Afternoon Y'all! I pray this post encourages you and gives God glory! Got suggested topics you want me to write about? Please comment below or email me at info@mocatoday.com.
It's Love Month!
So, I thought it fitting to explore different ways God loves us in today's post.
Moreover, in a world where "love" in practice with each other is often associated with feelings and conditions, it is imperative we understand and hold confidence that God's love (as He defines in His Word) is the complete opposite.
Whew, thank you Jesus!
God's love for you and me is:
Unconditional. Not subject to any conditions.
Infinite. Limitless, never ends, no expiration date.
Unfailing. Never fails, forever constant and reliable.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~Romans 8:38-39 (NKJV)
And, as believers, we are commanded to love each other as Christ loves us.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. ~John 13:34 (ESV)
We learn to love like Christ from the power of the Holy Spirit and a growing relationship with Him via:
Prayer
Bible study
Serving
Fellowship with other believers
Being a Christ ambassador throughout our private and public daily lives
Now, let us look at how God loves us...
Remember, one of the biblical principles from last week's post—
God's love is an action, not a feeling!
A helpful article shares at least Six Ways that God Loves Us:
1. God loves us with atoning love.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ~John 3:16-17 (NKJV)
God's love for us motivated Him to send Christ into the world to save us. Christ paid for our sins, which had separated us from Him. The sacrifice not only brings us peace with God, it also brings us into a personal, growing, loving relationship with Him (Romans 5:1-5).
God's atoning love through Christ is the source of all our spiritual blessings.
2. God loves us with calling love.
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ~1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV)
God shows His love for us by calling us out of the darkness into the light of fellowship with Him. Even more, because God called us to Himself, He promises to protect that relationship (John 10:28) and never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-25).
God's calling love is a promise to always be with us.
3. God loves us with redeeming love.
For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ~Romans 8:3-4 (NKJV)
Because of our sinful nature, we have no power to fulfill God's law. But God's love is shown through Christ who redeemed, or paid, the price we owed for our rebellion (Galatians 3:13).
God's redeeming love frees us from guilt and fear.
4. God loves us with justifying love.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified [a]freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, ~Romans 3:23-25 (NKJV)
God's love is shown by justifying us (or declaring us innocent) by grace through Christ. Christ is treated as if He were the sinner, and the sinner is treated as if he were the righteous one. God now sees us through Christ's righteousness instead of through our sin.
God's justifying love allows us to stand accepted before Him.
5. God loves us with adopting love.
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." ~Romans 8:15 (NKJV)
God shows His love for us by not only forgiving our sins, but by going even further and bringing us into His family. He has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints (Colossians 1:12). This inheritance includes salvation, strength, hope, peace, comfort, providence, fellowship, and so much more!
God's adopting love allows us to call Him "Father".
6. God loves us with sanctifying love.
By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ~Hebrews 10:10 (NKJV)
Lastly, another way God shows His love is by sanctifying, or setting us apart, for His purposes. We're sanctified in two ways: positionally and progressively.
We are sanctified "positionally" when we come to Christ. In the Old Testament, the priests would continually make sacrifices because they never permanently paid for sin. Then, Christ offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice and has paid for our sins once and for all. So, we're now sanctified, or set apart, to obtain salvation through Christ.
We are also sanctified "progressively" throughout our Christian lives. Progressive sanctification is not about our salvation —as we're saved by grace and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9)— it's about how we live after we have been saved.
Progressive sanctification is the process of dying to sin and living for Christ by becoming more like Him. It's about producing the fruits of the Spirit as opposed to producing the fruits of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-23).
God's sanctifying love sets us apart for His special plans.
What other ways does God demonstrate His love for us? I'd love to hear from you!
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Remember, it's about progression not perfection! God loves you! With Him, you got this! Until next post, may God give you His peace and blessings!
~Natasha
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