Your Great Question: Can you please tell me about the love of God?
Answer: Yes! To us one of the clearest most profound declarations of the love of God can be found in the letters that the Apostle John left for us. We picked out three verses from 1 John which thrill us as we attempt to bring into the light the love of God for all people in our dark, sad, and loveless world.
- 1 John 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
- 1 John 4:9-11 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [covering / forgiveness] for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
- 1 John 5:2-4 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Because love must be voluntary and cannot be coerced, God voluntarily chose to love us! We are totally unloveable in our natural first born sin-filled condition because we have rebelled against His loving WILL FOR OUR HIGHEST AND BEST GOOD. We are rebels who have sinned and rejected His loving provision for us [- see Genesis 3].
But God, loved us though we have rejected Him and He provided the ONE way back into a loving relationship with Him. What is ONE and ONLY WAY? It is our response to His simple question to all humanity: “Will you love Me?” If you love Me, you WILL LOVE MY SON, JESUS!
Among the greatest and simple truths of all time is this: God loves you! Because God gave us a “free-will” to be able to choose to love Him in return, He tells us: “If you will . . . I will.” If you will love My Son Jesus, I will give you a new spirit with which you will NOW be able to love Me in return for the love I have poured out upon you.
Numbered among God’s many expressions of His love for us might be these truths:
- John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
- Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
This ties so well into Jesus’ clearest expression of His love for His Father and for us:
- Luke 22:41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
Truth No. 1: God asks each man, woman, boy and girl, “Will you love Me?”
- Mark 12:30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.
- John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
- John 21:17 He [Jesus] said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Truth No. 2: The only thing small children, in their weakness, can contribute to their parents would be love, affection and obedience.
- The children of sovereign omnipotent God who needs NOTHING can, likewise, only contribute these same attributes: love, affection and obedience.
Truth No. 3: If we love Jesus we will obey and follow Him.
- John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
- John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Truth No. 4: We are fully convinced that Saving Faith is totally dependent upon what one believes to be true about Jesus Christ. What one believes about Jesus and the discarding of anything untrue about Jesus are the single most important thoughts an individual will ever have! Why? One’s eternity, either in heaven or in hell, depends on the answer.
The following truth is what one must believe and trust their eternal life upon. At the “new born” experience, one will love Jesus and commit to follow Him wherever He leads.
- I believe God’s words to be completely true: Matthew 1:20-23 “ . . do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
- I believe there was a place called Calvary outside of Jerusalem some 2000 years ago where three men were executed. Two of those men were convicted criminals. One man named Jesus was declared to be totally innocent of ANY crime, yet was executed because of religious persecution.
- I believe this Man, named Jesus, was the Man on the middle cross executed that day.
- I believe that this Man, named Jesus, is the perfect Son of God who gave His life for me to pay for my sins.
- I believe Jesus is God the Son as well as the perfect Man, sent from God. I believe that Jesus died, was buried, was raised again on the third day, was seen by many witnesses over many days and ascended into heaven to the right hand of God the Father.
- I believe I am a guilty sinner and I need Jesus to save me from my sins for which I rightly deserve eternal death.
- I believe there is a place called heaven.
- I believe Jesus, upon my death, will take me to heaven to be with Him forever.
John 14:1-3 [Jesus said] “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
John 6:28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him [Jesus] whom He sent.”
John 1:12 But as many as received Him [Jesus], to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
What Will You Do With Jesus?
George Stebbins (1887)
Then what you will do with Jesus?
Oh, what shall the answer be?
Oh, what will you do with Jesus?
The call comes loud and sweet;
As tenderly He bids you
Your burdens lay at His feet;
Oh, what will you do with Jesus?
The call comes loud and clear;
The solemn words are sounding
In every list’ning ear;
Immortal life’s the question,
And joy eternally;
Oh, soul so sad and weary,
That sweet voice speaks to thee;
Oh, think of the King of Glory
From Heav’n to earth come down,
His life so pure and holy,
His death, His cross, His crown;
Of His divine compassion,
His sacrifice for thee;
Then what you will do with Jesus?
Oh, what shall the answer be?
All our love to All, In Christ –
Jon + Philis + Friends @ WasItForMe.com
The Love of God – English https://vimeo.com/912288970
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