| The Christian Life | November 1940 |
God’s Love Shed Abroad in Our Hearts
“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the, Holy Spirit which is given unto us.”—Romans 5:5
GOD’S objective in the lives of all those whom He has called to joint-heirship with Christ is that His love may fill and possess them. He wants each one of them to be like Him, because He desires to use them in the great work of restoring the fallen race to perfection and to implant in them the divine image which has been so largely effaced throughout the reign of sin and death. All of God’s dealings with, and His providences over, the Christian, therefore, are designed to bring about this one necessary result in his character—that “the love of God” may be “shed abroad in our hearts,” is the way the apostle puts it.
Paul says that the shedding abroad of God’s love in our hearts is accomplished by “the Holy Spirit which is given unto us.” The Holy Spirit, as we know, is not a third person in a trinity of gods, but is, rather, God’s holy power as it operates on behalf of the Christian through the Word of God and by His providences. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the “spirit of truth,” and this is probably the most understandable definition we have of it. The Bible is a compilation of God’s thoughts pertaining to His purposes toward His human creation. These thoughts were transferred from God’s mind to the pages of His Word by a miraculous operation of His power. These thoughts of God reveal to us His will, and by our obedience thereto we are thus led by and filled with His Spirit.
The Scriptures refer to the plan of God as the “Gospel,” the “good news,” by which we are informed of His love toward the fallen race. In II Corinthians 4:6, Paul says, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” In verse three of this chapter the light of God’s glory is referred to as the “Gospel.” Thus we see that it is by means of the truth that the Holy Spirit causes the love of God to be shed abroad in our hearts—that is, the truth, together with His providential dealings with us in connection therewith.
When man was created he was endowed with the desire to reverence and worship his Creator. Most of the human race, even though fallen far from original perfection of our first parents, nevertheless naturally desire to worship a higher power. But, with nearly all, Satan has been able to misdirect this God-given desire and so has caused man to worship all sorts of gods. In doing this, Satan has operated largely through the emotions, and seldom appeals to reason. While emotions have their proper place in the Christian life, they are unreliable as a guide to truth and conduct. God’s written Word is the only reliable guide, and through it He has revealed Himself to us. When God does reveal Himself to us through His Word, it is proper that we exult with joy and thanksgiving for the vision thus given.
It is not by “feelings” then, that the Holy Spirit causes the love of God to be shed abroad in our hearts. Feelings are unreliable, frequently changing with the changed condition of one’s environment and physical health; but the Word of God never changes. If, through that Word, God has shed abroad His love in our hearts, we will rejoice in that love irrespective of time or circumstance, sickness or health, prosperity or adversity, popularity or ignominy, exaltation or debasement, promotion or demotion. Like the apostle, we should be able to say, “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”—Phil. 4:11
GOD’S LOVING GIFT
The first step in the shedding abroad of God’s love in our hearts is accomplished when we are brought into contact with the Gospel message. It is not by accident that one hears about the truth. It was not by accident that Philip was induced by the Holy Spirit to engage the Ethiopian in conversation concerning the Gospel; and the Holy Spirit, symbolically speaking, has been continuing throughout the Gospel age to say “Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.”—Acts 8:29
But, as with the Ethiopian, so with all who are called, the knowledge of God’s love is not imparted by a direct revelation, but through the Gospel. The Ethiopian was reading the prophecy of Isaiah which told of Jesus and His sacrifice; and Philip, by direction of the Holy Spirit, explained to him the significance of what he was reading. The same Holy Spirit has commissioned all consecrated followers of the Master to likewise be “ambassadors for Christ,” and it is by this means that each saint, in turn, is made to understand the Gospel of God’s love. Even the great Apostle Paul when miraculously halted on the Damascus Road, was instructed to go into the city where he would be told concerning the Lord’s will for him.
From our first contact with the truth, if that contact is by divine appointment, the love of God begins to draw and influence us. Fundamental in the knowledge of truth thus received is the information concerning God’s great gift of love, the gift of His Son to be our Redeemer from sin and death. What awe-inspiring thoughts are conjured up in our minds when first we learn the great truth that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”—John 3:16
If we receive this knowledge into good and honest hearts it means that divine love is becoming operative in our lives. A sincere and ready acceptance of this knowledge will cause us to take the view suggested by the apostle, saying “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but to Him which died for them, and rose again.”—II Cor. 5:14,15
As we contemplate further the implications of God’s gift, the love that prompted it takes deeper hold upon our lives. Through the Gospel we learn that we can have a standing before God, and that being thus “justified,” we can have “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 5:1) But we soon learn also that this is not the end of divine grace, and that through Christ “we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”—Rom. 5:2
GOD’S GLORY
And now, having responded to the Gospel of love, still further depths of divine grace are revealed. And what wondrous grace! It is the grace, or favor, of being brought into a relationship with God wherein we rejoice in the hope of actually partaking of His glory. Again we emphasize that such knowledge comes through the Spirit of Truth. It was the Holy Spirit that caused to be written those “exceeding great and precious promises whereby we are made partakers of the divine nature.”—II Pet. 1:4
The receiving of this knowledge causes a further shedding abroad of divine love in our hearts. John says, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” (I John 3:1-3) In the apostle’s day it took great faith to accept Jesus as the Son of God; and indeed most of the Jews stumbled over this truth; so it is little wonder that John says “What manner of love,” when he recalls the grace that makes possible the divine sonship of those called from among the fallen race.
“AND NOT ONLY SO”
After the apostle reminds us of the love of God displayed in the hope of glory, he directs our minds to another dispensation of divine love, namely, the tribulation which God permits, and helps us to endure. Connecting our trials directly with the hope of glory, the apostle says, “And not only so [that is, not only do we rejoice in the hope of glory], but we glory [Greek, boast] in tribulations also.” (Rom. 5:3) The Diaglott renders it “triumph,” although in the word for word, Dr. Wilson gives this Greek word the meaning of “we boast,” which accords with other authorities.
We “boast” or glory in tribulation, because we know, as the apostle further declares, that “tribulation worketh [or results in] patience [that is, cheerful endurance]. Through the Word, the Holy Spirit reveals that in order to share in the glory of God and of Christ, and to be joint-heirs in the divine kingdom, we must partake of the foretold “sufferings of Christ” It is through these sufferings that the Holy Spirit bears witness to us that we are the children of God. (Rom. 8:16,17; II Cor. 1:5; Col. 1:24) Not only is this suffering revealed to us as being a part of the divine arrangement for the Christ, but we learn also that by enduring it cheerfully we are learning needed lessons by which we are prepared for glory, and the future glorious work of blessing all the families of the earth.
We can “boast” in the tribulation if we are rightly exercised thereby. And if we are rightly exercised thereby we will realize that through these experiences also, God is shedding abroad His love in our hearts. “Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth,” the apostle declares. (Hebrews 12:6) The Greek word here translated “chasteneth,” really means instruction, or disciplinary training. It is the same word that is translated “instruction” where the apostle tells us that “all Scripture is profitable … for instruction.”—II Tim. 3:16
We receive instruction and correction through the Word, and at times the Holy Spirit permits us to be encompassed with tribulation, in order that through them, also, we might be further trained and prepared for glory. Yes, we should learn to see and appreciate God’s love in the rain as well as in the sunshine.
Through a mistranslation the sequence of Paul’s argument in Romans 5:1-5 is somewhat beclouded. In the Common Version he is made to say that “patience works experience.” But the Greek gives us the proper thought which is that by patiently enduring the tribulation which divine providence permits to come upon us we are thereby being approved by “test,” or “trial.” The Greek word here used is dokimazo, and is from the same root word as dokimos, which means approval.
The Greek word dokimazo is translated “trial” in I Peter 1:7, where the apostle says that the “trial” of our faith is much more precious than gold. Obviously it is the result of the trial of faith that makes it precious, and not merely the fact that the Christian suffers. God tries us in order that we may be approved in His sight. We do have divine approval if we patiently endure.
Unless we could be assured of divine approval, we would have no basis at all for our hope; but with this assurance we can know that all that He has promised to the faithful is made sure for us through Christ. On this our hearts can rely, for we can know that we shall never be disappointed in our hope. We will never have any apologies to make, for it is a hope that “maketh not ashamed.”