“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” – 1John 4:10
LIGHT FOR NOW: The Father’s love did not begin as a response to our love for Him. His love is the source from which our love for Him flows.
One of the greatest errors people make is assuming that God’s love is a reaction to human goodness. Many imagine that God began loving them when they started praying, attending church, serving faithfully, or living morally. But Scripture completely overturns this idea. John writes: “Herein is love…” In other words, if you want to understand what true love really is, look here. Not in human romance, not in human sacrifice, not in human loyalty; look to God. Then John gives one of the most profound definitions of love in the entire Bible: “Not that we loved God, but that he loved us…” This is the foundation of the gospel. God’s love came first.
Before humanity sought Him, He sought humanity. Before humanity called upon Him, He was already pursuing humanity. Before humanity loved Him, He loved humanity. This is important because it reveals that salvation is not the story of man reaching up to God. It is first the story of God reaching down to man. When Adam sinned in the garden, Adam hid; but God came searching. When humanity wandered into darkness, God sent prophets. When sin separated mankind from Him, God sent His Son. The initiative has always belonged to God. This is why grace is so glorious. If God’s love depended upon our ability to love Him first, none of us would have hope. But His love originates from His own heart. It is not produced by our worthiness. It is produced by His goodness. John then reveals the greatest expression of this love: “…and sent his Son…” Again, we see that love acts. The Father’s love is not passive; it moves, it pursues, it gives.
The cross was not an accident of history. It was the deliberate expression of divine love. Long before the nails pierced Christ’s hands, the Father’s heart was already determined to redeem. Then John introduces a profound word: “…to be the propitiation for our sins”. The word “propitiation” may sound complex, but its meaning is beautiful. The Greek word is “hilasmos”, referring to a sacrifice that satisfies the demands of justice and removes the barrier created by sin. In simple terms, Jesus took upon Himself what stood between humanity and God. Sin had created separation. Christ became the solution. Justice was satisfied. Mercy was released. Relationship was restored. This means the cross was not merely about forgiveness. It was about reconciliation. The Father did not simply want forgiven sinners. He wanted restored children. This is why Paul writes in 2Corinthians 5 that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. The goal was always relationship. The goal was always family. The goal was always bringing sons and daughters back to the Father.
One of the greatest evidences of spiritual maturity is growing in the realization that God’s love is not earned. Many believers begin their journey understanding grace, yet gradually slip back into performance-based thinking. They feel loved when they succeed. They feel rejected when they fail. But the cross teaches a different lesson. The Father loved us before we obeyed; before we prayed, before we served, and before we improved. His love was the cause, not the result. And because His love came first, believers can rest confidently in His affection. Our love for God is not the root of the relationship. His love for us is the root. Everything else grows from there.
INSTRUCTION: Today, thank God not merely for your love for Him, but for His love for you. Let gratitude replace every attempt to earn what has already been freely given through Christ.
CONFESSION/PRAYER: Father, thank You for loving me first. Thank You for sending Jesus Christ to remove every barrier between us. Help me to live daily in the confidence of Your initiating, pursuing, and unfailing love. Amen.
For More light; get the message, ‘The Love of God’
QUOTE: The foundation of Christianity is not that we found God, but that God loved us before we ever sought Him.
DAILY READING: MORNING: 1JOHN CHAPTER 4; EVENING: 2CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 5:14-21
LIGHT FROM THE WORD 