day when He takes a sword to wield against those who finally, fully spurn His love.

Thankfully, there is still time. Another opportunity is offered. Love is extended to you.

None are excluded from His love. “For God loved”…insert your name there. It is no less true than saying God loved the world. Make it personal. God loves you!

“He loved me when a sinner, I trampled on His love.
He loved me still, though straying, I spurned His home above;
And still He loved; and loving,
For me He bled and died,
Then loving on and wooing,
He drew me to His side.”

The sobering question is, “Will you persist in trampling on His love? You can, but if you do, then the consequences are as limitless as the compassion is large. That is the warning of Hebrews 10:26-31.

Then, there is THE OUTREACH OF LIMITLESS LOVE: “For God loved the world in this way…”

In this way? In what way?

Only three words—how much love could that convey?

Within that brief phrase is found love beyond all limits.

How far does the outreach of love extend? The Apostle Paul prayed that we might comprehend, “what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Eph.3:18-19)

Fullness of God!

How can you measure the immeasurable? We can say this: God’s love is as high as heaven, yet deep enough to reach the lowest sinner. It is wide enough for every person, and is as long as eternity. Whoever you are, whatever you may have done, wherever you are—His love seeks you out. How much does God love you? Jesus stretches out His arms on the cross and says, “I love you this much!”

How can you describe the indescribable? The song writer said it like this,

“Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.”

There is more to be said—there is THE OFFERING OF LIMITLESS LOVE: “He gave His One and Only Son…”

Upon the altar of sacrifice, the Father placed His unique Son as a substitute for sinners deserving death. God loved us, but He could not excuse our sin. He couldn’t sweep it under the carpet, ignore it, pretend it didn’t happen. His compassion so vast, could not deny His righteousness so just.

The evidence of our guilt was indisputable and the execution of our sentence was unalterable. The Judge has said, “the wages of sin is death.” (Rom.6:23a) The price must be paid or God’s holiness would be compromised. That cannot be!

In the One and Only Son was done the one and only act that could satisfy God’s justice and allow us to be forgiven. “He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor.5:21) “But we do see Jesus—made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace He might taste death for everyone…” (Heb.2:9a). The wrath of God was satisfied! Jesus is nailed to the cross meant for Barabbas—the innocent walking up Calvary’s road, and the guilty walking away free!

Therefore, there is THE OPPORTUNITY OF LIMITLESS LOVE: “so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

There is opportunity for all! God has fixed a way that anyone can come—by faith.

If you had to pay a large sum of money to buy a home in heaven, a poor soul would be excluded. If you had to perform some feat of strength, the weak person would fall short. If you had to pass a test, the illiterate man would fail. But all you must do is place your faith in Christ and you will be saved!

Is that all? The simple answer to that is, “Yes!” You need do nothing more. In fact, you can do nothing more. To try to earn your way to heaven is to grease the pole to slide into the abyss—and the more you try the slicker it becomes. You don’t try, but trust in the Crucified and Risen Lord. Neither is it even the degree of your faith—as something you must generate in sufficient measure, but is the direction of your faith—looking to Jesus as the object—the finished work He has done, and He as ”the source and perfecter of our faith.” (Heb.12:2)

Be sure you understand what it means to believe in Him, however. What the Bible means by faith is more than just knowing and intellectually accepting the facts of the Gospel. We must do that, of course. Yet, Satan and his demonic horde believe the facts of what happened on the cross. They witnessed it. Demons confessed Jesus to be the Son of God! Yet, those malignant spirits are as unrepentant as ever in their hostility toward God. Their “belief” doesn’t convert them. They are bound for the Abyss.

You can believe planes can fly without getting off the ground. Real faith leads you to commit your life to the pilot. Even with trembling knees, you walk onto the plane and rest your weight in the seat. Saving faith means that I have given my life to Christ—He is now in control! I can trust Him to pilot me to heaven.

Can I be sure of safe arrival? Just listen to THE OATH OF LIMITLESS LOVE: “everyone who believes in Him will not perish…”

God’s oath is that all who come to Him, He will under no circumstances cast out. They can never be lost. There are those who hesitate to come to Christ for fear their faith isn’t strong enough. They think they may fail to hang on to Christ. My friend, He holds on to you! You might fail, but He never does. You may be weak, but He is strong. No power on earth or in hell can pull us from God’s hand! The Good Shepherd will bring every sheep in His flock into Heaven’s fold. The Bible says He loses NONE! (see John 10:27-30).

This love song builds to a crescendo with THE OPERATION OF LIMITLESS LOVE: “everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Eternal life is more than a quantity of time—it is a quality of life. It is the very life of God received when we believe. Jesus promised, “I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” (John 10:10). It is a love that is boundless that has brought us a life of blessedness!

Jesus tells us in this same chapter that we can be born of God—and that makes us children of God. His life is given to us, resides in us, and brings us into the likeness of Jesus, His Son. No wonder, the Apostle John would exult concerning the operation of God’s heavenly love in a human life, “Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know Him. Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:1-2)

Charles Wesley wrote of it this way:

“And can it be that I should gain
an interest in the Savior's blood!
Died he for me? who caused his pain!
For me? who him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be
that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

'Tis mystery all: th' Immortal dies!
Who can explore his strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
to sound the depths of love divine.
'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
let angel minds inquire no more.
'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
let angel minds inquire no more.

He left his Father's throne above
(so free, so infinite his grace!),
emptied himself of all but love,
and bled for Adam's helpless race.
'Tis mercy all, immense and free,
for O my God, it found out me!
'Tis mercy all, immense and free,
for O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
fast bound in sin and nature's night;
thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
my chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in him, is mine;
alive in him, my living Head,
and clothed in righteousness divine,
bold I approach th' eternal throne,
and claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th' eternal throne,
and claim the crown, through Christ my own.”

Now…that’s a love story!