Love of God notes (pt. 1)

Joel Gilbert

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God’s love emanates from his being and radiates to and in us who acknowledge him through Jesus Christ.

The Son of God is the visible proof of God’s love toward his people.

Therefore John writes,"Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” ()

"Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” ()

In this. “God so loved” (v. 11) people who hated Him and provoked His anger that He sacrificed His Son (, , ) to satisfy His justice and pacify His anger.

John starts off by saying (negatively) by pointing out that love isn’t to be understood in terms of our love for God.

“Love consists in this: not that we loved God”. Then positively he states what God’s love to us is:

“He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

Run on over to "For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

The point made by “the world” is that Christ’s saving work is not limited to one time or place or people (the Jews),

but applies to all those chosen in Christ from all over the world no matter the era in which they live or their ethnicity.

God. The ultimate explanation for anyone’s salvation is the will of the Father (6:38–40; ; ).

so loved. The Son did not win the Father’s love for sinners but came because God loved sinners,

indeed loved them so much that He gave the most precious and costly gift imaginable, His only begotten Son.

8 "But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ()

Beeke, J. R., Barrett, M. P. V., & Bilkes, G. M. (Eds.). (2014). The Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible (p. 1514). Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books.

The greatness of God’s love contrasts infinitely with even the noblest acts of love that are possible for the natural man,

for it is revealed in the voluntary death of the best, Jesus Christ, for the worst (; ; ).

God not only enables us, through his Spirit, to feel His love in our hearts (v. 5), but

He also powerfully demonstrates His love for us by sending His Son to die on our behalf.

Remember what Paul’s already said in chapter 3. 25 "God presented him as an atoning sacrifice in his blood, received through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. 26 "God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus.” ()

So God presented His Son as a sacrifice of atonement to demonstrate His justice while justifying sinners.

Now he stresses that this action was at the same time a demonstration of God’s love for sinners.

And this demonstration of God’s love was made while the objects of that love were still at enmity with him (cf. 5:10).

20 "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” ()

4 "For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you,” ()

13 "But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” ()

Kruse, C. G. (2012). Paul’s Letter to the Romans. (D. A. Carson, Ed.) (p. 236). Cambridge, U.K.; Nottingham, England; Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.

16 "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace,” ()

God loves, chooses us for salvation, gives us an eternal encouragement and good hope by grace!

Beeke, J. R., Barrett, M. P. V., & Bilkes, G. M. (Eds.). (2014). The Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible (p. 1622). Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books.

37 "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 "nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ()

We are more than conquerors through the Lord and therefore nothing can separate us from God’s self-giving love.

It was indeed a work of great love, that the Son of God joined to Himself our clay, and

when He had joined it to Himself, raised it above cherubim and seraphim.

; ; ; ; ; ;

; ;

The motive for loving God, is God.

No title can be stronger than this:

God gave Himself to us in spite of our unworthiness, and,

The motive for loving God, is God. No title can be stronger than this: God gave Himself to us in spite of our unworthiness, and, being God, what could He give us of greater worth than Himself?

being God, what could He give us of greater worth than Himself?

If, then, by asking why we are bound to love God, we mean, what is His claim, the answer is:

Especially this, that He first loved us.

; ; ; ; ; ;

15 "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” ()

Ritzema, E., & Brant, R. (Eds.). (2013). 300 quotations for preachers from the Medieval church. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

the world. Not the people of the world nor the created order, but worldly attitudes or values opposed to God.

In 2:10 love is focused on the well being of another. Here in v15, the love is focused on the pleasure and gratification one hopes to receive.

anything in the world. The constituent elements that make up the world are described in v. 16.

love for the Father is not in them. If people love the world, they do not love the Father.

If you are taken up with the world and its direction instead of seeking God and doing His will.

The outcome of this projected love of the world would be stated in those devastating words, Then “the love of the Father is not in him.”

There is no middle ground (cf. ; ; ).

This ball of clay, the world, has no more traction in my soul.

Christ has come and run away to heaven with my heart and my love and I’m pursuing Him. ; ; ; ;

2 "This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands. 3 "For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden,” ()

To love people requires obeying God’s commandments. Law directs love.

Once again he speaks of the observable mark of love for God, namely,

obedience to God’s commands; and

as already noted, in 1 John these commands nearly always include love for one’s fellow believers (cf. 3:23).

“love for God”. Love for God is expressed by obeying his commands (cf. , ), and this includes loving fellow believers.

Kruse, C. G. (2000). The letters of John (p. 172). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.

not a burden. Not a painful burden. Love delights in God’s law (; ; ).

“love for God”. Love for God is expressed by obeying his commands (cf. , ), and this includes loving fellow believers.

not a burden. Not a painful burden. Love delights in God’s law (; ; ).

His commands are not burdensome. While God’s commands are demanding, they are not burdensome for believers (cf. ),

because having been born of God, they have a desire to please Him.

Moo, D. J. (2015). The Letters and Revelation. In D. A. Carson (Ed.), NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Built on the Truth of Scripture and Centered on the Gospel Message (p. 2568). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

The command to love one another does not prove burdensome for those who know God because

he command to love one another does not prove burdensome for those who know God because they have been born of God, and love for others who have also been born of God is a natural outworking of that. This is so, the author adds, ‘for everyone born of God overcomes the world’.

they have been born of God, and

love for others who have also been born of God is a natural outworking of that.

Beeke, J. R., Barrett, M. P. V., & Bilkes, G. M. (Eds.). (2014). The Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible (p. 1843). Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books.

This is so, the author adds, ‘for everyone born of God overcomes the world’. (v4a)

19 "We love because He first loved us.” ()

God showed his love for us first by sending his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Kruse, C. G. (2000). The letters of John (p. 169). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.

Forgiveness doesn’t have to do with feelings.

Forgiveness is a decision we make.

If we decide to forgive, feelings will follow in due season.

Who can choose to forgive?

Only one who’s living in love.

Who is living in love?

The one who realizes that, although he’s a sinner and a failure, because God has been so good to him, he has no reasonable option but to love his brother.

Wouldn’t it be right to take the theological point in v19 and be able to apply it to our marriages?

Kruse, C. G. (2000). The letters of John (p. 172). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.

Where there is no love in a home, it is the husband’s fault.

Principally the responsibility for love in the home falls not on the wife (she should show love, of course), but on the husband.

The husband must love his wife as Jesus Christ loves His Church.

Listen to :“ We love” (that is, the church; remember, the wife reflects the church);

“We love [the church loves] because He [Jesus Christ] first loved us.”

That is how love for Christ began.

Adams, J. E. (1973). The Christian counselor’s manual (p. 152). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

It was not because the church was so loving and lovable that Jesus just couldn’t help but love her;

Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (p. 1630). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

but rather, while we were

enemies, while we were

sinners, while we were

rebellious,

vile, and

loathsome creatures in His sight,

Jesus first loved us— and gave His life for us!

He looked on us with love in spite of it all, and determined to set His love on us.

He chose us in love for us, apart from anything in us that would commend us to Him.

So if there’s cold love in your family, do something about it husband!

Emulate the love of Jesus Christ for His church, which means that I’m stressing that you have the responsibility to initiate love.

Ritzema, E., & Vince, E. (Eds.). (2013). 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Puritans. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Moo, D. J. (2015). The Letters and Revelation. In D. A. Carson (Ed.), NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Built on the Truth of Scripture and Centered on the Gospel Message (p. 2564). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Ritzema, E., & Brant, R. (Eds.). (2013). 300 quotations for preachers from the Medieval church. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Love of God notes (pt. 1)

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