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. '

 

1 John 4:9

https://www.bible.com/bible/111/1JN.4.9

 

As with the prophet Malachi’s hearers, people often scoffingly and unbelievingly ask how God loves us. Malachi helped to tackle that question, but so did the Apostle John. We don’t just have to take people’s word for it that God loves us.

 

God demonstrated His love for us in this (as the Apostle Paul put it): while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. As John implies here, we’re spiritually dead unless we’re made alive in Christ. It’s not so much about our faith as the Object of our faith, the One who gave His life for us.

 

We aren’t worthy of God’s love. We’re worthy of eternal death. Yet God loves us anyway: He literally loved us to death.

 

Because Jesus died and rose again, we too can die to sin and come alive in Him. We love because God first loved us. If we claim to love God but hate others, we betray the fact we haven’t come alive in Him.

 

‘God Almighty, we praise You for sending Your Son for our salvation to eternal life. May we too be defined by love. For the honour of Your name we pray, amen’.

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