Introduction
The love of God for mankind is revealed through the Holy Scriptures. “Love is an earnest and anxious desire for and an active and beneficent interest in the well-being of the one loved” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia). It is the essence and the embodiment of God. Therefore, “God is love” (1Joh 4:8). It is this love of God that this newsletter seeks to discuss.
Demonstration of God´s love
The love of God is demonstrated by providing for the (w)holistic needs of His people (Isa 48:14, 20-21, Isa 62:9-12; Isa 63:3, 12). God had to give His only Son away in order to fully realized this purpose. He meets our needs by first liberating and regenerating the human spirit and offers them His free gift of salvation.
God’s love for the sinful world
The love of God is for humanity. He loves all people regardless of their identities or faiths. We read that: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Joh 3:16). The ‘world’ here refers to the people in the world but not to the physical or the cosmic world. God sacrificed His only beloved Son so that He could redeem the fallen human race. This tells of the extent of God’s love for mankind.
The measure of God´s love
The love of Christ is described as a great one. It is established that God loves us with His great love because when we were even dead in our sins, He quickened us together with Christ (Eph 2:4-5). According to John, the love of Christ is not only great but greater. He writes that “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Joh 15:13).
Dying for enemies
The love of God is not shown only to the good people of God but also to the enemies of Christ. It is written:
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:6-8).
Christ did not come to die for us because we were righteous, but because we were sinners and rebellious people. In fact, we were dead in sins and in trespasses (Eph 2:1). Christ was sent to redeem mankind and be the propitiation for our sins. It was God who first loved us but not that we loved Him (1Joh 4:10). This love of God is calling all people unto repentance and fellowship with Christ.
God still loves You
You might have gone astray from God as a believer, but the heart of God continues to yearn for your return to Him. He says:
“They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD” (Jer 3:1).
It does not matter how far you have disgraced and polluted yourself, God is crying out after you. All hope is not lost. God has not become tired of you. He still loves you. He is asking you to come back and He will welcome you. God is pleading: ” Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings..” (Jer 3:22).
Love beyond knowledge
When the Apostle considers the tender mercies of God and how He continues to love the vilest offender, he becomes amazed. He prays that believers would be able to comprehend with all saints, the breadth, and length, depth, and height and to know such love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge, that we might be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:18-19).
The love of God is beyond human understanding because it is so deep, thoughtless, and reckless. God is love but He would punish the ungodly in the lake of fire if they persistently reject His offer of love, and repent from their evil ways.
Conclusion
The love of God transcends human understanding because He loves His enemies, the backsliding, as well as the good people. He shows His love to all people. Come to Christ today and your life would be spared and restored.
Prayer: May God bless you and cause you to understand His love for you, today and evermore. AMEN!