Paul's Passion for Christ.
I. The Apostle affirms that the distinctive inspiration of his passionate fervour and entire consecration is the person and mission of Jesus Christ "The love of Christ constraineth us." It is distinctively love for a person "The truth as in Jesus." Everything in Christianity centres in Christ's person. Christian doctrines are simply explanations of the facts of Christ's personal history; so that Jesus Christ Himself is the personal and exclusive object of our religious trust and love. Take Christ away, and Christianity disappears. His acts as a personal Redeemer constitute it. Behind all Christian idea stands the ineffable Christ Himself that wondrous personality of peerless sanctity, ineffable love, Divine characteristic, and human perfection: the embodiment, not of one class of excellences only, but of all.
II. Among even the supernatural characteristics of Christ's personality and of His mission, Paul gives a singular and emphatic prominence to His death "He died for all." Whenever Paul gives such account of his enthusiasm for Christ as makes Festus think him mad, as makes the Grecian philosophers write him down a fool, he always specifies the death on the cross as its distinctive inspiration "He loved me and gave Himself for me." Accept Paul's idea of the cross as a sacrifice for human sin, everything is natural and obvious; deny it, try to construct some other theory of His death, Paul's sentiment and passion are the greatest of anomalies. Note two characteristics of this constraint. (1) Its intensity. The depth and passion of Paul's personal and practical love for Jesus Christ are simply indescribable. (2) Much might be said about the humanity of this great inspiration the marvellous way in which grateful love to Christ becomes a Christlike love, a philanthropic love, full of human sympathies, solicitudes, and services.
H. Allon, The Indwelling Christ,p. 83.
References: 2 Corinthians 5:13-15. D. Bagot, Church of England Pulpit,vol. x., p. 373; W. M. Punshon, Sermons,p. 12.