All you need is love! Thanks in part to the Beatles, love may be the most overused and misunderstood word in the English language. Don’t get me wrong, I love love. For that reason, I’m sickened by the world’s abuse of this divine virtue. The world uses “love” to justify their wicked acts of immorality. This abuse of the word is diabolical. Sadly, this misunderstanding has permeated into Christian theology. When people say “God is love” they mean God is like a big, soft teddy bear who accepts everyone and never judges. However, this shallow idea of love and God is not what we find in Scripture. The True God is love, but His love is perfect, holy, and just. God’s love is not a universal acceptance of everyone as they are. So what does it mean when the Bible says, “God is love”?
First, we must go to the passage where we find this statement. 1 John 4:8 says, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” John goes on to talk about how God revealed His love by sending His Son to be the sacrifice for our sins. Verse 10 says, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Don’t miss the significance of that verse! The word propitiation refers to a wrath-removing sacrifice. It’s connected to the word “atonement” used frequently in the Old Testament. Our sin merits God’s infinite wrath. We have broken His law and deserve His judgment. The penalty for sin is death, which is eternal separation from God. However, the good news is Jesus paid the penalty for us on the cross. Jesus was the propitiation for our sins. His sacrifice removed God’s wrath for our sins. That is love! God sacrificed His Son so that we could be forgiven.
Based on this act of love, we can define what love truly is. Love is voluntary affection that seeks the highest good for another, even at your own sacrifice. For an even better definition, see 1 Corinthians 13. The fact is, we did nothing to earn God’s love. God chose to act by His own good nature. God didn’t seek our immediate pleasure or success. He sought our highest good by providing a remedy for our sins. What did this cost Him? God paid for our sins with the blood of His Son. There is no greater love. As Romans 5:8 says, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
We must understand God’s love in light of all His attributes. Remember, God’s attributes are the essential qualities of His being that He fully possesses at all times. So God is completely holy, eternal, and loving without contradiction. His love is in perfect harmony with His holiness and wrath. He doesn’t contradict Himself. Based on this fact, God’s love is holy, eternal, just, and immutable. This truth is hard for us to grasp as sinful creatures because we fail at love all the time. We sin against our spouse, family, and church, and yet we confess to love them. Our love is tainted and fallible. But God’s love is pure and infallible. Lamentations 3:22 says, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases.” As God is unchanging, His love is unchanging. As God is holy, His love is holy.
“So, does God just accept me for who I am?” No. Love is not blind acceptance, regardless of the circumstances. Our sin is an infinite attack on God’s holiness. He is perfectly righteous, and we are not. God’s love does not mean that He accepts us for who we are. God’s love means that He didn’t abandon us to be who we are. God chose to send His Son to die for us in love. God won’t accept us for who we are, but He will accept us for who Jesus is. Only when we’re washed in the blood of Christ can we experience the true covenant love of God.
As Christians, we’re commanded to express God’s love to others. 1 John 4:7 says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” Love is the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). So it doesn’t come to us naturally. Love can only come through the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. As we walk in the Spirit, we must choose to put others before ourselves. We must act for their good and benefit, even when it costs us. We must overcome our selfishness and consider the needs of others before our own. Love requires action, sacrifice, and commitment. So, how will you show the love of God today?