Motivation: “The Love Of Christ Constraineth Us”

by Micky Galloway

Sometimes we feel a lack of motivation in our service to the Lord. Webster defines “motivation” as: “the act or process of giving someone a reason for doing something: … the condition of being eager to act or work; a force or influence that causes someone to do something.” Lacking motivation, we develop an attitude of apathy, “lack of feeling or emotion; lack of interest or concern” (ibid). This is evidenced in so many ways. We lack zeal and interest in spiritual things. We don’t study like we should, we don’t pray, our attendance in Bible classes and worship suffers. As our lives are consumed with secular interest we talk less about spiritual things, and become more and more isolated from brethren and distanced from the Lord. We know something is wrong, but we are not sure who to blame or what to do about it. Sound familiar?

The apostle Paul wrote in II Corinthians 5:11, “Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men …” and then he explains his motivation. “For the love of Christ constraineth us …” (II Corinthians 5:14-15). The word, “constrain” (synéchœ) means: “to hold together; any whole, lest it fall to pieces or something fall away from it” (Thayer). Albert Barnes tells us that this word, “properly means, to hold together, to press together, to shut up; then to press on, urge, impel, or excite. Here it means, that the impelling, or exciting motive in the labors and self-denials of Paul, was the love of Christ – the love which he had showed to the children of men.” Men are motivated by many things, but the love of Christ, seen in His redemptive work, revealed to us in the gospel, is a moral and spiritual force of great power. It awakens gratitude, love, devotion, and obedience.

The love of Christ is universal. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16). He gave himself for his friends, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). He also died for His enemies, “But God commendeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us … For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Romans 5:8-10).

The love of Christ is not selfish. Though “existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men …” (Philippians 2:6-7). He left the glory of heaven to live in the flesh of man (Hebrews 2:14), subjecting Himself to temptation in all points like as we are (cf. Hebrews 4:15), and finally to “the death of the cross.” In John 10:11, Jesus identifies himself as “the good shepherd” that “layeth down his life for the sheep.”

The love of Christ is constant. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Even as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39). He loves us in good times and bad.

The love of Christ was personal with Paul. He wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that (life) which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, (the faith) which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20). It is the “love of Christ” which “constraineth” (ASV), “controls” (NASV), “compels” (NKJV), i.e. completely dominated Paul’s life (II Corinthians 5:14). Therefore, on the basis of Christ’s love for him, the only natural decision is no longer to live for self, but to live for Christ. “And he died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again” (II Corinthians 5:15). Properly understood, Christ’s love claims one in such a way that he can no longer exist for himself.

The love of Christ had mastered him. Paul had made himself the servant of Christ (cf. Galatians 1:10). There was no other choice! Paul was purchased with the blood of Christ and therefore sought to glorify Christ in all that he did. “As always, (so) now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:20-21).

Paul was not crazy as some supposed (cf. Acts 26:24). He was highly motivated by the love Christ had manifested to him. The evidence is seen in the dangers he faced, the opposition he encountered, the persecutions he suffered (II Corinthians 11:23ff), “to preach unto the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery which for ages hath been hid in God who created all things” (Ephesians 3:8-9). Truly, as one who considered himself, “less than least of all saints,” “chief” of sinners (I Timothy 1:15); Paul was motivated to preach unto the Gentiles, “to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18). Therefore he could say, “Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel” (I Corinthians 9:16).

Are we prompted by the same love of Christ manifested to us, revealed in the gospel, to exercise zeal, self-denial, and complete devotion in our service to Him who died for us?