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Some figures of speech are more picturesque that others; some cause mental images to race into our minds and remain there due to their uniqueness or their beauty. Other figures of speech are not so picturesque, but are nonetheless memorable due to the impact that they have upon us as individuals. The figures contained in Romans 5.5 are a case in point. “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5.5; emphasis mine, jb).

When a group of people react to a tragedy with empathy and unselfishly come to the aid of others, we typically hear such actions characterized as “a great outpouring of love.” In the case of today’s focus text, there is an outpouring of love, but its source is of tremendous and eternal interest. In the case of human relief efforts, the outpouring is from other people; in the case of the gospel, the outpouring of love was and is from God Himself. The love of God was “poured out” when the message of the resurrected Messiah began to be preached to the entire human race. The Holy Spirit working through the apostles and prophets of the first century were without bounds in the delivery of the gospel; it was a message intended for all. Such was the intent of Jesus when He commissioned the apostles to go into the entire world and preach the gospel to every creature (see Mark 16.15-16). In a figure, God’s love was poured out; it was not a sprinkling, but a pouring. The love of God was shed abroad unselfishly by our Lord’s first emissaries.

The second part of our focus text states that God’s love was poured into something as it was poured out of something else. Like liquid gold being decanted from a refiner’s crucible, God’s love was poured out in order to have its greatest impact in the only place that it could, in the hearts of men! One could argue that God’s love has an impact on the material universe, but that impact is limited in scope and duration. The crowing creature of God’s creation is man but apart from the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, man is forever doomed. However, place the love of God in man’s heart, let it have its way, and the field of stubble becomes ripening grain; let God’s love work in the blighted human heart and hard pan soil is transformed into fertile fruit producing fields. The beauty for which the Father longs is not found in nature; it is found in that which is apart from nature. The beauty which God seeks is found where His love is allowed to perform its transforming wonders within the hearts of men.

Love Poured Out; Love Poured In! The story would not be the same should either side of the equation be missing or faulty. One thing can be depended upon in this regard; God’s side of things is totally adequate! After all, He is God! He has the power to execute anything that His nature and character wills to do. If there could have been a better love story, He would have executed it. However, God chose the greatest love story that human hearts could ever receive! With that love story, He woos the hearts of men; with that love story, he softens the hearts of men; with that love story, he converts the hearts of men. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is missing or ineffectual on God’s side of the equation.

The question, saints and friendly sinners, has to do with the impact that this great love story will have on our hearts! God has done all that could be done to effect our salvation through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Eternity will not be a time to point the finger of blame toward God, but for the lost, it will be a time to repeatedly say, “Why, oh why, did I not yield!”

Questions:

1. “God so loved the world that He ______ ____ _______ _____________ ____...”

2. What is great about God’s love? List as many things or reasons as you can.

3. How great would God’s love have been had He decided to leave you out of the picture?

4. How should I reciprocate in view of any person’s love? How about God’s love?

"'Winging It" from Stan Smith

Moralism