Love is a special thing. Knowing that you are cared for and wanted makes all the difference in building up one’s self-esteem and establishing purpose for one’s life. As we look at our earthly families, we can often see the sacrifices that our parents have made to provide for us. This love is merely an imitation of the highest love that has ever been shown. The Holy Spirit reveals through the pen of John that we know what love is “because [Christ Jesus] laid down His life for us” (1 Jn. 3:16, NKJV).
The love shown to us through the sacrifice of Jesus is the greatest love that this world has ever known. When speaking to His disciples, Jesus notes that “greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13). The amazing thing about God’s love as seen through Jesus, however, is that Jesus died for more than His friends. In Romans 5:6-8, we learn the truth concerning the relationship between Jesus and those for whom He died:
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
The height of God’s love toward all men is furthered when one considers how Jesus’ death serves as “the propitiation for our sins” (1 Jn. 4:10) and that Jesus’ death gives us the opportunity for salvation (Jn. 3:16-17).
It is not uncommon for children to ask their parents how much they love them. Consider the answer that God has given to us, His children, as we ask Him how much He loves us. There is no love greater than the love which God has for man. God loves us enough that He gave His only Son to die on our behalf so that we might have the opportunity of salvation. When we see the love of God, we ought to then be moved to consider our own love toward Him — for if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (Jn. 14:15).
By Preston McElyea (March 5, 2023)