Whenever I see someone in an orange jumpsuit, hands connected to chains around the waist and feet shackled, I am repelled by the sight. I don’t like to be confined. That’s true for most if not all of us. When a pregnant woman is confined to bed rest to protect the unborn child and her own health, we don’t consider her lucky because she is now free from the usual chores that ordinarily would be her’s to do. We think being controlled, confined, and restrained in negative terms. In the winter we call it getting cabin fever.
So when we come upon Paul’s statement in 2 Corinthians 5:14, “for the love of Christ controls us,” we may have to stop and think about that. For instance, I know that there is numerous times in my life that the love of Christ doesn’t control me. I know that my sinful self controls many of the thoughts, words and deeds that emerge on a daily basis.
However, Paul is saying in reality, since Christ lived and died, sin does not control us. The love of Christ controls us. How so? The love of Christ is more than promised rewards in eternal life. It also has an effect on our lives today. The love of Christ has a confining and restraining effect upon our sinful self. We are not hapless and helpless victims of the power of sin in our lives. Christ is also alive in us curbing our passions, reminding us that he died for us and so we have died to sin. Paul puts it this way in 2 Cor. 5:14b-15 “We have concluded this (that the love of Christ controls us because) “one has died for all, therefore all have died; he (Christ) died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”
You see, when we live for ourselves, without the fetters of Christ’s love turning us away from rebellion against God, then we are headed in the direction of dying without a resurrection to follow. However, because we have died in Christ’s death we will also participate in his resurrection. We can say, “Go to hell sin. I don’t need to serve you anymore. Christ’s love is controlling my life and actions. Sin, though you will one day bring me to the grave, I won’t stay there. Christ will bust me out.”
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