THE CONSTRAINING LOVE:

The only way to overcome infatuation is through the constraining love of Christ.

In my previous post, a lady commented and asked, "But sir, in relationship, can we do without infatuation and how can we experience God's kind of love in the relationship? And here is my respond... "For the love of Christ constrained us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again". (2 Cor. 5:14-15)

In these great verses Paul speaks of love as a constraining force. Love, he says, hems us in. There are certain things which true love prevents us from doing. It is not lust or infatuation which constrain us or hem us in. It is love, "The love of Christ," Paul says, "constrained us." His love constrains us to act a certain way, in a godly manner which is reflected in our relationship with the opposit sex. As I said before, "No love can survive without the AGAPE love of God. And to really know love and be able to love without LUST and INFATUATION, we must know Him. Whoever does not love from a pure heart does not know God, because God is love.It will not even come from you. It takes God to love. Know Him, for He is the Author of Love.

What is constrain? Constrain is from the Greek word 'sunecho' meaning "to compel or force (someone) toward a particular course of action; to limit or restrict (something or someone); to use pressure to force (someone) to do something; Compel or force (someone) to follow a particular course of action".
Paul helped us to understand that when Christ died, we were all dead in Him, which means, we are death to the lifestyle of this world. We are a new creature, with a new lifestyle. In this new life, we are constrain by Christ love so that we will not be infatuated or lust after the mundane things of this world like how the gentile does. Eph 4:17-19 says, "This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer WALK as the rest of the ENTILES WALK, in the FUTILITY OF THEIR MINDS, 18 having their understanding darkened, being ALIENATED from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness". His love constrains us from greediness or selfishness.

Because the love of Christ constrains us, we are able to fear the Lord, progress in personal character, and thereby have this pure love outflow as a fountain that showers on others to change them for the glory of God. 1 Peter 1:22 says, "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a PURE HEART"

Because His love constrains us, we are no longer leaving unto ourselves.
Because His love constrains us, we will walk in love and possess our partners in sanctification. 1 Thess 4:3-6 declared, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel (wife or husband) in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust (infatuation), like the Gentiles who do not know God".

 

1 Peter 4:1-4 "Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles — when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries".