“Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God…”
“Love” is the only word in the Bible that defines the very essence of God. The Greek word used for God’s love is “agape” (ah-gah-pay). This is love that continues to love, even when we are unlovable. It is the love that transcends feelings. It is the love that cares in spite of our sins and foibles. We are going to look at what the love of God means to us. God’s love is not discriminating. Through Jesus we know that God loves everyone. He is not pleased with everyone, but He loves everyone. When we are told that “God so loved the world,” there are no exceptions given. It does not say that God loved the world with the exception of some that He does not love. He loves the whole world. We should be glad to know this because this means that God loves us at all times. Again, we do not always please Him, but nothing can make Him stop loving us. It would follow that through Jesus, the love of God dwells in us; therefore, we should attempt to love all people as well. God’s love is immeasurable. Paul wrote in Romans 8:38-39: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.” These verses describe a love that has no bounds. God’s love is so deep and wide that nothing can separate us from it. Can’t we see this love shining from the cross? Doesn’t Jesus’ death on the cross tell us that God loves us? You cannot measure a love that will hold true even when the objects of that love are definitely not worthy of it. You cannot measure a love that will forgive, even when forgiveness is not deserved. After all, Jesus said:“Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” We can put our names by“they.” Third, God’s love is active. Romans 5:8 reveals this wonderful word to us: “But God commendeth (demonstrates) His love for us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God’s love is not a mere feeling; rather, it is an action. Again, John 3:16 states that “God so loved the world that He gave.” This means that He acted on our behalf to save us. God demonstrated His love for us by having Christ die for us. He did this though we are all, every last one of us, sinners. We can go back into the Old Testament and see God’s love at work for His people. We see that active love in the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. We see that active love in the protection of Israel during the years of their wilderness wandering. Throughout the Bible we see the active love of God, working on behalf of His people. What was true in the Old and New Testaments is still true today. God loves us, and He demonstrates it through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is my prayer that this article will encourage you to concentrate on the fact that God loves you, and that He loves you in spite of yourself. There is nothing more reassuring than the fact that we have a God who loves us. We can depend on the fact that God loves us through Jesus. This fact of God’s love should give us greater incentive to tell others about this God, whose very essence is love and who loves us. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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