The love of God

We are celebrating the birth of Christ, and many of us have been counting down to Christmas by lighting the Advent Wreath. Over the past few weeks, we lit candles representing hope, peace, joy, love and, finally, the Christ candle that is in the center of it all. The love of God is present in every aspect of this Christian tradition.

You may be familiar with John 3:16. I always like to include verses 17 and 18, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

Have you considered how you have been loved by God? 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 says, "For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised."

The love of God is for all people. Everyone who believes in Jesus is expected to live for the glory of God and to die to their own self-centeredness. Jesus said, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me." John 8:42.

Jesus further explains in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father accept through me." The gospel is inclusive in that anyone can be saved, and the love of God through Jesus is available to everyone. However, it is also exclusive in that Jesus is the only way to a relationship with God. If you do not love Jesus, then you do not know God--according to Jesus.

Remember John 3:17, the world is already condemned, and Jesus came for our salvation, not our condemnation. Did you know that there are Bible teachers who reject the notion of eternal condemnation. Some believe that everyone goes to heaven no matter how horribly they may have lived. This is not consistent with what Jesus taught. In Matthew 25:46, Jesus said, "these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Everyone is going to spend eternity somewhere. We will all stand before God and be held accountable for our lives. 1 John 4:17-19 encourages us, "By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us."

How do we express the love of God? Deuteronomy 6:5 instructs God's people, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."

Jesus says, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." John 14:15. Have you known a person who claims to be a Christian, but does not live a lifestyle consistent with the teachings of the Bible? True followers of Christ want to please God.

When Jesus was challenged about which is the greatest commandment he said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the Prophets."

Jesus died for us on the cross to pay for our sin. He wants us to love him and to care about other people. Let us give and receive the love of God.