God is Love
One of the most popular attributes of God is that God is love.
There are countless songs written about it. Many wear the t-shirt or put the bumper sticker on their car. (I can’t do that—I tend to be an aggressive driver.)
In the world of progressive Christianity, God’s love is one of their favorite topics. They misrepresent this character trait to say that because God loves everyone, He also approves and applauds everything they do. He loves them and wants them to be happy. Because this definition of God’s love fits their liberal theology and lifestyle, it makes them very happy.
However, this definition of God’s love is also completely wrong.
You see, God’s love is not a hippy-dippy-free-to-be-and-do-whatever-I-want-because-God-loves-me character trait.
As we talked about last week, God cannot have that attitude because of His holiness. God does not sin, and He does not approve of sin.
Instead, God’s love goes hand in hand with His holiness.
God’s more significant expression of love was sending Jesus, His Son, to earth to die for our sins and totally pay the price for our sin against God.
I John 4:9-10 says, "This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God." (The Message)
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (ESV)
God’s love does not contradict His holiness and approve of man’s sins because He feels sorry for them. Instead, God’s love sent His Son to die on the cross and pay the price for man’s sin so that we could experience forgiveness and become new creatures in Christ.
Because of His sacrifice, we can experience deliverance from the sins that hold us captive.
Because of His sacrifice, we have the hope of eternity in Heaven with God rather than in Hell with the devil.
Because of God’s love that sent His Son, we can become new creatures in Christ who are now free to follow God’s commands and pursue holiness in our own lives.
You see, God’s love didn’t just feel sorry for humanity’s sin problem. His love proactively solved the problem.
He loved us so much that He gave of Himself to forgive humanity’s rebellion against Him.
Ephesians 2:4-9 says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (ESV)
That is the epitome of love. As John 15:13 says, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (ESV)
This is what God did for us. That is legendary love!
Weekly Memory Verse:
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13,ESV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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