The Love of God

Q: What does the Bible say about God's love?

The Bible reveals that God's love is manifested through sending His Son for our salvation (1 John 4:9). The Bible teaches that God's love is beyond comprehension, as expressed in 1 John 4:10, where it states, 'Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us.' This verse underscores the nature of divine love as initiating and selfless. The culmination of God's love is seen clearly in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who was sent as a propitiation for our sins. This act demonstrates not just affection but a profound commitment to our salvation, showcasing an infinite, everlasting love that exists apart from any merit of our own. In Ephesians 2:4-5, we also see how God, being rich in mercy, extends love and grace even when we were dead in our sins.

Q: How do we know God's love is true?

God's love is proven through the sending of His Son as atonement for our sins (Romans 5:8). The truth of God's love is irrefutably demonstrated in the reality that 'while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us' (Romans 5:8). This sacrificial act is the ultimate evidence of God's commitment to humanity, showing that His love is not based on our actions but rather on His sovereign will and grace. John 3:16 further reiterates this point: 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.' It is a love that seeks us out even in our unloveliness. The concept of propitiation, which means to satisfy God's wrath against sin, underlines God's love as not just emotional but also judicially valid, meeting the demands of His holiness.

Q: Why is God's love important for Christians?

God's love motivates believers to love others and live in gratitude (1 John 4:19). God's love is foundational for the Christian life; it is not only the source of our salvation but also the impetus for our relationships with others. As noted in 1 John 4:19, 'We love him, because he first loved us,' emphasizing that our love for God and others flows from the love we have received. This love compels us to forgive and serve one another, reflecting Christ's sacrificial nature. Furthermore, understanding God's love encourages believers to rejoice in their identity as His adopted children, as expressed in 1 John 3:1. This identity calls us to live lives marked by love, grace, and an eagerness to share the gospel with others, thus extending the same love we have been shown.

Q: What is the meaning of love in Christianity?

In Christianity, love is exemplified through God's actions, particularly in the sacrifice of Jesus (1 John 3:16). Christian love is distinct from secular understandings of love, as it is rooted in the actions and character of God. It is defined by self-sacrifice, as evident in John 3:16, where God's act of sending His son is portrayed as the ultimate expression of love. First John 3:16 echoes this sentiment, stating, 'Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us.' This indicates that true love requires action and often involves sacrifice for the benefit of others. Additionally, God's love demonstrates grace; it is not contingent on the worthiness of the recipient, as all human beings are inherently sinful and unworthy of such profound love. Therefore, the Christian concept of love is active, selfless, and flows from an understanding of being beloved by God.

Now, turn again in your Bible
to 1 John chapter 4. 1 John chapter 4. Let's begin reading at verse
7. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God. Remember, the fruit of the Spirit
is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, meekness, temperance.
Everyone that loveth, loves God and loves the gospel, that man
is born of God. begotten of God. And we know
God, we know God in Christ. This is eternal life that they
might know thee the only true God, Jesus Christ, John 17. He
that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is, God is, He is love. He is love. And this was manifested,
the love of God. Here's the love of God displayed,
put on display, manifested for all to see, manifested The love
of God toward us, because that God sent his only well-beloved
Son, begotten Son, into the world, that we might live through him,
that we might live, have salvation through that sacrifice. And then
verse 10, here is love. Do you want to know what love
is? Do you want to know what it's about? I do. Herein is love. Now, if we want to talk about
love, let's not talk about how much we love. Let's talk about
how much he loved us. Here in his love, not that we
loved God, but he loved us. He loved his own with an everlasting
love. Having loved his own, he loved
them to the end, supremely. He loved us, and he sent his
son to be the satisfaction for our sins. Now, throughout this
epistle in John, 1 John, he makes many references about God's love. I've counted at least 46 times
he mentions this love of God, God's love toward his church.
We read in Ephesians, he loved the church and gave himself for
it. He talks about the love of God
he has to his elect. And then it talks about our love
toward one another. And we do love one another. Now,
not like we ought to, but we do love one another. Believers
have fellowship one with another. We have love one to another. And we have love by the Spirit
of God. We have love to Him. To Him. We love Him, it says in verse
19. We love Him because He first
loved us. We love Him because He first
loved us. Now, John says in verse 10, here
is love. Here is the grand display. The grand display of God's love
to his own. Here is love, not in word, but
in deed and in truth. Here's love in action. Here is
love that is shown and explained and demonstrated for all to see. And it's love demonstrated toward
the unlovely. The unlovely. Love at its climax. Love outdoing itself. Herein
is love. It's like when you go to the
ocean. I remember the first time I took my little ones to the
ocean. When they came to the ocean and they looked at it,
it's just overwhelming, isn't it? And you would walk up to
the ocean and say, well, here is water. Oh, that's a whole
lot of water. You want to see water? Go to
the ocean. Don't walk up to a mud puddle and say, well, here is
water. Well, you know, that is water, but it's kind of muddy,
isn't it? Go to the ocean. Oh, here is water. And that's
the way it is with this love of God in Christ. Herein is love.
Here's an ocean of love. Where's the bottom of it? Where's
the top of it? Where's the length of it? Where's
the breadth of it? Far as you can see, water, love of God in
Christ Jesus. The Lord himself calls himself
the water of life. He's an ocean of love, unabounding
love, infinite love, eternal love. We talk about light. He is light and he is love. You would look at a light bulb,
and you would say, that's light, and it is, but it's a pretty
dim example of light. But if you would walk out, like
on a sunny day today, and you look up at the sun, and you say,
well, there it is, light, unabounding, infinite, brilliant, bright sunlight. And that's a good description
of the love of God. Herein is light. Herein is love. In the face of the Lord Jesus
Christ, this love of the Lord Jesus is beyond all degree. Surpasses every human standard
of love, does it not? Exceeds all earthly expectation
and all other love stories. You talk about love stories.
I like a good love story, don't you? But this story of his love
to his own, all other stories pale in comparison when you compare
his love toward his own. to his elect. Here in his love
all other love stories pale in insignificance when we talk about
his love. Now turn back one chapter, 1
John 3, 1, when he talks about love, behold, 1 John 3, 1, behold
what manner of love, you talk about love now, behold what manner
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us. Now you consider who
we are, on us, bestowed, given. that we should be called sons
of God, sons of God. Therefore, the world doesn't
know it, knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now
are we sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall
be. But when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we
shall see him as he is." Now, that's love. That's love. That's infinite, glorious love. In that chapter of 1 Corinthians
13, it says that love never fails. This love of God never fails,
has no beginning, has no end. Nothing can separate us from
the love of God, which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now this
text says, he says when he talks about love, this love of God
is to those who do not love him. Here in his love, not. Not that we love God. Now, it's
talking about what we are naturally and in ourselves. Men don't love
the true and the living God, not left to themselves. No, they
don't. Men love, it says in 1 John 3,
19, men love darkness rather than light because their deeds
where evil man by nature left to himself doesn't love God.
Since Adam's fall and since Adam's ruin, there never has been an
unregenerated sinful man that loves God left to himself. Not at all. The carnal mind in
Romans 8, 7, the carnal mind is enmity against God. You know that word enmity? Look
it up sometime. Deep-rooted, deep-seated hatred. toward God, man left to himself
doesn't love God. Instead of loving God, we rebelled
against God, against every command that he had given us. We have
not received his word. We have not believed his gospel. And men left to themselves will
not believe the truth. Not till we love God. We don't
love God naturally. Thank God he doesn't leave us
in that state. He gives us a new nature, makes
us new creatures in Christ. to love him. I hope we understand
that God did not love us because we love him. It's just the opposite. We love him because he first
loved us. His love to us is eternal and prior to us ever loving him,
he loved his own with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving
kindness does he draw them to himself. Here in his love, God
loved the unlovely. God loved the hateful, the depraved
sinner, and loved them, though we did not love Him." Not at
first. Not at first. He said, You didn't
choose Me. I've chosen you. The reason we
love Him is because He chose us and He made us new creatures
in Christ. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things have become new. This shows us again that His
love to us is free, sovereign, unmerited, eternal, and unsought
by us. Jacob, he said, have I love?
He thought, have I hated that sovereign love? You remember
that song? Hail, sovereign love that first began the scheme to
rescue fallen men. Hail, matchless, free, eternal
grace that gave my soul a hiding place. Sovereign love. That's
what this book teaches. The sovereign love of God, which
is in the Lord Jesus Christ. So when we talk about love, it's
not that we love God first. that He loved us first and made
us object of His love. The object of love is the desire
to bestow the best it can on the object of its affection.
And that's what the Lord Jesus Christ does to us. We've been
made by His sovereign choice the object of His affection.
Those whom you love, you desire the best for them. And that's
what God has done for us in Christ. Oh, I tell you, this is the love
of God that I like to talk about. I'm almost embarrassed to sing
that song, Oh, How I Love Jesus. I do, but not the way I'd rather
sing, Oh, How He Loves Me in Christ Jesus. I don't like to
talk about that, brag about that, how He loves us. Now, we do love
Him by His grace, but not like we want to. Not like we will
someday when we sing unto Him who loved us and washed us from
our sin in His own blood. Now notice this, secondly. This
love, this love to God's elect who are sinful by nature flows
to us from God. Flows to us, not that we love
God, but it says that He loved us. That little word there, B-U-T. It's a big word. But, but God. But God. Let me show you a good
example of that. If you find Ephesians chapter
1. Here's a good example of that little word, B-U-T, but God,
who is rich in mercy. Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1
through 3, describes what we are by nature, dead in sin, children
of disobedience, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the
mind. We're by nature children of wrath, even as others. And
then in verse 12, it talks about Ephesians 2, 12. At that time,
we were without Christ, aliens, idolaters, strangers from the
covenant of promise, having no hope without God in the world,
but now in Christ. You who are sometimes far off
are made nigh. Go up to verse 4, Ephesians 2,
4. But God... You see, who makes the difference
here? God made the difference. But God, who is rich in mercy
for his great love, wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead, graveyard dead, spiritually separated from God, hath quickened
us together with Christ by grace are you saved." Now, this is
the love of God that we're talking about here. This love of God.
It flows out from God. God loved us. Now, what does
God want in loving us? What kind of insignificant little
sinful creatures we are? Yet, yet, it says here, I believe
the record, God loves us in Christ. Now it's great to be loved by
a dog. I have a little dog. We have two little dogs now,
thanks to my wife. We have two little dogs now.
And you know those dogs, they just love to love on you, don't
they? They just love to Some of you have dogs, like Casey.
Casey just loves to get all of you. So does our dog. It's great to be loved by a dog.
However, it's even greater to be loved by a child. I remember
when we had our first little baby, little girl, and we would
love on her and cuddle her and all those things. And I thought
to myself, one day, I can't wait until she grows up where she
could love me, where she could hug me and embrace me. I thought, oh, it would be great
to be loved by a child. And it's great to be loved by
a friend. It's good to have friends, and to be loved by a friend.
A friend loveth at all times. And it's great to be loved by
a dog, and to be loved by a child, and to be loved by a wife, and
to be loved by a friend, and to be loved by a husband. Oh, but to be loved of God. Now
think about that. To be loved of God. To be made
an object of His grace, an object of His mercy. What great glory
that must involve! God loves us in Christ. Nothing can separate us from
the love of God which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is love
abounding with all glory and grace. God loved us. Thirdly, this love was unsought
by us. It says there that He sent His
Son. He not only loved us, but He
demonstrated that love. He sent His Son. He sent His
Son to die for us. And this was manifested, the
love of God toward us, verse 9, because that God sent His
only begotten Son into the world. Why did He send Him? Turn back
to chapter 3, verse 5, 1 John 3, 5. You know that He was manifested
to take away our sins, and in Him is no sin. He was sent to
die for our sins. We never sent for Him. That's
right. God sent to us. This human race
was content to love darkness rather than light, content to
believe a lie rather than God, content to seek salvation by
works rather than Christ. Our Lord came to this world,
not that we might seek His love, but rather that He might seek
us out of the world. He came to seek and to save those
which were lost. The shepherd seeks out the sheep.
Why? Because He's made us object of
His love. The Son of Man has come to seek
and to save those covenant people. You see the shepherds on the
trail, the sheep. He's going to run them down. He's going
to overtake them. He's going to overcome them.
He's going to make them new creatures in Christ. That's right. Something
else about this love of God. This love of God provided the
means to deal with our sin problem. He loved us so. He sent His Son. He sent His Son to be the satisfaction
for my sin. Now, that's love. That is the
love of God. You see, love provided, love
provided propitiation. Love provided satisfaction for
my sin. God dealt with our sin problem
in Christ Jesus. Could God justly save His people
from sin and not deal with the sin issue? Sin had to be dealt
with. And that's the question of question.
How God can be God, remain holy and just, and save His people
and not violate His holy character? How can God be a just God and
Savior? How can He be just and a justifier?
The only answer to that question is in Christ. In the Lord Jesus
Christ. He made satisfaction for my sin. God could not pardon sin justly. Without complete payment for
my sin, He must be God, our Savior. Atonement must be made. God must demand atonement for
sin because God is holy. God is holy. But thank God, He
also provided the Lamb to take away our sin. He provided the
Lamb to take away our sin. Now you think about this. God,
against whom we have sinned, He provides Himself for the sacrifice
for our sin. You remember Abraham and Isaac
going to worship. And Isaac asked, my father, where
is the Lamb? Where is the Lamb? And you remember
the answer of the faithful believer, Abraham, my son, God will provide
Himself as the Lamb. And the Lord Jesus Christ, He
is God Himself, the Lamb of God. He is our satisfaction. He is
our propitiation. God Himself provided the land,
and He provided Himself as the land. That's amazing love, is
it not? What God demanded, God demanded
full payment, full satisfaction for sin. What God demanded, He
provided. And what God provides, mark it
down, He accepts. That's right. in Christ Jesus. He is the Lamb of God that taketh
away our sin. John said, identified him as
the Lamb of God. Now you think of John the Baptist.
Remember his father? His father was Zachariah the
priest. John grew up around the temple.
He saw all those sacrificial lambs every morning, every evening,
on the Day of Atonement, all those burnt offerings, sacrifice
offerings, peace offerings, meat offerings, all those blood offerings. Lamb after lamb after lamb. And
when the Lord Jesus Christ came along one day, He identified
Him as that Lamb of God. The Lamb of God that takes away
the sin of God's people and doing so by burying their sin in His
own body on the tree. That's the good news of the Gospel.
Who among us? Now you think about this. Who
among us will give up his son? Would you give your son to pay
for the crimes of your enemy? But that's exactly what God did.
We sinned against God, and yet He provides Himself for the payment
and satisfaction for my sin, and lets me go free, and kills
His Son in my stead, bears my wrath before God, and sets me
free. That's love. That's the love
of God in Christ Jesus. His love is displayed in creation.
God created all things. Even creation as it is, falling,
is still a glorious thing. The whole creation groaneth and
travaileth until it be made new heaven and new earth one day.
But His love is displayed in creation. His love is displayed
in providence. All things work together for
good to them who love God. We read a while ago that we see
his love displayed in incarnation. God so loved that he sent his
only begotten son. We see his love displayed in
his obedient life. He became obedient on the death,
even the death of the cross. But where do we see the acme?
Where do we see the high point of the love of God manifested?
We see his love most gloriously displayed at Calvary. That's right. That's what happened
at Calvary. We see the hatred of men displayed,
don't we? That was put on display. They
hated him. They nailed him. It pleased Pilate
to kill him. It pleased the Roman soldiers
to kill him. But my friend, we see not only
the hatred of men put on display, but we see the love of God. Displayed
there at Calvary as he dies such a horrible death being made sin
for us and we see the wrath of God It pleased the father to
bruise him Why because God loved his own and he could not save
us without a full payment for sin here in his love Oh, this
is the love of God that I want to talk about and sing about
and preach about He redeemed us from the curse of the law
being made a curse for us It's just not his death But being
made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. It's just not that he died. He
died with my sin charged to him. He was made sin and he made an
end of sin by putting away our sin. The penalty of that sin
is death. He died a real death. He's a real substitute for real
sinners. Christ, it says in the book of
Romans, that Christ died for the ungodly. Turn over here to
Romans 5, just a minute. Romans chapter 5, it talks about
this love of God that shed abroad in our hearts. In Romans 5, verse
5, hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Romans 5. which is given unto
us, for when we were yet without strength in due time, Christ
died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous
man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even
dare to die. But God commended his love toward
us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than being now justified
by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if,
when we are enemies, we are reconciled to God by the death of his Son,
much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
Verse 11, not only so, not only that so, but we also joy in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received
the atonement. We have received this reconciliation. In the Lord Jesus Christ, the
grand display of God's love is seen at Calvary as he dies. My death takes my sin, and the
result of that is he gives us his perfect righteousness in
crime. God made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we
might be made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Now look back to the text again.
Here in his love. Verse John 4 10 not that we love
God But that he loved us He loved us so that he sent his son To
be he sent his son to be my Satisfaction for my sin to just dying for
the unjust that he might bring us unto God now beloved. Here's the last thing verse 11
beloved if God so loved us that We are also to love one another.
Turn back to first John three. Look at verse sixteen. First
John three sixteen. Hereby perceive we. We know the
love of God because he laid down his life for us. We ought to
lay down our lives for the brethren for one another. This is that
love of God that shed abroad in our hearts. What is the effect,
the effect of the Lord Jesus Christ dying for our sin and
loving us and making us new creatures in Christ, loving us and make
us sons of God? We love one another. Look what
it says in verse 11. Beloved, if God so loved us,
1 John 4, 11, we ought also to love, to love one another, to
love one another. God loved us so freely. so sacrificially,
so infinitely, we ought also to love one another. It shouldn't
be difficult for one who was the object of love to manifest
that love to others. It should not be difficult for
one who has been freely forgiven to freely forgive all those that
sin against him. We read in first or Ephesians
4 32. We're to love one another. and
forgive one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven
us. It shouldn't be difficult for
one who has received mercy to show mercy. That's right. Our
Lord loved us. Our Lord loved us with all our
sin. Can we do less than to love others
who have sinned against us and to forgive them, even as God,
for Christ's sake, has forgiven us? It says there in 1 John 4,
verse 19, we love him because he first loved us. If a man say,
well, I love God and hate his brother, he's a liar. That's
just cutting right to the quick, isn't it? For he that loveth
not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom
he hath not seen? And this commandment, it's not
an option here, not an option, it's his command. This commandment
we have from him that he who love of God loves his brother
all so you see love and life go together. Love and life go
together. Love is the evidence of life
in Christ Jesus. It says in in chapter five verse
one. Whoso will believe that whosoever
believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And everyone
that loveth Him that beget loveth Him also that's begotten of God.
Love and life go together. When you find a lover of the
Lord Jesus Christ, you find a man who is gracious, loving, and
kind, and forgiving of others. That's right. That's the Spirit
of God that's shed abroad in our hearts. It's the fruit of
the Spirit. Love, joy, longsuffering, meekness, temperance. You remember
what we sang when we started? Amazing love. How can it be that
thou, my God, should die for me? Love so amazing, so divine
demands my soul, my life, my all? That's right. What motivates
a believer to serve the Lord Jesus Christ? Now, I know what
religion uses in our day, false religion especially. They use
fear of punishment. or promise of reward to try to
motivate you to serve the Lord. You know how we're motivated
to serve the Lord? Gratitude and love. We read in
Scripture the love of Christ constrains us. We love Him. You know that word in Scripture
where it talks about being a servant of the Lord? You know what that
is? That's a loving, willing bond slave of Jesus Christ. We serve the Lord out of willingness
and a want to, made willing in a day of God's power. Here is
love. Not that we love God. He loved
us. And He sent His Son to be. He
sent His Son to be my satisfaction for my sin. This is the love
of God. that's manifested in the Lord
Jesus Christ. I pray God will bless that Word
to your heart and bless that Scripture to your heart and to
the glory of our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus.

The Love of God

What does the Bible say about God's love?

How do we know God's love is true?

Why is God's love important for Christians?

What is the meaning of love in Christianity?

Sermon Transcript

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The Love of God

What does the Bible say about God's love?

How do we know God's love is true?

Why is God's love important for Christians?

What is the meaning of love in Christianity?

Sermon Transcript

About Tom Harding

Comments

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