Sin, Love and Compassion

Recently, I was part of a discussion concerning how we will, at times, elevate ourselves above those who are not saved. The point was we will see ourselves as being better than someone who is not saved and forget that we, too, were once in their place. What we need to remember are three words, sin, love and compassion.  The sin we were in and the love God showed us through a witness and the compassion of their heart to share His love with us.

Have you ever been brought to tears because of the lost soul of a friend or loved one? Have you ever asked God to replace that person with you, giving your salvation to them? Well, we know that's not possible because your salvation belongs to you and you can't give it away nor is it necessary. But this is exactly what the Apostle Paul told the Lord in Romans 9:3,

...for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. NLT

Can you grasp what Paul is saying here? Can you sense the compassion he has for his Jewish brothers and sisters? He, if he could, is will to sacrifice his salvation and spend eternity in hell if they would understand and know who Jesus really is and know Him as their savior. I have had compassion for people before but I must admit, I have never felt or experienced compassion to that extent. How could Paul say that or feel this way? Let's long at something else Paul said.

 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.  1 Tim 1:15  NKJV 

Paul tells us he is the 'chief of sinners' and Jesus came to save him and us but he is the worst. I think Paul is saying that he recognized how deep his sin had run, how much of a sinner he really was. He knew he was lost in his sin and Jesus was the only way out. He is saying he is the chief of sinners because he had not only rejected Christ, he was murdering and throwing into prison those who accepted Jesus. He was the worst of the Jews in his sin. In other words, Paul knew his sin.

When we look at this verse in connection with Roman 9:3, we then can see the compassion he had for them. He was a Jew who would not accept Jesus; he was a Jew who spoke against Jesus and was a leader against those who followed Christ. He had realized how bad he was and how wrong he was and he knew what Jesus had done for him. In Romans 9:3, he was willing to forfeit his salvation if it would open the eyes and hearts of the Jews to see Jesus as their savior.

Paul had come to know this on his way to Damascus; he was on a mission to do more harm to the believers there and Jesus revealed Himself to Paul. What grace and what mercy; Jesus could have struck Paul dead to keep him from the believers in Damascus. But Jesus knew Paul (Saul at the time) and had work for him to do and He saved Paul from himself and his sin. Paul was ruthless; he didn't care at all for those who were following this new way. In his mind, he believed he was doing God's work. He was very sincere in this work but he was sincerely wrong.

The Lord took that compassion Paul had to work against Him and used it to work for Him. That is why Paul referred to himself as the chief of sinners. He knew what he had done in relationship to his battle against believers and he understood how wrong he had been and how he had worked directly against Jesus. He understood that a rejection of Jesus and then death would bring eternity in hell. He knew where Jesus had brought him from and saved him from.

His compassion and love ran so deep, he was willing to trade places with them. His salvation for their belief in Jesus. Do we feel that way when we think about that unsaved loved one or friend? Can we even understand it or comprehend a love and compassion which moves a person to that extent? Honestly, I couldn't do it; I couldn't trade my salvation for a lost soul, even though it is not possible. But I have to admit, my compassion has never reached that depth. But we can reach a level or depth of compassion for lost souls which would bring us to tears over them.

There is another account in Exodus which is very similar to what Paul said above. In Ex 32:32-33 Moses was pleading with God following the golden calf incident. This is what Moses said to God,

But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, erase my name from the record you have written!” But the Lord replied to Moses, “No, I will erase the name of everyone who has sinned against me.  NLT

Moses was pleading for this rebellious nation of Israel. He told God to take his own name out of the book of life. What compassion he had for them and this after he had put up with their constant complaining and accusations. His love and compassion ran deep for his fellow Israelites. Some have commented that Moses was asking God to end his life right there while others suggest he is asking to God to take his life physically and for eternity. Either way, he, like Paul, was showing tremendous compassion and love.

I heard a testimony from a man who was asked by a pastor, after answering an invitation to talk, if he would get on his knees with him while he prayed for his salvation. The pastor had such compassion for him and was urging him to pray for salvation but he said he would not get on his knees and pray. He told the pastor he didn't want that and as he was turning to walk away, he noticed the pastor was crying. That's the compassion and love this pastor had for his lost soul.

I'm not an emotional man and I have never experienced this type of moment with an unsaved person. But I do know how it feels to experience that love and compassion in my heart for a person who is not saved, regardless if I know them or not. I was once accused, by a Christian friend, of not having any compassion for the lost. Knowing that I am not an emotional person and not showing much in that way on the outside, he was only commenting on what he saw, not what he knew. I took the time to explain my compassion for not only the lost, but for all who might be hurting for whatever reason.

I guess what I'm saying is, you don't have to cry every time you witness to someone about Jesus. But if you're witnessing to the person, you do have a degree of compassion and love for them. Paul always felt this way; in reading his epistles, it's obvious. But just because Paul, the greatest preacher, evangelist and missionary of all time was like that in the Bible, doesn't mean we are not capable of it today. Our hearts should break over the lost souls of this world and that should drive us to prayer for them and a desire to tell them about Jesus.

Jesus made Himself a sacrifice for us. He didn't have to go to the cross and die in our place. He could have kept His seat at the right hand of the father and threw in the towel. We don't deserve His grace and mercy or His love and compassion. But because of His love and compassion for us, He did go to the cross and die in our place, paying a debt we couldn't pay. He provided a way to salvation for us because He so loved us.

The bottom line in all of this is, we have to know how deep our sin was in our life before Jesus. We can't forget where we came from or the sinful life which Jesus saved us from. That doesn't mean we dwell on the past, it means we have to remember we were once lost and wandering around in a world that is lost and were on our way to hell. We didn't earn our way to salvation, we didn't buy it and we didn't do anything to obtain it. It was only by the grace of God we were saved and by the sincere love and compassion of one of His witnesses. We can never forget where we were and what Jesus has done for us. Our heats must be full of compassion and love for the unbeliever.

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,  that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) EPH 2:4-5