See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
1 John 3:1a
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Many of us express love toward those closest to us on Valentine’s Day, but have you ever stopped to consider how deeply God loves you? This verse is asking us to think about the quality of God’s love, to ponder the kind of love it is! Human love is often based on our feelings and emotions, which can change from day-to-day.
God’s love is different and so unique!
Ephesians 2:4-5 explains God’s love this way: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—”.
These verses tell us that there were no conditions placed on us before God gave His love. God didn’t tell us He would love us only if we stopped sinning first. He didn’t make us promise to love Him before He sacrificed His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay for our sin. He gave His love long before we even knew we needed it—while we were still living in sin!
The Greek word for this kind of love is agapao, and it is defined in Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary as, “the deep and constant ‘love’ and interest of a perfect Being towards entirely unworthy objects, which produces a reverential ‘love’ in them toward the Giver.” God knew we didn’t deserve this love, but He offered it freely, so we would have the opportunity to choose to have a relationship with Him.
Oh, friend, won’t you bask in the love of God as you consider how much He loves you? May the realization of the grace He has shown produce that reverential love toward the Giver of life!
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