4:9
Our view that God loves us is not something we have worked out for ourselves, it is not a consequence of any human philosophy. No, we know this because God showed His love among us. With Israel God showed His love to the nation by creating her in the first place, by providing for her. Indeed He did this for the whole of mankind when he created us in the first place and provided us with food. Adam and Eve were in a good place! But Adam and Eve sinned, Israel sinned, we all sinned. So God demonstrated His love for us by sending His one and only Son. He sent His son that we might live through Him. Life is only to be found in Christ. This is so important, first that God wants us to truly live, and that this life can only be found in Christ. This is why it so important for us to bear witness to the world. The world is lost, it is dead in its sins, but God wants it to live, and it can only find life through Christ.
4:10
Love originates from God, He took the initiative, not us. This also means that to define what true love is we need to look God first, not to ourselves. In debates against God, which today seem to focus mostly on LGBT issues, we so often use man as our reference point. We need to use God as our reference point. and how did God love us first? He sent His one and only Son to be the propitiation for our sins, to shed His blood on the cross in our place. There are those today who reject the atoning nature of the cross, who reject “penal substitutionary atonement”. They say this doctrine makes God into a “cosmic child abuser”. Such people are complete and utter fools, Read the text! The Father sent the Son to die in our place, as a propitiation, ie one who turns aside wrath. And this was a demonstration of His love for us! The cross is a pure act of love, arguably the most pure act of love there has ever been. It was love towards us, and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were all in it together!
Love originates from God, emanates God and is defined by God.
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