ADDRESSES ON ROMANS "the love of God" has been "shed abroad in our hearts." It is not the love of man toward God, but the love of God toward man-the Holy Ghost in us. Except for the reference to the Holy Spirit in Rom. 1:4, this is the first time the Third Person of the Trinity is men- tioned in the epistle. He will come into our study later on in detail. Here He is spoken of as an earnest, a seal, an engage- ment ring, so to speak. We know through the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, that we are going to stand in the presence of God and not be afraid. 7. LovE. Now let us look at verses 6-11. Paul has just mentioned the love of God, and now he stops to talk about it. He goes on to tell us something about that love. And how he delights to dwell on God's great love! This love of God is not from us or in us; it is toward us. We can not find tokens of it within our hearts, except as it is "shed abroad ... by the Holy Ghost." Many people seeking Christ look within them- selves. God does not tell us to look in; He tells us to look out, at the cross of Christ. We must bear in mind the fact that the love of God has been fully manifested in Christ's suffering and death for us. This is clearly set forth in verse six, where we read, "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." When we were yet weak and impotent and could not help ourselves, Christ died for us. He suffered the death sentence for the ungodly. This term "ungodly" includes everybody, Jews and Gen- tiles. The love of God came into that court room. There it was manifested before men and angels and demons, when the holy God, in the Person of His Son, died for a guilty world. He obeyed the law; He lived a righteous life on earth; but this did not show forth His love. He died for the ungodly! Herein is love! "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (I John 3: 1 ). "What manner of love," that we, guilty sinners, should be redeemed by the precious blood of the eternal Son of God! Considering verse 7, we are reminded that it is an un- Page 82)
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