God’s Love

God loves you. If you’ve grown up in church, you’ve probably heard that a thousand times (I hope!), but it is always worth repeating.

So what does it mean that God loves us? To get the most accurate picture of God’s love, we can look at Jesus, who is God. Love is, at its core, selflessly giving oneself to someone else. Jesus did this for us when He took our sins upon Himself, gave up His life on the cross, and then rose from the dead so that, if we know Jesus, we can live with Him forever.

This truth is completely absurd. It makes no sense. Why would God go so far to show His love for us? Maybe it would be slightly less crazy if we had done something amazing for God—if we had somehow earned even a tiny particle of the love He gives us.

But, unless His Holy Spirit changes us, do you know what we have to offer God? Sin. Rebellion. Intentional disobedience. Hatred toward His goodness and love. The only thing we have to offer God is our incredible neediness. And when we recognize that neediness—and put our trust in the love Jesus showed through His death and resurrection—Jesus covers us with His righteousness (or perfect
obedience).

God is love (along with justice, wrath, peace, and several other things). That doesn’t mean God is sentimental—it means He is self-sacrificing. He will do whatever it takes to bring us to Himself. That is the love He has for us. And that is the love He empowers us to show others. • Taylor Eising

• How does knowing Jesus loves us unconditionally, even though we are sinners, help us love others who might not be easy to love? What are some practical ways you can show Jesus’ love to the people around you?

• If you still have questions about Jesus’ love, that’s okay! Find a trusted Christian in your life to talk to about it, and check out our “Know Jesus” page for more information about how God’s love can change your life.

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 1 John 4:10 (NLT)

Read Verses:

1 John 4:7-21