Tell me about God’s Love for you…did you have to earn His Love?
How is it that God loved you enough that even while you were a sinner He died for you….
Tell me about God’s Love for you…
Well, let's take a look in the word of God and see the love of God and how we should love each other.
Let’s go to 1 John 4: 10
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and
sent his Son to be the propitiation for our
sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any time.
If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and
his love is perfected in us. 13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the
Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us.
God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him,
That he who loveth God love his brother also.
So this is a very good example on how love is distribute. Jesus is the propitiation for our sin, meaning Jesus paid for our sin, our past sin, not future sin. Paul said in (Rom. 3:23-25) (v.23)
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (v.24)
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (v.25)
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. He was the ultimate sacrifice for us. So we should look at our brother and Sisters as in the same love as Jesus has for us. Who is my brother and my Sister? All of the children of Adam!
Let’s go to Romans 13: 8
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that l
oveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if
there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love
is the fulfilling of the law.
And that is what God’s holy commandments are all about; the first four tells you how to love God and the last six tells you how to love your neighbor. If you love your God you will not do any thing to offend him, like having other gods before him. You will do as he says like remember the sabbath day to keep it holy on the seventh day of the week. If you love him you will obey him when he tells you not to eat certain meats etc…
Note that Jesus states in the following verse that in order to love Him one has to keep His commandments.
John (14:15)
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Jesus further defines the love He requires when He states in the following verse that those who have His commandments and keep them are those that love Him. One does not have to guess at Jesus definition of love He made it clear.
John (14:21)
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Jesus also reinforced what was said in Deuteronomy verse (9) by adding that those that love Him will be loved by the Father. How does one love Jesus? by keeping His commandments and Moses said God will keep covenant and have mercy with those who keep His commandments. So therefore by following Jesus one shall receive love from Him as well as mercy from the Father.
Note in these scriptures it did not say those who profess their love for Jesus or those that claim that Jesus knows what in their heart. Jesus made a clear and direct statement if one has His commandments and keeps them they are the ones who love Him. To exhibit love towards Jesus one must engage in a specific action and that action is being obedience to the word of God. And one will see that they are to be obedient regardless of their feeling or the surrounding circumstances.
Jesus states again in the following verses what is required of an individual to receive His love.
John (15:9)
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
(10)
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Notice Jesus use the word if ye keep my commandments, so what happen if ye do not keep his commandments. The above verse shows to be loved of Jesus one needs to be obedient. Jesus also states in verse (10) that He was obedient to the Father by keeping His commandments and therefore abides in His love. Now Jesus is the example man is to follow and just as He was obedient to the word of God we have to be obedient to God’s word.