2 Corinthians 5:14-15 - Motivated by HIs love to serve

In verse 14, Paul revealed the factor that controlled his life: the love of Christ. It was this love that had motivated him. In everything that Paul did for God and the Church, his one controlling or governing factor was Christ’s love.  The word control or constrain could also mean to restrain. Paul was saying that it was the love of Christ that restraint him from acting for himself but for God and the church. Like Paul, we recognize the love of Christ. We know that He took on human flesh to die for us. Being affected by His great love, we make obeying His will and living for His glory the controlling factor of our life.

Paul was convinced that Christ’s death for him as well as for us Christians, made it the overpowering reason for us to devote ourselves to love and serve Him. For He had offered Himself as the sacrificial lamb to die for us, once and for all. There would not be another sacrifice required for our redemption. He took our place in death so that we could be saved from death.

As human beings we were affected by Adam’s sin because he is the head of humanity. We inherited his sin nature and had to die. But now as Christians, we participate in Christ’s substitutionary death for us. What Paul is saying is this: We who have a relationship with Christ should feel the effect of his vicarious death for us. We should no longer live for ourselves but for Christ, Who had died on our behalf. Paul’s assertion here is that our Savior is alive and we are not serving a dead Savior. He is our risen Christ seated at God’s right hand interceding for us. He must be the object of our love and the reason for our service. It is to Him that we dedicate our life and offer our allegiance and service.  

As Christians, living and serving Christ is not just our obligation but also our desire. His love has compelled us to think, say and act congruently. We are bought with a price. We are not our own. Therefore we must honor Him in everything we think, say and do in life.