“Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices in the truth.” » (1 Corinthians 13:6)
You sometimes wonder For what Jesus loves you?
I mean, of course, we all know that God loves us because – insert classic children’s tune here! » Bible says so-oo to me. ” (See John 3:16 And Romans 5:5 if you need proof.) And we know that thelove of God for us is great – see Romans 8:38-39 for a nice reminder of that. But seriously, don’t you sometimes feel like King David when he wrote the lyrics to Psalm 8:3-4 (NLT)?
“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers – the moon and the stars that you have put in place – what are the mere mortals that you should think of, the human beings that you should care for? »
We certainly don’t deserve itlove of God, and he doesn’t have to love either. In fact, some people believe that God doesn’t really love us. Instead, they think he doesn’t exist or that he is/was a being who created everything and set everything in motion – and then decided to disengage and stay away from us. For them, God (if he exists) is like a kind of cosmic Watchman fascinated by the soap operas of planet Earth, but certainly not by a personal divinity who would like to love the ants he created. Obviously, I think this prospect is fatal, but I still wonder sometimes…
Why does Jesus love you and me?
“Love…rejoices in the truth.” » (1 Corinthians 13:6)
To me, this at least offers a plausible explanation for the impossible love that God relentlessly pours out on us. And that’s why I think Jesus loves me, and you, and all those countless nameless people: Because only Christ knows the truth about who he is and what he created – the truth about who we are, why we are, and what he does in us.
Listen to some sound bites that Scripture has shared with us in this regard (all NLT):
- But to all who believed and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)
- And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to cry “Abba, Father.”Galatians 4:6)
- For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10)
- …You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very possession… (1 Peter 2:9)
- And I am sure that God, who began the good work in you, will continue his work until the end of the day when Christ returns. (Philippians 1:6)
You see, Christ’s love for you has very little to do with you and anything about Him. It is not just a cosmic feeling of kindness, but an eternal truth about who He is and who you are as you are His. Likewise, God’s eternal truth about you is not simply an emotionless fact, but an eternal passion based on who He is and what He does with you.
Simply put, God loves because He alone knows – and delights in – the whole truth about Himself and what He is doing in us. He doesn’t love us because he has to choose to do so or because he feels obliged to constantly create an emotion close to love. compassion. He loves us because that is the truth of who He is, our joyful and eternal truth.
At least that’s my impression. What do you think?
Mike Nappa is a big old man Nerd Bible Studyand a biblical commentary and theology author in progress for Christianity.com. He is also a bestselling and award-winning Christian author with over a million copies of his books sold worldwide. Learn more about Mikey at Nappaland.com And MikeNappa.com.
Photo credit: Unsplash / Kilarov Zaneit
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