By Pastor Chad
In my message on Sunday, I homed in on verse 1 of John 13 (specifically the last part of the verse), “having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” This passage declares that Jesus loves His disciples with an infinite love. And given the many other verses of Scripture we have declaring the same thing (for example, John 3:16), I think this also means God loves us, too.
If you are like me, you are probably tempted to view the statement “God loves you” in several different ways. For one, you may be tempted to see such a statement as a trite Christian platitude that has very little impact on our Christian walk and our daily lives. It is true that the phrase is thrown around like spiritual candy. And such usage may evoke a sort of spiritual deafness to the truth and reality of the claim. The common usage of the statement, however, does not change its reality. God loves us. It is a fact that is not changed by our misunderstanding of the claim.
There are also those that attempt to use the statement as a justification for sin. The thought may go something like this: Sure, God doesn’t like it when I say those things, but He loves me, so I’m good. He really doesn’t care. This mindset is dangerous–not to God, but to the individual. Make no mistake, God’s love for us does not mean He will overlook our sin. In fact, if we do not repent (seek forgiveness and turn from sin), His love may result in a more stern discipline. We cannot use God’s love as a shroud to justify our sinful acts.
The proper way to understand the reality and statement that “God loves you” is to understand what He has done for you because of that love. And to understand what He offers because of that love. It was the love of God (at least in part) that drove Jesus to the cross. The love God has for you and me. This love is the reason He offers us forgiveness for our sins and eternal life. I know it may sound overly simplistic to some, but God loves us. And His love results in a drastic impact on our lives. Because of the love of God, He offers us redemption through the blood of His Son. Thus, all who repent and believe in the gospel can benefit from God’s love.
My encouragement to all this week is to meditate on this profound, yet simple, statement: God loves me. Don’t stretch the reality of His love beyond Scriptural bounds, but don’t minimize the impact of His love either. God loves us. His love was clearly and demonstrably shown on the cross. He didn’t just claim to love us–He showed us His love.
Watch the full sermon here.