Jesus loved the church so much that He gave Himself up for her that He might sanctify her. Jesus hung on the cross, naked, covered in sin and shame; He bore the anguish of Calvary from the top of His head to the soles of His feet to save and sanctify His Bride.
Clothed in the righteousness of Christ and covered by His sacrifice, God sees us believers as spotless and without blemish. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus has set us apart for all time as uniquely His. God regards us as holy, sacred, set apart, consecrated, and dedicated to Christ.
The sacrificial and sanctifying love of Jesus is so glorious, friend, that once we experience it, we will be forever changed!
First, the love of Jesus transforms how we see ourselves! We no longer find our identity in our past or current sin struggles, but in Christ, His death and resurrection that purchased our new identity as His Bride. Jesus has washed us with the water of His Word and made us clean from our sins; so, we must no longer focus on our sin but on Jesus, our Beloved Bridegroom, who says, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” John 15:3
Second, the love of Christ for us transforms the way we view others. Are you looking at your brothers and sisters in Christ and seeing them as Christ sees them, without spot or wrinkle or any such blemish? Jesus has removed the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6) so we must interact with each other not according to the flesh but according to who we are in Christ. “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:16-17
Third, the sacrificial love of Jesus transforms the way we think. "Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:4-8
We should have the same mind, the same focus as Jesus. We should have the same love and humility. What Jesus did on the cross was for us, and the Spirit is continuing the work in us. Does God want us to point out the faults of others or point to the One who took the blame for us all? We must look to Christ, friend, in every circumstance and situation so that we can have His mind and live a life worthy of His gospel.
As we look to Jesus and His cross, we are slowly being transformed into the image of Jesus. And if He is transforming us into His image, how are we to view our brothers and sisters in Christ? We are to see them just as we are - covered in the righteousness of Christ, and in the process of transformation. We are to view them with the eyes of faith, confident that the work Christ began in them will continue (Philippians 1:6). If we cannot get this right, how can we call unbelievers to look to the cross and be healed, loved, forgiven, and set free?
Question 2. How does experiencing the sacrificial love of Jesus change the way you think and the way you view yourself and others?
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