God's Love Revealed

Article 1 of 13 in the Walking with Jesus Series

Have you ever wondered whether God could truly love someone like you - not humanity in the abstract, but you, with your particular history of failures and distance from what you know you ought to be? This question lies beneath almost every other question in the spiritual life. The answer Scripture gives is not a qualified yes. It is an unqualified, costly, demonstrated yes, sealed in the blood of the Son of God.

The most striking feature of God's love as revealed in Scripture is that it moves first. It does not wait for human beings to become worthy before it acts. The Apostle Paul states this plainly:

The word translated "commendeth" (sunistemi in Greek) means to demonstrate or prove by action. God did not merely declare His love in words. He proved it in the most costly way imaginable, while we were still in full rebellion against Him. The initiative was entirely His.

This is the consistent testimony of Scripture from beginning to end. In the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve had sinned and hidden themselves, it was God who came looking: "And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9, KJV). The seeking love of God is not a New Testament innovation. It runs through the entire biblical narrative.

The Greek word John uses in John 3:16 is agape. This is not the love of attraction or sentiment. It is a love that is rooted in the character of the one who loves rather than in the worthiness of the one loved. John makes this explicit in his first epistle:

The love came first. Our love for God is always a response to His love for us, never the cause of it. John goes further still:

God does not merely possess love as one attribute among many. He is love. Everything He does flows from this reality. His justice, His discipline, even His wrath against sin, are all expressions of a love that is committed to what is right and to the wellbeing of those He has made.

Scripture will not allow us to speak of God's love in abstract terms. It always brings us back to the cross. The love of God has a price tag, and that price tag is the life of His Son.

The word "gave" points forward to the cross. The eternal Son of God, through whom all things were made (John 1:3), entered human flesh, lived a life of perfect obedience to the law He Himself had given, and then died the death that sinners deserved. Paul describes the transaction:

Our sin was placed on Christ. His righteousness is offered to us. This exchange is the heart of the gospel, and it is the most profound demonstration of love in the history of the universe.

The love of God is not passive. Jesus described it in three parables in Luke 15: a shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep to find one that is lost, a woman who sweeps her entire house to find one lost coin, and a father who runs down the road to meet a returning son while he is still a great way off. In each case, the one who was lost is found not by their own effort but by the relentless pursuit of the one who loved them.

The word "seek" is active and intentional. Jesus did not come to wait for the lost to find their way to Him. He came to find them.

• "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." (Jeremiah 31:3, KJV)
• "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39, KJV)
• "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." (1 John 4:9, KJV)
• "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13, KJV)
• "But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us." (Titus 3:4-5a, KJV)

"God loves me because I am basically a good person." Scripture is clear that God's love is not a response to human goodness. Romans 5:8 states that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. The love of God precedes and does not depend upon any merit in us.

"God loves humanity in general but may not love me specifically." The parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:4-7) makes clear that God's love is particular and personal. The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to find the one. Jesus said that the very hairs of our head are numbered (Matthew 10:30). The love of God is not a vague benevolence toward the species. It is a personal love for each individual.

"God's love means He will not judge sin." The cross demonstrates that God's love and His justice are not in conflict. God did not overlook sin because He loved us. He bore the penalty of sin Himself so that both His love and His justice could be fully satisfied. "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." (Psalm 85:10, KJV)

"I have sinned too much for God to love me." Romans 8:38-39 lists every conceivable power and circumstance and declares that none of them can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. The love of God is greater than any sin. This does not mean sin has no consequences, but it means that no one is beyond the reach of God's love.

The love of God is not merely a doctrine to be believed. It is a reality to be received and lived in. Consider these practical responses:

1. Receive it personally. Many people believe in God's love as a general truth while struggling to receive it as a personal reality. Bring your specific failures and doubts before God and ask Him to make His love real to you. The promise of James 4:8 is that if you draw near to God, He will draw near to you.

2. Let it displace fear. John writes that "perfect love casteth out fear" (1 John 4:18, KJV). If your relationship with God is primarily characterized by fear of punishment, you have not yet fully grasped the love He has for you. Study the passages in this article until the love of God becomes more real to you than your fear.

3. Let it produce love for others. "We love him, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19, KJV). The love of God, truly received, always overflows toward others. If you find it difficult to love the people around you, return to the cross and spend time meditating on what God has done for you.

4. Use it as an anchor in trial. When circumstances are hard and God seems distant, return to the objective fact of the cross. The love of God was demonstrated there once for all, and it does not fluctuate with your feelings or your circumstances.

1. Read Romans 5:6-11. Paul uses three words to describe our condition when Christ died for us: ungodly (v. 6), sinners (v. 8), and enemies (v. 10). What does each of these words add to your understanding of the love of God?

2. Compare John 3:16 with 1 John 4:9-10. What similarities do you notice? What does each passage emphasize that the other does not?

3. Read Luke 15:11-32 (the parable of the prodigal son). How does the father's response to the returning son illustrate the love of God? What does the father do before the son has finished his prepared speech?

4. Read Jeremiah 31:3. God describes His love as "everlasting" and says He has drawn His people with "lovingkindness." How does the idea of being drawn by love differ from being compelled by law?

5. Is there anything in your past or present that you have believed puts you beyond the reach of God's love? Bring that specific thing before God in prayer and ask Him to show you what Scripture says about it.

• Humanity's Need for a Savior - Article 2 in this series
• Faith and Acceptance in Christ - Article 5 in this series
• The Blessed Hope and Walking Until Christ Returns - Article 13 in this series

Primary passages: John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:8-10

Supporting passages: Genesis 3:9; Psalm 85:10; Jeremiah 31:3; Luke 15:4-7, 11-32; Luke 19:10; John 1:3; John 15:13; Romans 8:38-39; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Titus 3:4-5; James 4:8; 1 John 4:18-19

Recommended reading:

• Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, Chapter 1: "God's Love for Man" (Review and Herald, 1892)
• John Stott, The Cross of Christ (IVP, 1986), Chapter 7: "The Self-Substitution of God"
• D. A. Carson, The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God (Crossway, 2000)

Do you have a question about God's love or the gospel? Ask it here - your question may become our next article.

This article was adapted from the themes presented in the classic devotional book Steps to Christ. To access the original book, please click here.