I Will Love Them Freely

Meet Stick-dead-guy.  What can he do to raise himself from the dead?  Nothing!!  He's dead.  Dead guy can't work hard, can't be nice to little old ladies, can't earn his salvation.  Only stick Jesus, by dying on the cross and rising from the dead can bring Stick-dead-guy to life.  

Madeline (my daughter) says stick guy could touch Jesus 

to be raised from the dead.  

"But stick-dead-guy can't touch anything," I respond.  

"Then Jesus should touch him," she answers.  Exactly!

"I will love them freely." Hosea 14:4

This sentence is a body of divinity in miniature. He who understands its meaning is a theologian, and he who can dive into its fullness is a true master in Israel. It is a condensation of the glorious message of salvation which was delivered to us in Christ Jesus our Redeemer. The sense hinges upon the word freely. This is the glorious, the suitable, the divine way by which love streams from heaven to earth, a spontaneous love flowing forth to those who neither deserved it, purchased it, nor sought after it. It is, indeed, the only way in which God can love such as we are. The text is a death-blow to all sorts of fitness: I will love them freely. Now, if there were any fitness necessary in us, then he would not love us freely, at least, this would be a mitigation and a drawback to the freeness of it. But it stands, I will love you freely. We complain, Lord, my heart is so hard. I will love you freely. But I do not feel my need of Christ as I could wish. I will not love you because you feel your need; I will love you freely. But I do not feel that softening of spirit which I could desire. Remember, the softening of spirit is not a condition, for there are no conditions; the covenant of grace has no conditionality whatever; so that we without any fitness may venture upon the promise of God which was made to us in Christ Jesus, when he said, He that believeth on him is not condemned. It is blessed to know that the grace of God is free to us at all times, without preparation, without fitness, without money, and without price! "I will love them freely".

- Spurgeon

"The wages is sin is death, but the FREE gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord".  Romans 6:23