[Truth 8 of 12; 5 minute read]
“God is love” is the greatest “Truth” of the Bible. He is the definition of love.
The nature of God’s character is described in the terms of love, Christian love, which is derived from the Greek word agape and is the highest form of love. It is not romantic love or so much a matter of emotion as it is of doing things for the benefit of another person, having an unselfish concern and the willingness to seek what’s best for others and putting their interests before your own.
Love is a virtue grounded in the nature of God; it is characterized by His deep affection and adoration for you. It means God unselfishly seeks what is best for those He loves and doing things for their benefit whether they deserve it or not; like “grace.” That sounds just like God!
As much as you try, you cannot adequately define the word “love” in a more powerful way. All love originates from God’s love for you. You can only “really, truly” love others because He first loved you.
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been ‘born again’ of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 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. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.” (1 John 4:7-12; emphasis added)
In the greatest expression of love ever displayed in the history of the world, GOD, THE God, THE Uncaused First Cause of the Universe, who is eternal and existed before anything else did, THE one true God and THE only living God clearly showed and proved His love for you, even though you did not deserve His love in any way, by doing what no man or no other “god” could do or would do if he could… God Himself through his Son Jesus Christ was tormented and died on a cross so that you by accepting His free, unmerited gift of grace through faith in Christ, would not have to die and be tormented yourself for your own sins.
“For God so loved the world that He game His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV)
“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NIV)
“The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.] By this the love of God was displayed in us, in that God has sent His [One and] only begotten Son [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind] into the world so that we might live (and love) through Him.” (1 John 4:8-9 AMP; emphasis added)
“Greater love has no one that this, than to lay down one’s life for His friends.” (John 15:13 NKJV) (Jesus’ death is the ultimate expression of this love).
“I (the Apostle Paul) pray that Christ will live in your hearts by faith and that your life will be strong in love and be built on love [ rooted and grounded in love]. And I pray that you and all God’s holy people [ the saints] will have the power to understand [comprehend; grasp] the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is (amazing and endless love). Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know [beyond comprehension/knowledge], but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then […so that] you can be filled with the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19 EXB; emphasis added)
As a born again believer you can trust that God’s goodness, lovingkindness and faithfulness will greet you again each day and his tender mercies will be renewed (fresh) every single morning. Your hope for today, tomorrow, and for all eternity is based firmly on God’s unchanging love and unfailing mercy. (adapted from Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV)
This is the image of God’s love for you.
God gave His Son to die for you, that is… a person who the Apostle Paul described as a sinner, ungodly, powerless and an enemy. (adapted from Romans 5:6-10 NKJV).
Only God dies for his enemies. He gave His all for you who deserved nothing. And that is God’s own proof of his love for you, that by His grace He gives you what you need (a savior) and not what you deserve (death and eternal punishment because of sin).
There is no love like it.
What is missing from the unbeliever’s sin-diseased heart is…. the love of God. Because of sin and separation from God, it’s the one thing that is missing in every human and as much as you try to fill that void with anything and everything else, nothing except the love of God through his Spirit can give you what you really need. We are looking for love, like the song says, in all the wrong places, in too many faces…
Once you receive His love, you have all that you will ever need.
God created you to know Him, to love Him and to have a perfect eternal relationship with Him. He loves you and He wants you to love Him back. But He won’t mandate it. Jesus said the greatest commandment was that you should love God, but it is your choice. He won’t make you love Him because that would not be true love. It has to be your idea, your choice. You choose to love Him because of who He is and what He has done for you through Jesus Christ.
God’s love should be reciprocal… He loves us so we should love Him and because of His love for us we should also love others. Jesus said the greatest commandment is that you should:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul (life), and with all your mind (thoughts), and with all your strength (everything you have).’ and the second is: ‘You should [unselfishly] love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31 AMP; emphasis added)
The first and most important commandment is about love. And we can love others… because THE God of the Universe first loved us and showed us how to love! But to be loved by others we must first love and and be loveable. Love is reciprocal. You get what you give. Give it. Love God and love one another. (read that paragraph over and over and put it into action).
And also, God won’t make you live for eternity in a place where you don’t want to be. Without Him you will always be incomplete and you can continue living without Him if you choose, but it doesn’t end well. And eternity is a long, long time to be wrong!
If God is right, (which He is), then everybody else is wrong. Seek Him.
Truth… absolute and indisputable!
Don’t be wrong.
The incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus was for one reason…
God’s LOVE for YOU!
It is the greatest gift ever given to mankind.
But you have to accept His gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
For there’s no other way….
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