Faithful Steward Ministries and FSM Women's Outreach

A Display of Christ – (Part IV) by John Flavel

JOHN 3

The Adorable Love of God in Giving His Own Son for Us

In these words are to be considered,

1. The original spring or fountain of our best mercies-The love of God.
2. The mercy flowing out of this fountain, and that is Christ, The Mercy, as he is emphatically called, Luke, 1:72; the marrow, kernel, and substance of all other mercies. ‘He gave his only begotten Son.’
3. The objects of this love, or the persons for whom the eternal Lord delivered Christ, namely, ‘the world.’ This must respect the elect of God in the world; such as do, or shall actually believe, as it is exegetically pressed in the next words, ‘That whosoever believeth in him should not perish.’ Those whom he calls the world in that, he styles believers in this expression; these are the objects of this love. It is not angels, but men, that were so loved.
   • The manner in which this never-enough celebrated mercy flows to us, from the fountain of Divine love, and that is most freely and spontaneously. ‘He gave,’ not he sold, or barely parted with, but gave. Nor yet doth the Father’s giving imply Christ to be merely passive; for as the Father is here said to give him, so the apostle tells us, that he gave himself: ‘Who loved me, and gave himself for me.’ Gal. 2:20. The Father gave him out of good will to men, and he as willingly bestowed himself on that service. Hence we learn, that…

READ MORE > > >

For all in the series cut and paste or type John Flavel Display of Christ in the search box upper right of the landing page.