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Study 02 of 8

Love: The First Secret

Christ's own love for the lost, truly grasped, is the strongest and most productive motivator for witness.

Hands-free narration of this study — good for the car.

Synopsis

The first of the twenty-one secrets is simply love — specifically, the constraining love of the Saviour for the lost. Paul's discovery that 'the love of Christ leaves us no choice' shows that genuine motivation is not manufactured through pressure but released through comprehension of Christ's love. The booklet points leaders to Ellen White's own testimony of being moved to devote every energy to soul-winning after contemplating the cup trembling in Christ's hands at Gethsemane. It urges leaders to help members grasp both the vastness of Christ's love, seen in the worlds He left to save this one rebellious planet, and its intimate particularity, that He would have died for a single neighbor alone. The promise attached is that Christ will impart to His messengers the same yearning love He has for the lost, and that this love can be prayerfully claimed daily for specific people. The section closes by urging leaders to appeal to love first, because it is 'most productive.'

Key points

  • It is the Saviour's love, not guilt or duty, that constrains believers to bear the message to the lost (2 Corinthians 5:14).
  • Ellen White's own soul-winning zeal was kindled by contemplating Christ's cup of suffering.
  • Christ's love is both cosmic in scope and intensely personal, valuing even a single neighbor.
  • Christ imparts to His messengers the same yearning love He has for the lost — this can be claimed in prayer.

Key texts

  • 2 Corinthians 5:14
  • Romans 5:8
  • John 3:16

From the course book

Secret 1 · p. 7 · Open the reader

  • “It is the Saviour's love that constrains the messenger to bear the message to the lost.” (p. 7)
  • “The love of Christ leaves us no choice but to share it.” (p. 7)
  • “I have pledged that every energy of my life should be devoted to the work of winning souls to Him.” (p. 7)
  • “Christ will impart to His messengers the same yearning love that He Himself has in seeking for the lost.” (p. 7)

Put it into practice

  • Read 2 Corinthians 5:14 in both the KJV and a modern translation such as the NEB or Amplified Bible.
  • Spend time meditating on Christ's cup in Gethsemane until it moves you, as it moved Ellen White, to pledge your energy to soul-winning.
  • Picture one specific neighbor and consider that Christ would have died for that person alone.
  • Pray daily, claiming Christ's promise to impart His own yearning love for a particular person you know.
  1. Comprehension

    1. What does the booklet identify as the first and most productive secret of motivating members to witness?

  2. Scripture

    2. Read 2 Corinthians 5:14. How does Paul describe the effect of Christ's love on his ministry?

  3. Doctrinal Clarity

    3. Why does the booklet recommend appealing to Christ's love before other motivators?

  4. Contrast

    4. Contrast a witness motivated chiefly by duty with one motivated chiefly by love, as this section implies.

  5. Comprehension

    5. What experience from Gethsemane did Ellen White say shaped her lifelong pledge to soul-winning?

  6. Doctrinal Clarity

    6. How does the booklet use the vastness of the universe to illustrate Christ's love for one soul?

  7. Scripture

    7. What promise does the booklet highlight regarding Christ and His messengers' love for the lost?

  8. Application

    8. Choose one neighbor or acquaintance and reflect: how does knowing Christ would have died for that person alone change how you view them?