The Love Of Christ Constraineth Us

2 Corinthians 5:14: For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

I do not often find so many wonderful definitions of a word as I found for the word constraineth. They tell us what God wants for all of us. They describe HIS will for believers and their lives. I hope and pray that you are willing to enjoy them and that you have experienced them and ARE experiencing them.

Geneva Bible Notes on constraineth: Wholly possesses us.

Adam Clarke*s Commentary: We have the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, and this causes us to love God intensely, and to love and labour for the salvation of men. And it is the effect produced by this love which bears us away with itself, which causes us to love after the similitude of that love by which we are influenced; and as God so loved the world as to give his Son for it, and as Christ so loved the world as to pour out his life for it, so we, influenced by the very same love, desire to spend and be spent for the glory of God, and the salvation of immortal souls.

Albert Barnes* NT Commentary: This word properly means, to hold together, to press together, to shut up; then to press on, urge, impel, or excite. Here it means, that the impelling, or exciting motive in the labours and self-denials of Paul, was the love of Christ--the love which he had showed to the children of men. Christ so loved the world as to give himself for it. His love for the world was a demonstration that men were dead in sins. And we, being urged by the same love, are prompted to like acts of zeal and self-denial to save the world from ruin.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary: With irresistible power limits us to the one great object to the exclusion of other considerations. The Greek implies to compress forcibly the energies into one channel. Love is jealous of any rival object engrossing the soul.

John Wesley*s Notes: Beareth us on with such a strong, steady, prevailing influence, as winds and tides exert when they waft the vessel to its destined harbour.

Robertson*s NT Word Pictures: To hold together, to press the ears together, to press on every side, to hold fast, to hold oneself to, to be pressed.

Brethren NT Commentary: Paul was constrained to fully preach the doctrine of Christ, by the same love which enabled Christ to die for all men. This required him to preach that all men were dead. Paul*s reasoning was well founded. The abrupt manner of calling up this subject in this place seems to indicate that a complaint was brought against Paul by some at Corinth for preaching the extreme doctrine that all men were dead without Christ, which he now defends.

Halls: For the wonderful and infinite love of Christ, wherewith he embraced mankind, offers a holy force and violence unto us; because we do thus rightly and justly judge, that we were all dead and lost by reason of our sin; otherwise, that only and dear Savior of ours would not have died for all:

Macknight: In thus exercising our ministry, we are not mad: For our admiration of the love of Christ constraineth us to expose ourselves to death in preaching the gospel, who judge this, that if Christ died for all, certainly all were condemned to death;

William Burkitt New Testament Commentary: The expression denotes the absolute empire which the love of Christ had over him, ruling all the inclinations of the heart, and the actions of his life. It signifies the sweet violence and force of love, by which the soul is overpowered, and cannot say nay; it does wholly possess us, rule and command us, keep us in its power, and makes us do whatever it would have us do.

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