Good morning,
This week we will look at who is love, what He has done for us, our response, and what 1 John 4:7-21 tells us about love.
1) God is Love (I John 4:8)
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
God has been love from before the creation. It is part of God’s character.
2) God demonstrates His love (Romans 5:8)
But God commendeth (demonstrated) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
God did not have to redeem sinners. We failed to follow God’s commandments and He had the perfect right to destroy us. Remember the flood? He chose to send Jesus to pay our sin debt. Sin has always needed a blood sacrifice. Jesus came and paid our sin debt for us. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)
3) God loves the world (John 3:16)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God’s love was never limited to a certain group of people. He loved the whole world. The greatest demonstration of that love was to allow His Son, Jesus, to go to the cross and pay the sin debt for all mankind. Remember that Jesus never sinned. Yet He took the sin of all mankind on Himself, shedding His perfect blood, to redeem all mankind. All mankind had to do was believe in the finished work of Christ. Then mankind would be saved and look forward to eternal life with God in heaven.
4) How do we respond to God’s love?
Keep His commandments
If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (I John 5:3)
Love Him (I John 4:19)
We love him, because he first loved us.
Our response needs to be obedience. When we realize what God has done for us, it should cause us to obey, love Him, and praise Him. We now possess all the promises God has made to believers in Christ.
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com
Leave a Reply