Jesus: How can we know that God loves us?
On the cross, Jesus revealed to us the love of God. The following verses state how the love of God is most clearly revealed at the cross of Jesus:
- For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.1
- Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.2
- But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.3
- In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.4
At the cross we see that the love of God is not merely sentimental but also efficacious. When people speak of love, they usually mean an emotional love that feels affectionate but may not do anything to help the beloved. Thankfully, God does not merely feel loving toward us; his love actually compels him to act on our behalf so that we can be changed by his love.
God has lovingly worked out a way for our friendship with him to be reconciled. Through the cross, Jesus took away our sin so that we could be reconciled to God.5 Thankfully, God not only graciously takes away our sin, but mercifully extends himself to us, knowing that we desperately need him.6
The cross is something done by you. You murdered God incarnate. The cross is something done for you. God loves you and died to forgive you.
Who do you need to pursue to discuss the love of God with?