Finally, it is manifest to the churches today in outward form in preaching of these things to further instruct the flock in the things that God has done for them. This love cries "grace, grace" and "life, life" throughout each thread and string. Therefore, the love that we are searching must be done where grace and life have preceded. To instruct someone about the concepts of grace and life, they must first be possessors of that grace and life, or all is in vain.

Paul describes four dimensions in his exhortation to the church to examine in relation to God's love. We
need to examine its breadth, length, height, and depth. While we know that our understanding will never reach the full extent while on this side of heaven and immortal glory (since Paul describes it as "which passeth knowledge"), yet our aim should be to learn and study as much as we can about it. Jeremiah 9 declares that we are blessed to know and understand God. Therefore, it is not an advanced science thatthe more we learn the more blessed we are. The more we learn about the goodness, love, and even severity of God, the better equipped we are to serve Him in newness of life. So, let us examine the four dimensions in a brief way to see some of this rich and unsearchable beauty.

The first two dimensions are the breadth and length. We know from geometry that length describes how long
something is, while the breadth describes how wide something is. So, how long and wide is the love of
God? We understand that the Lord told Jeremiah of an everlasting love, which is (in most cases) synonymous
with eternal. If God's love is eternal in length, then we are to understand that the length goes on
forever. In geometry, there is a concept called a "line." A line is without beginning or end, and goes
to infinity in either direction. Such is the love God in scope. We cannot find the beginning of God's love,
so by qualitative comparison, we cannot find the end of His love either. That is its length, so how wide
is His love? The width of His love is just as measureless as the length for man to discover. His
love takes in every object of His love that Scripture tells us an innumerable host out of every kindred,
tongue, people, and nation. (Revelation 5:9) No man can number that heavenly host, and it is far greater
than the number that have ever set foot in a true church's public worship service. His love extends beyond what man can do. His love extends beyond where man can go. God's love reaches the unreachable, and
it loves the unlovable.

So, having spoken of the length and width of His love, what do we make of the other two dimensions?
The other two dimensions declare how the first two were accomplished. The height of God's love is seen
by the incarnation of Jesus. When He left heaven and immortal glory, He came down from the very throneroom of God to walk this low ground of sin and sorrow for 33.5 years. What height is heaven above the earth?

 
Isaiah 55:10 tells us that the height of heaven above the earth is the height of God's ways above our ways.
Indeed, this expanse is further than our minds can understand, but yet Christ willingly came down for the
purpose of not only manifesting the love of God but sealing the love of God for every one whose names were
encompassed in its breadth. I cannot imagine being in the presence of all the heavenly host and then coming
to where wretched sinners dwell. Yet, this love for us showed what true humility is all about. For, when
He came, He did not enslave His people (as He could have by Divine right), but He rather ministered unto
them and showed pity and compassion to them.

So, now that we have investigated the first three, what is left? What is the depth (deepness) of God's
love? We find that God is a God of justice. He has never (nor will ever) overlook one sin that has ever
been committed. So, where does justice get served for the ransomed heirs of grace that were measured and
written before time began? If heaven to earth is the height, then earth to hell is the depth. If it was
not humbling enough to suffer leaving to come to earth, Christ humbled Himself even further to be
made a shame and reproach even to the death of the cross. This curse (hanging upon a tree) also took in
the most awesome suffering that has ever been known.

Christ bore our justice beloved! What do we deserve? We deserve hell, eternal punishment, separation from
God. Was it served? Amen, and amen, the depth of God's love reached all the way to the regions of woe
and misery for our rescue. God brought us up out of the horrible pit (Psalm 40:2) and set us upon a rock.
To rescue us from that horrible pit, He came down into the pit to pull us out and bring us up.

So, after bringing us up out of the pit, do we find ourselves back to where Adam was pre-fall? No, dear
friends, He pulled us not just the depth of His love, but the height as well. He is seated at the right hand of the majesty on high, and we are seated there representatively on His right side, and one day be seated there manifestly after the resurrection of our bodies. The souls and spirits of those gone before are there now, and one sweet day, we will join them in the most awesome, magnanimous song that has ever been heralded, and it will be done for the length (eternity) and breadth (all of His people) of the love of God. Again, our minds cannot understand these things fully, but I am thankful that Paul's exhortation was not a vain one. While our fallen minds cannot soar to the heights of these concepts, we have the ability to groan and travail for these
things. The faith and hope that dwells in the new creature (verse 17 above) yearns for these things, and through a glass darkly we can feel to know and understand these things without words to describe
them. Have you ever seen heaven by faith? Sometimes in worship, can you claim to stand upon the banks of
glory? Your heart (new man) is testifying to the length, breadth, height, and depth of the love of God.

Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made, Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade, To write the love of God above, Would drain the ocean dry. Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.

In Hope,

Bro Philip