“It will take all of eternity to fathom God’s love, and those who are saved will never plumb the depths of it.” This statement from Faucett & Brown’s 1871 Bible Commentary is the crux of this post. Try as we might, we will never be able to put our arms fully around the truth of the great gospel. Though His infinite love is scarcely comprehensible to our finite minds, God’s Word communicates the depths of the Father’s love in words and pictures that are simple enough for His children to grasp. This He does with three beautiful words: How much more.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addressed both the Father’s ability- and desire- to care for His people. Knowing their anxious hearts, Jesus assured his followers of God’s provision for all of their needs. He told them they need not worry about their clothing, what to wear, or their stomachs, what to eat- for God clothes the lilies of the fields and feeds the birds of the air. He then said, “But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!” (Luke 12:28). A few verses later we learn even more of the Father’s love. For Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom,” (Luke 12:32).
Speaking again of the Father’s desire to give to those who ask, seek and knock, Jesus used an analogy close to our hearts: that of a father and a son. He asked, “What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpian?” (Luke 11:12). Surely, we and the original audience could not imagine doing such a wretched deed! Driving home the point, Jesus then said, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).
And not only does He give the Spirit, but His generosity culminates in the giving of the richest gift possible- His perfect, unblemished Son. The picture of this sacrifice had been painted for over fifteen hundred years in the sacrificial system of the Law. In Christ, it was made manifest in the flesh. Only his substitutionary death could atone for our sins and satisfy the holy wrath of God. Only through him is our complete redemption possible: “For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:13-14).
That He would give His Son as the once and for all sacrifice to reconcile lost sinners to Himself is an immeasurable kind of love. The kind of love that gives us the utmost confidence and assurance of His continual provision for our lives. As Paul asked in Romans, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). If He has given us the most treasured gift of all, how much more will he clothe, feed, and give us good gifts? His love is extravagant and we cannot fathom it.
Our God, who is rich in mercy, has done, is doing, and will continue to do far more abundantly for His children than could ever be imagined. Though we worship and praise Him now, how much more will we fall at His feet in praise and adoration when we behold His unveiled glory. Indeed, eternity will not be long enough for us to comprehend or celebrate the magnitude of His grace and love. Yet, even now we pray, come, Lord Jesus, come!
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