John 17:26 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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John 17:26

Comments

How can that pure, pure love of the Father be in us, even now? How can that be? Well, of course, it can’t be. But there can be a love in us which answers to the same characteristics as the love of the Father for the Son, and by the help of the Spirit we must have that love, and it will be supremely perfected in glory in that wonderful fellowship. What was the Father’s love to Christ? A sending love. It was a love which sent Him to secure the salvation of a great host of people whom the Father had given to Him. It was a compassionate love: compassion not for Christ – he needed no compassion – but the love of the Father for the Son was a love that sent Christ to save people in the world, so it was compassion for them. It was a faithful love, a purposeful love, an anticipating love. Christ and His love should be in us. ‘And I in them.’ Are we fit, even remotely fit, to be occupied by Christ with all His attention? Our love must increasingly be like his. Let us search our hearts, pray for this, that we will be more worthy for such an occupation by Christ Himself.

Application

Let us not fill our heads with only our earthly problems and circumstances, even good things, things we must do for our families and so on – don’t let these things fill our minds, fill our horizons. We are to be growing in compassionate love for a lost people. We must have a love growing in us which has the same characteristics as the love of the Father. So let there be less of self and there will be more divine love. Let us be more gentle (that’s like the divine love), more approachable, more sensitive, deepening love for Christ, for the Word of God as we read it day by day. Let us have more love for the Lord’s people especially, and also for the lost, rejoicing with those that rejoice, sorrowing with those that sorrow, so that we have a heart and a mind more fit for occupation by the Lord Himself.

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John 17:26 Commentary and Bible Study