A Firm Foundation Pt 3-Understanding the Love of God
Episode 74
In the last Episode, we saw that truth is the totality of God’s Word and can be found only in the Word of God. We stressed that only the truth as found in the Word of God is absolute and unchanging. We saw that any attempt to add or remove from the Word of God dilutes the truth and leads to preaching a different Gospel. And we concluded that we can only build a firm foundation which can stand the test of time and adversities on the undiluted truth of the Word of God.
In this Episode, we are going to explore another doctrine that has constituted a stumbling block to many Christians in their attempt to build a firm spiritual foundation and a loving relationship with God. Our topic for this episode is- Understanding the Love of God.
The Essence of God’s Love
So much has been said and written about the Love of God that it has become a cliché to say that God loves everyone. But I advise you to pay close attention to this teaching because it is impossible to build a firm foundation or a close relationship with God if you do not understand His love for you or have any doubt about His love.
“Why does God love us? God loves us because it is His nature to love. Love is a characteristic of His person. So God does not love you and I because He decided to love us. God loves because love is His nature.”
God cannot exist without loving. It is not possible to separate God from His love nature. This is why Scripture says that God is love. See 1 John 4:8; and 1 John 4:16. Love is a fundamental essence of who God is. He does not love you because you have earned His love or because of something special about you. Conversely, God does not hate you no matter what you do because He does not love you because of what you did. God cannot hate!
How Does God Love Us?
Because God’s nature is love, He loves us without counting the cost. The love of God is unconditional, unmerited, total, perfect and complete. It is 100%. It is free. God does not place any condition or demand any price from man for His love.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”
– Romans 8:35
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
– Romans 8:38-39
“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
– Isaiah 54:10
No situation or circumstance or event can separate you from the love of God. His love for you is unconditional! %. I wish you would understand it!
The Importance of Receiving God’s Love
It is important that you receive a revelation of the love of God for you because you cannot build a firm spiritual foundation if you do not have a loving relationship with God and you cannot have a relationship with God if you do not have an understanding of His love for you.
If you desire to build a firm foundation, you must get it into your subconscious that God really loves you as a person unconditionally and perfectly.
You must believe that God loves you despite your weaknesses and imperfections because His nature is to love. You must get to a place where you believe without any doubt that God does not stop loving you whenever you miss the mark! You must believe that God is not standing over you with a big stick, waiting with His hand raised to hit you once you fail!
The Christmas Story: A Demonstration of God’s Love
Note that our topic is-Understanding the love of God. Today I am not talking about your love for God. So I am not demanding anything from you. I am not asking you to show God how much you love Him or to earn His love. God’s love for us is not contractual. He is not asking you to be good before He loves you. The Bible says He loved us first.
We are approaching Christmas so what better event than the story of the birth of Jesus Christ to help me explain the love of God to us. In Luke Chapter 2, after the Angel of the Lord announced the birth of Jesus Christ to the Shepherds, the scripture declares in verses 13 and 14-“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”.
Why do you think the Angels were rejoicing? Obviously because the long awaited savior of the world had been born. But there was another reason why the Angels were rejoicing. God’s harshness against men ceased with the birth of Jesus Christ. Under the Old Covenant, God gave men laws that were impossible to keep. At the same time He gave stringent punishment for breaking those laws. God had a reason for being very strict with people under the Old Covenant. He had to stop the devil from spoiling His plan of salvation through the carelessness and negligence of men. Paul explains this in Galatians 4:1-7 and the Message Translation explains it clearly. It says-Let me show you the implications of this. As long as the heir is a minor, he has no advantage over the slave. Though legally he owns the entire inheritance. He is subject to tutors and administrators until whatever date the father has set for emancipation. God treated men harshly like kindergarten children who had no understanding and were not yet old enough to receive their inheritance.
But finally His plan of decades for saving the world through the virgin birth of His son had come to pass. The Saviour was born. It was sealed. The era of dealing ruthlessly with men had come to an end. The era of dealing with men according to His Grace and His unconditional love had come. The birth of Jesus was the beginning of the journey to the Cross of Calvary. It marked the cessation of God’s harshness towards men and the beginning of a loving relationship and friendship with men. God was joyful.
So are you one of those people that are so steeped in the spirit of religion that you have refused to accept the perfect love of God under the New Covenant?
Are you one of those who prefer to place themselves under the standards of the Old Covenant before the emancipation according to the Message translation when Jesus Christ made the perfect sacrifice to deliver us? Are you one of those who stubbornly refuse to accept the fact that God’s relationship with the Israelites under the Old Covenant is not the same as His relationship with us under the New Covenant?
I find it difficult to understand why many Christians prefer to believe that God is angry with them or at best tolerating them though He tells us times without number in His word that He loves us and will never remove His loving kindness from us.
Why do you prefer to picture God as an angry and impatient Father who is constantly frustrated by the sins of His children. Why should you prefer to believe in an ‘angry God’ than in a loving God? Is it that we choose not to believe Him? In spite of His several promises of His forgiveness and unconditional love? Many Christians are not enjoying a loving relationship with God because they are always on edge and living under condemnation. Many fail to weather the storms of life because they doubt the love of God for them.
But Jesus assures us in Romans 8 that nothing can separate us from His love. He declared in Matthew 7:27- But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.
The Foundation of God’s Unconditional Love
Accepting and coming to terms with the fact that God loves you just as you are is so important because you cannot have a firm spiritual foundation or a loving relationship with someone who gets angry with you anytime you make a mistake or do something wrong. Understanding and accepting the love of God for you will set your mind free to mature spiritually and do exploits for the Lord.
Freedom to Receive
Receive His promises, blessings and miracles
Freedom from Fear
Set free from the fear of man
Firm Foundation
Builds confidence in God’s perfect plans
Accepting the love of God for you is the greatest building block to building a firm spiritual foundation for your life and I urge you to accept His unconditional love for you today.
Thank you Father for loving us without any reason. Thank you for loving us though we do not deserve it. Thank you for your promise that neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ. Lord we accept your love; and we receive the freedom of of having an assurance of your love.