God's Love
God’s Love
What is love? Many of us toss around this word as easily as anyone. And we end up trivializing it. The word "love" is so misused and overused in our society that we hardly know what to think when someone says, "I love you." Let us focus on not the earthly kind of love but of a greater love ever known to mankind and that is God’s love.
• What are some characteristics of God's Love?
(1) God's Love is Unconditional
In the world around us, people are loved on the basis of their performance. When someone pleases us, when someone stimulates us, we appreciate what they do and use the term "love" to describe our response.
But God's love is not based on our performance! God's love, instead, is unconditional. Consider Romans 5:6-8
Christ died for us when? Was he responding to something good in our performance? These verses use the words "powerless," "ungodly," and "sinners" to describe us. Christ died for people like this, not for people who look like they have it all together.
So why did God love us? God's love is based only on his sovereign choice; God's love is based only on his mercy.
Consider two verses that highlight this point: Deuteronomy 7:7-8; Ephesians 1:4-5
Nothing made us attractive to God! On the contrary, we were despicable to God. But despite our problems it was God's pleasure; it was God's will to predestine us to be adopted as his sons. This truth is tremendously freeing, isn’t it? When I think about it I know I don't have to look over my shoulder all the time, wondering if God is going to abandon me because I blew it. I don't have to worry that God might change his mind about me because of my poor performance. God already knows the worst about us -- and he chose to love us! God's love is unconditional.
(2) God's Love is from Everlasting to Everlasting
In a moment of intense feeling, we say, "I will love you forever!" yet within years, or months, or even weeks, those feelings change, and we so often back away
What is love? Many of us toss around this word as easily as anyone. And we end up trivializing it. The word "love" is so misused and overused in our society that we hardly know what to think when someone says, "I love you." Let us focus on not the earthly kind of love but of a greater love ever known to mankind and that is God’s love.
• What are some characteristics of God's Love?
(1) God's Love is Unconditional
In the world around us, people are loved on the basis of their performance. When someone pleases us, when someone stimulates us, we appreciate what they do and use the term "love" to describe our response.
But God's love is not based on our performance! God's love, instead, is unconditional. Consider Romans 5:6-8
Christ died for us when? Was he responding to something good in our performance? These verses use the words "powerless," "ungodly," and "sinners" to describe us. Christ died for people like this, not for people who look like they have it all together.
So why did God love us? God's love is based only on his sovereign choice; God's love is based only on his mercy.
Consider two verses that highlight this point: Deuteronomy 7:7-8; Ephesians 1:4-5
Nothing made us attractive to God! On the contrary, we were despicable to God. But despite our problems it was God's pleasure; it was God's will to predestine us to be adopted as his sons. This truth is tremendously freeing, isn’t it? When I think about it I know I don't have to look over my shoulder all the time, wondering if God is going to abandon me because I blew it. I don't have to worry that God might change his mind about me because of my poor performance. God already knows the worst about us -- and he chose to love us! God's love is unconditional.
(2) God's Love is from Everlasting to Everlasting
In a moment of intense feeling, we say, "I will love you forever!" yet within years, or months, or even weeks, those feelings change, and we so often back away