(Part 2/3 – A summary of the Sunday morning teaching on 10-May-15, in AFT Church, English service. From the series The Foundation For Victorious Living)
WHAT DOES GOD’S LOVE LOOK LIKE?
1 John 4:9 says, ‘ 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.’ Also John 3:16 says, ‘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.’
Many people misconceive the Father God to be an angry and bloodthirsty being and Jesus to be the sweet and loving Son. That’s a contorted view of God. God is Holy yet He loves. John 3:16 affirms this by stating that God loved the world. He sent His Son Jesus for us because of this love. He was the initiator and executor of the Redemption Plan.
Let us examine how this great love of God for us was carried out.
1) Timing
Galatians 4:4 says, ‘But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law’. Some people think that after Adam sinned, God took a long time in sending Jesus. The Bible says that God was waiting for the right time. He had, in fact, prepared Jesus as the Lamb of God even before the foundation of the world was established. There was a perfect reasoning for God’s timing for sending His Son. The self-sufficient man had to realize that he needed a savior and that his efforts and intelligence could not help him one bit. When Jesus arrived, the stage was set perfectly. Man was at his wit’s end and in a desperate need of a savior. The political situation had propelled Rome as the center of civilization and development. The means of transportation of the Roman government was efficient and far reaching. The Greek language was the most widely used common one. The Good News of Salvation therefore spread with ease across seas. The Gospel was preached not just to the Jews but also to the Gentiles. The world was ready to receive the gospel and so at just the right time, God sent His Son as the perfect manifestation of His love for us. He carefully conceived, orchestrated and gave life to His love gift to us – the Redemption Plan.
2) Gift
Romans 5:8 says, ‘But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’ Accusing God of not caring for us is unbiblical. His care for us led Him to set the plan rolling. 1 John 4:10 says, ‘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’. Propitiation refers to Jesus’ death ad atoning work on our behalf on the Cross. God didn’t send Jesus to preach some nice message but to be the propitiation for our sins.
3) Intensity
John 3:16 says, ‘For God so loved the world..’ The word so has much importance. It shows the extent of God’s love for us. His love is immeasurable. Ephesians 3 states that we need to understand the length, breadth and height of God’s love. We need a revelation of this everlasting and eternal love.
…to be continued…
