God's
Love!
"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!" John 3:16.
Love is the foundation principle of all that God has attempted
to share with us in the Scriptures about life. God has demonstrated
His love for us in so many ways in His efforts to reach us
and teach us the meaning of love and how to love.
What is love? The Bible teaches us that God is love! "Beloved,
let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone
who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love
does not know God, for God is love!
John continues with this thought. "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. In this
is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent
His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God
so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 1 John
4:7-11.
What is this propitiation that John speaks of? Propitiation
comes from a Greek word meaning an expiator; or an atoning
victim. Propitiation is a theological term denoting that God
accepts the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary as the ordained
victim who died for the sins of the world in order to pardon
those who put their faith and trust in the One who fulfilled
the law on our behalf.
Jesus in His sermon on the mountain gave us an insight on
the fulfilling of the law. "Do not think that I came
to destroy the Law or the Prophets, I did not come to destroy
but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and
earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass
from the law till all is fulfilled" Matthew 5:17, 18.
Jesus, Who is God, Who is our Creator and our Redeemer, has
loved us supremely in that He "fulfilled the law"
for us and then willingly lay down His life for every man,
woman and child who has been born into this world.
In fulfilling the law, Jesus also took away the sin of the
world! "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him,
and said, 'Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin
of the world!'" John 1:29. Paul continues this thought
when he wrote, "For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew
no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness
of God in Him" 2 Corinthians 5:21. Jesus was made to
be "sin" on the cross for you and me. He who knew
no sin was made to be sin for everyone who put their faith
and trust in God! Jesus has loved us supremely.
Notice the progression; Jesus fulfilled the law, then He took
away the sin of the world. What does He do next? He teaches
us how to live in a way that "we might become the righteousness
of God in Him." What does that mean?
According to Paul, "All the law is fulfilled in one word,
even in this; 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be
consumed by one another!" Galatians 5:14, 15.
Jesus said it this way in answer to a question from a lawyer
who asked Him, "'Teacher, which is the great commandment
in the law?' Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all
your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the
second is like it; 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets"
Matthew 22:36-40.
Love is the foundation principle of life! God the Father and
Jesus the Son do not ask anything of us other than what they
have already done for us; that we love one another as They
have loved us!
The only
way that we can more fully understand the love of God for
humanity is to behold it as it was lived out in the life of
Jesus!
Jesus in His parting instructions to His disciples reinforced
this message when He said, "A new commandment I give
to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that
you also love one another. By this all will know that you
are My disciples, if you have love for one another" John
13:34, 35.
May you rest secure in the knowledge that God loves you supremely!
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