A Devotion from Thomas Brooks

To grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge. 
-Ephesians 3:18–19

Stand still and admire and wonder at the love of Jesus Christ to sinners—that Christ would rather die for us than for the angels. They were creatures of a more noble extract and in all probability might have brought greater revenues of glory to God; yet that Christ should pass by those golden vessels and make us vessels of glory—what amazing and astonishing love is this! This is the envy of devils and the admiration of angels and saints.

The angels were more honorable and excellent creatures than we. They were celestial spirits; we, earthly bodies, dust and ashes. They were immediate attendants on God; we, servants of his in the lower house of this world and remote from his glorious presence. Their work was to sing hallelujahs, songs of praise to God in the heavenly paradise; ours, to dress the Garden of Eden, which was only an earthly paradise. They sinned only once and only in thought, as is commonly thought, but Adam sinned in thought by lusting, in deed by tasting, and in word by excusing. Why didn’t Christ suffer for their sins as well as for ours? Or, if for any, why not for theirs rather than ours? We move this question not as being curious to search your secret counsels, O Lord, but that we may more admire the love of Christ, that surpasses knowledge.

The apostle, in admiration of Christ’s love, affirms it to surpass knowledge—that God, who is the eternal Being, should love the human when it had scarcely a being (Prov. 8:30–31), that he should be enamored with deformity, that he should pity us when no eye pitied us. Such was Christ’s transcendent love that our extreme misery could not abate it. The deplorableness of our condition only heightened the flame of Christ’s love. It is as high as heaven—who can reach it? It is as low as hell—who can understand it? Such is his perfect, matchless love to fallen people. That Christ’s love should extend to the ungodly, to sinners, to enemies who were in rebellion against him (Rom. 5:6, 8, 10)—yes, not only so, but that he should hug them in his arms, lodge them in his bosom, dandle them on his knees—is the highest refinement of love (Isa. 66:11–13).