The Father sent His Son to make His love visible to humanity. “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9).[1] Translators have grappled with this idea of God manifesting His love in us. Some translations use “toward us” or “among us.” But the direct translation from the Greek is “in us.” The love of God was manifested in us. So the coming of Christ into the world is God manifesting His love in us.
I cannot imagine what the heart of God must feel in wanting so deeply to get across to humanity how much He loves us on an individual basis. That is why I like this wording that He is manifesting His love “in us.” It becomes very individual. God is manifesting His love in you and in me. The Father is driven to get us as humans to know and feel and recognize and celebrate His love for us. It is His whole purpose in all that He does. God wants to bring us to an understanding of how much He loves us.
The fourth chapter of 1 John is freighted with this idea of the love of God. Starting at verse 7, John says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” When we know God, we will love ourselves, our neighbors, and God Himself. That is a big part of what God is trying to do. If He can get us to see His love for us, then He can make us become love to one another and express it in our worship back to Him. If we can receive God’s love in us, we will become that love, and everything we do will be an expression of His love.
The Father sent His Son into the world that we might live through Him. When we know love, we will know life. We will live life loving ourselves, loving one another, and loving God. “If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:12). Wow! If we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us as we continually express His love to each other. “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4:16). We must know and believe in the love God has for us.
We open our hearts to the tremendous love our Father has for us. Christ came that we might know the love of Christ which surpasses human understanding and be filled up to all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19). When we know the love of Christ, we will be filled up to all the fullness of God because God is love, His fullness is love, and that love is being imparted into us. God is driven for humanity to know and experience His love for each one of us individually. God so loved the world that He gave us His Son, that whoever believes in Him might have eternal life (John 3:16). The love of God is eternal life because God is love, and His love is eternal.
Listen to this entire message: GIG228 The Gift of God’s Love
[1] All Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995).