by The Bible is the most important source for us to know who God is and what His heart is for mankind. It gives us the key characteristics of the relationship He wants to have with us. God’s desire is to share His love with us and for us to not only experience it but to share it with one another!
When we know and have a relationship with God, we end up understanding His heart for mankind. His fundamental attribute is love and the more we spend time with Him, the more we become like Him. So in order for us to love as our Father, we need to look to His word. What does the Bible say about God’s Love?
1 John 4:8 (The Message) — 8 The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love.
There is a lot of different ideas concerning love today in our world. Every form of medium talks about love in one form or another. Yet, with all the talk of love, much of our world is steeped in selfishness.
Yet God’s love is defined, not by popular culture, but by the character of who He is. When people understand who God is, then we will understand what true love is. Then when we experience and know His love, we will then seek to love others as God loves us.
What does the Bible say about God’s love?
1. God’s love is Unconditional
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 (NLT)
The Bible tells us that God loved us when we were in our sin. He loved us even though we were incapable to love Him back because of our unrighteousness. What is so great is that God has not loved us because we deserved it, but because it is His nature to love!
2. God’s love is Righteous
For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” Hebrews 12:6 (NLT)
Because God loves us unconditionally, does not mean that he simply overlooks sin. God’s love for us demands righteousness which is only covered through the sacrifice of Jesus. God gave His son in place of us to pay for the sin that we carry. When we repent and commit to serving Him, he forgives sin and we experience the totality of God’s love!
No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. Hebrews 12:11 (NLT)
True love confronts the sin in our lives because God cares for us. This kind of love can be difficult and challenging, but it is for our good! God loves us too much to leave us in our sin. He wants the best for us which means a life set apart for Him!
3. God’s love must be Shared
But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:8 (NLT)
Demonstrating God’s love is the highest calling that we have. It is what drives us to care enough about others to share God’s plan of salvation with the world. The same kind of love that the Father has for us to make sure we had a Gospel presentation is the same love that should be in us!
The questions we should ask ourselves:
Is our love unconditional?
Do we only love those who will love us in return?
“If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! Luke 6:32 (NLT)
Loving those who love us back is easy. Christ loved those who were in conflict with Him and He expects us to do the same thing too. Loving our enemies is challenging, but with a heart full of the Father’s love, we will love them just the same.
What does the Bible say about God’s love? God’s love is unconditional in its scope, is characterized by righteousness, and must be shared with others!
Blessings,
Chad
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