The Praise of Love
Love is the bond that unites us to God, making us perfect in His eyes.
Clement of Rome emphasizes the importance of love in Christ, urging believers to keep His commandments and describing the indescribable bond of God's love. He highlights the beauty and exalting power of love that unites us to God, covers sins, and endures all things with patience. Love is the essence of perfection for all the elect of God, making everything pleasing to Him and leading us closer to the Lord through the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ.
Text
Let him who has love in Christ keep the commandments of Christ. Who can describe the [blessed] bond of the love of God? What man is able to tell the excellence of its beauty, as it ought to be told? The height to which love exalts is unspeakable. Love unites us to God. Love covers a multitude of sins. Love bears all things, is long-suffering in all things.
There is nothing base, nothing arrogant in love. Love admits of no schisms: love gives rise to no seditions: love does all things in harmony. By love have all the elect of God been made perfect; without love nothing is well-pleasing to God. In love has the Lord taken us to Himself.
On account of the Love he bore us, Jesus Christ our Lord gave His blood for us by the will of God; His flesh for our flesh, and His soul for our souls.
Sermon Outline
- The Nature of Love
- The Characteristics of Love
- The Importance of Love
- Without love, nothing is well-pleasing to God
- Love is what makes us perfect in God's eyes
- Love bears all things and is long-suffering
Key Quotes
“The height to which love exalts is unspeakable.” — Clement of Rome
“Love unites us to God.” — Clement of Rome
“By love have all the elect of God been made perfect;” — Clement of Rome
Application Points
- We should strive to have love in Christ and keep His commandments.
- Love is essential to our relationship with God and should be the foundation of our faith.
- We can demonstrate our love for God by following His commandments and living a life of love.