The Depth of God's Love - 12/14/03
What does it mean to say that God loved us? It is not primarily a feeling, but describes the relationship between ourselves and God, a relationship that God made possible by coming to us in Jesus Christ. He didn’t just send Jesus to teach us about love, but to show us God’s love by dieing for us. To appreciate this fully we must understand our situation and what God has done for us.
Our condition
Sinners – In the first part of Romans Paul looks at the human condition
and concludes that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Sin is not first what we do, but an attitude we have – it is rebellion against God, saying that we can decide for ourselves what is right and wrong. It is this attitude which leads to disobedience. We are sinners not because we sin but because of our fallen human nature.
Enemies – The enmity is on our part. Our sin is opposition to God, which leads to guilt, which in turn drives us away from God. God is pure light and there is no darkness in God. We have enmity toward God because at some level we realize how far short we fall from God’s perfection. Because we are sinners our relationship with God has been broken.
James 4:4 … don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
Colossians 1:21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
Powerless – if God had not acted, every human ever born would die apart from God, eternally separated. We cannot free ourselves from our own condition. We cannot become good enough to deserve forgiveness. Only God could provide a way out for us.
God’s action
God loved us – this is the amazing message of the Gospel which we
celebrate at Christmas, that even though we were enemies with God, God loved us. Paul points out that on the human level, it is rare that a person would choose to die for someone, even a good and righteous person. God came to show us love, even when we were still sinners.
Christ died for us – planned from before the foundation of the world Ephesians 2:12-14 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
The results
Justified by Christ’s blood – the demands of the covenant were met
Because of Jesus’ death, God’s justice has been satisfied and forgiveness can be given and accepted.
Justified – acquitted, pronounced righteous
Through faith
Reconciled – made peace with, restored to a right relationship.
Saved from wrath
Through Christ’s life
Saved from God’s wrath – God hates sin
Isai 61:8 (NIV) "For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them.
Roma 1:18 (NIV) The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
Peace – first the objective state of our relationship with God, then the inner assurance of that state. Can only be realized through Christ. In the present tense – something we have now, not just in the future.
Love – God’s own love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Our response
To believe/trust or not
John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
To love God and others
When we understand what God has done for us we can have peace with ourselves.
When we are at peace ourselves we can find peace with others as individuals and love them as we love ourselves.
We can become peacemakers in the world around us.