by Robert Fudge

I John 4:9-10
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

I John 4:16-18
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

In the previous articles we looked at the nature of God as being just and therefore requires that sin be punished by death. But why choose Jesus? While I cannot answer that question entirely, at least one reason is because of the love of God. How can we understand God’s love for us? Without the ability to understand God (which we cannot begin to do) we will never fully understand his attributes and his nature. We can see it in action and get a glimpse of it. God loves us enough that he wants to share eternity with us in his presence, even if it costs him grief for a moment.

Did you ever see your child hurting? Maybe an accident or sickness or surgery or maybe just getting a shot from the doctor but it hurts us to watch. Can you now imagine how it must have hurt God the Father to see his Son being tortured and finally killed? Add to this the fact that he was dying with the guilt of our sin on him and thus the Father had to turn his back on him as he died. Remember the words of Jesus on the cross: “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” II Corinthians 5:21: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

God went through all of this because he loves us that much! We think we love but how puny it is compared to the love of God. God is love.

We can know that we have eternal life because of the extent of the love of God. Jesus loves us (and loves the Father) enough that he willingly suffered and died for us. God has done his part to give us eternal life. We must be willing to accept it by faith (which we will discuss later). It is because of his great love that we are to be motivated to live for God. How can we spurn his love by being selfish and half hearted in our service to him? How can we acknowledge this love and not give our life to him? We live for him because we are saved and not to earn salvation. I John 3:3: Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

Thank you God for your love. Help me to know that love and serve you. In Jesus name.