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The love of God |
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The love of God |
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"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16)
The above verse is perhaps one of the best known in the bible. This might be because it speaks so clearly of God's love for mankind.
It may also be because it encapsulates in a very concise way God's redemption plan for the world.
It tells us that God gave his only begotten Son - the thing most precious to Him - so that He could redeem something very dear to Him:
man. It tells us that man is in the process of perishing, but that there is a way to escape death. And that way is to believe in (i.e.,
put trust in) His Son, Jesus Christ. When anyone does this, he (or she) will obtain everlasting life.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)," (Ephesians 2:4-5) "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) "For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit," (Titus 3:3-4)
When someone comes to Christ and receives the gift of His love - salvation - then a change occurs in that person's life. This change
is brought on by the awareness of God's love. That person will then want to reciprocate (i.e., give back) some of that love -
first to God (in the form of worship and obedience) and also to love others who are like-minded (believers in His church). These
then are some of the evidences of being truly saved - to love God, to keep His commandments and to love the brethren.
"But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him." (1 John 2:5) "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:7-10) "And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also." (1 John 4:21) "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments." (1 John 5:2) "Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work." (2 Thessalonians 2:15-17) |
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