God Loves You

One of the things that God mentions very frequently is to trust Him. For example:

Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

In this verse God calls us not to trust Him just a little bit, but to put our confidence in Him with all our heart, to trust Him a hundred percent. However, I believe that most of us will agree that to trust someone, or to have a good relationship with someone, you need to know him well. The better that you know someone the better the relationship that you have with him and the easier to trust him.

In the above passage, God calls us to trust Him with all our heart. However, how is this possible if we do not know Him? And how can we know Him? There is only one valid way: to go to the Scripture, where God reveals Himself. So let's go to the Scripture and find out what motivates God. I believe that this will give us a better understanding of the character of God and it will help us to trust Him more, since we will know Him better. So let's start with I John 4:8:

1 John 4:8, "...God is love."

These three words are probably enough to give answers to many questions that we may have regarding God and, at the same time, they are able to overthrow all the opinions that we may have heard about God. These three words tell us that God is love. God is not someone that causes all the bad things that happen in the world . He is not someone whose job is to kill and to make sick people. If someone destroyed your property or caused other calamities would you say that he loves you? However, that's what many people believe about God. In contrast, God is love. However, love is something that is manifested in actions. If I say "I love you, I love you" and behind your back I do nasty things, is there any love in me? No. The love has to be manifested in actions. The same is true for other things by which one can be motivated. If one is motivated by fear this will be manifested in his actions which will be fearful, without boldness, etc. If one is motivated by hate this will also be manifested in his actions: wickedness, deceitfulness etc. God is also motivated by something and this is love. However, it remains to see how God manifested His love in actions. To see that we must go to His Word to see some of His actions.

He gave His one and only Son for us

To start seeing the actions of God that were done as a result of His love for us, let's go to I John 4:9.

1 John 4:9, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us,"

As it was said above, love has to be manifested in actions. Here the Word of God tells us that indeed God loves us and that His love was shown. So let's continue to see how it was shown:

1 John 4:9, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him."

God showed His love by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into the world so that we may live through him. Also let's see a passage in the gospel of John:

John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave…"

Love is manifested in actions, and here again the Word of God is ready to tell us what God gave as a result of His love for us. So let's continue in the same passage:

John 3:16-17, "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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

We should not pass these words quickly, but we must take time to understand the significance of what is said by them. So, according to what we read, God loved us, and for this reason He gave His only begotten Son to die for us, so that, by believing in Him, we may have eternal life. Now, let's suppose that you had one child. Would you give your only child to die for any purpose? The most probable answer is that you wouldn't. However, God decided to give His only begotten Son for you and I. If He hadn't done that, then you and I still couldn't be saved. It is because God decided to give His only begotten Son that this was made possible. The question is why He decided to do that. What was His motive? What do the above verses tell us? It was love. God is love, and because of His love for us He gave His only begotten Son. That was His action by which He proved His love. God paid for you and I with a price that is impossible to be valued. Why? Because He loved us. Everyone is motivated by something. God is motivated by love and here is the proof of His love. He paid a very very expensive price for us. However, it is not only that He loved us and for this reason He paid that very high price. For you may love someone and do something for him because he is very kind and good to you. But it didn't happen that way with God. Let's see:

Romans 5:6-10, "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. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."

According to this passage, it wasn't that we loved God first and then, after we decided that we like Him, God decided to love us, and for this reason to pay the price that He paid. As the above verses say "for a good man" some would probably decide to die. However, God didn't give His Son when we were "good" men. On the contrary, God demonstrates His love for us by the fact that "while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." Today, after believing in Christ Jesus, we are no more sinners. This does not mean that we do not make mistakes or we don't sin. However, the fact that we make mistakes does not make us sinners in nature. The reason is that Christ died for you and I and he got our sins in himself so that by believing in him we are cleansed of any sin and we are justified. Sinner and righteous are alternatives that are opposites to each other. You cannot be both at the same time. The Word of God teaches us that we were sinners and because we believe in Christ Jesus, we are "justified by his blood" (see also Romans 3:21-28). Nevertheless, all these didn't happen automatically. It took God to sacrifice His Son for you and I. And He didn't pay this price when we were "good" men and worthy for this but when we were, by our very nature, sinners, ungodly, and enemies. It was then, where the love of God for me and you was manifested. Because if it takes love to give the most valuable thing that you have, your only begotten son, it takes much more love to do so for the ungodly. However, God did that. Today we are no more ungodly and sinners; and this is not because of our works, but because God paid with the blood of His Son so that by believing in him we become saved and righteous. And why did He do that? Because He loved us. Let's see another point on this.

Ephesians 2:1-3, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."

The above passage tells us what our situation was. Added emphasis is given to the fact that past tense is used throughout these three verses. The reason for the added emphasis is because many people teach that today, even after you believe in Jesus Christ, you continue to be a sinner, dead in sins. However, this is not what the Word says. The Word says that we were (past tense) sinners. We "were dead in trespasses and sins." It is significant to understand that point. The Word also says that we were by nature children of wrath. Before one believes, the description is "dead in trespasses and sins", "by nature the children of wrath." All these before believing (see also 1 Timothy 1:13). Now tell me, if one is dead, what is the good thing that he can do? I don' believe that there is anything good coming from someone that's dead. Is there? Also, see that the Word says that all of us, irrespective of our good or bad works, were at that stage. Now if you are dead, to live again requires someone else to give you life. And the only one that can do that is God. So, having seen what was the situation, let's continue to see if there was any change to it. Fortunately there was, and verses 4 to 9 of the same chapter introduce the change, the One who brought the change, and the motives of bringing that change.

Ephesians 2:4-9, "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

Having seen in verses 1-3 the horrible situation in which we were (dead in sins), we see here the change in the situation. The word "but" that introduces the change is there to contrast what was said in verses 1-3 to what is going to be said now. So it tells us that it was God (not me and you, but God) who made us alive with Christ. In verses 1-3 we saw that we were dead. Now in verses 4-5 we see that God changed this situation and made us alive. Now you are no more a sinner (you were a sinner). From God's point of view, you are saved. From God's point of view, you are already seated in heavenly places. From God's point of view, you have been made alive and you have been raised up. That's God's viewpoint, and if the viewpoint that we have for ourselves is different, it is a good time to change our thinking and think for ourselves as God thinks for us.

Now, having seen that we didn't deserve such treatment (we were dead in sins) the question is why then did God do all this? What was His motive? We saw it previously in Romans 5 and we see it here again: "because of his great love for us......even when we were dead in transgressions." The reason that God made all these wonderful things available is because He loved us. He loved us when we were dead in sins. And His love for us is described as great. God loved us with great love, and this love was manifested in giving His only begotten Son for us so that by believing in him we are saved, seated in heavenly places, righteous, raised up together with Christ. But what I want to point out here is the motive of God, the reason that He did all these things, the reason that He paid this very very high price (the life of His only begotten Son). This reason was not my worth or your worth, but the love that God had and has for us. God loves us and He manifested His love in this great action: to give His only begotten Son so that, by just believing in him, we have access to all these wonderful things that we saw above.

To conclude: if we wonder why God made all these wonderful things available to us, by just believing in Jesus Christ, the answer is because He loved us.

He made us His children

Another field where God showed His love is described in I John 3:1-2

1 John 3:1-2, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God,"

According to this verse, God loved us so much that when we believed in Jesus Christ, He made us His children. So if we wonder why God made us His children, the answer is because He loved us. You see, people try to make good relations with those that have some kind of power, and here, God, who has not just some kind of power but all the power, has made freely available to people to become His children. When someone believes in Christ Jesus, he becomes a son or a daughter of God (see Galatians 3:26). But why all these? Again, because of the great love that God has for us. Also let's go to Romans 5:5:

Romans 5:5, "...the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. "

We saw previously that when we believed we became the children of God , and we also saw that this was made available because of the great love that God has for us. Here, in Romans 5:5, we see the same thing. God, because of His love, gave us the Holy Ghost. If we want a proof that we are God's children, this is the proof. As our earthly parents gave us the blood that is in our bodies and this is the proof that we are their children, so God, when we believed in Jesus Christ, gave us what He Himself is (i.e. spirit). And what does the above verse tell us that this is? It tells us that it is a token of the love that God has for us. God loves us. And another proof of His love is that when one believes in Jesus Christ, he gets the Holy Spirit.

He trains us

Another place where the love of God is manifested is in training and correction. I believe that most of us will agree that although training and correction are not very pleasant many times, they are done only by those who love us and, when they are done honestly, they are proofs of the love that they have for us. Imagine a family where the parents didn't correct their children. How then will the children learn that what they do sometimes is not the best? If, for example, a child would like to take the dangerous medicine that is on the table, what should his parents do if they love him? They should tell him that this is not good for him i.e. they should correct him. The other alternative is to leave the child to do whatever he likes, right or wrong. However, I do not believe that many of us would call this alternative "love." So another field where love can be manifested is in correction and training, and God, as a loving Father, manifests His love in this field as well (i.e. He corrects us, He trains us). So let's go to Hebrews 12.

Hebrews 12:6, "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."

God trains and disciplines His children as our earthly parents disciplined us. And why does He do that? Because He does not like us? No. If He didn't like us then He would never train us, He would never correct us. The parents who do not love their children abandon them, they do not care if what they are doing is right or wrong. But our Father loves us, and for this reason He corrects us, He trains us, He disciplines us.

Of course whether one will obey or not to the correction and training that God gives and which comes from the Scripture which "is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16-17), is something that has to be decided by the one that is corrected. God makes the correction and then we have to make a decision whether we will follow the instructions that God gives.

We are not afraid of Him; We revere Him

Having seen how much love God has for us, the question is how are we going to go to Him? Are we going to go to Him like going to a monster or to someone who is really bad and he may harm us? If we go like this, it seems that we haven't understood or we haven't accepted that God loves us. God does not want us to be afraid of Him. What He wants is us to love Him, to revere Him, to respect Him. Our Father showed his love for us by shedding the blood of His only begotten Son, and because of this He has made us His children. He put the Holy Spirit in us, He saved us, etc. It is a different thing to be afraid of someone and a different thing to revere, to respect someone. I John tell us about it:

1 John 4:18-19, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us."

God wants us to respect Him, not to be afraid of Him. You are afraid of someone who may harm you and you don't know how to face him, or of someone who's intentions and motives you don't know. On the contrary, you are not afraid but you revere, you respect someone that loves you, and he has proved it in practice. God declares in His Word that He loves us and He has proved it with all these actions that we saw, though there are many others to find for yourself working the Word of God. So will we be afraid of God? No, because this would mean that we do not love Him perfectly since "perfect loves casteth out fear" and the one who fears "is not made perfect in love." In contrast, we revere, we respect God because He loves us and He loves us not in words (as many others may have... "loved" us) but in actions.

In the Old Testament, there are quite a few words that are translated as fear in the Scripture. However, the one that is used in over 80% of the time is the word yare which means "reverence." This word is used, for example, in Psalms 34:9 where it says: "O fear the LORD, ye his saints...." Another example is Proverbs 3:7: "…fear the LORD, and depart from evil." In these two cases (as well as in many others) the word “fear” comes from the word yare which means "to revere, reverence." Thus, these verses do not tell us to be afraid of God. What they tell us is to revere Him, to respect Him.

Nothing can separate us from His love

Having seen some of the multiple ways by which the love of God was manifested, and having seen that it is because of this love God has for us that we are not afraid of Him but we love Him and we revere Him, it is now time to see that God not only loves us now, but also that there is nothing able to separate us from His love. This means that God loved us, loves us and He will love us for ever. Let's go to Romans 8 to see it:

Romans 8:38-39, "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 creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

God loves us and there is nothing able to separate us from His love. It is this love that motivated Him to do all these wonderful things when "we were yet sinners." It is the same love that motivates Him today when He deals with us, His children. And it is the same love that will motivate Him every day, for ever.