Pastor Kent Christmas | The Love of God
The love of God is an extraordinary thing. For many, wrapping their minds around the idea that an almighty God would love them is difficult, especially if they have lived a “horrible life of sin”. Others, raised in the church, may have been taught that God’s love is based on what they do. However, the foundational truth of Christianity is that God’s love is unconditional, not based on performance, and is the source of all spiritual transformation.
God’s love is characterized as an engagement ring in the shape of a cross, betrothing Christ to humanity while we were yet sinners.
1. The Unconditional Nature of God’s Love
God’s love is secure because it flows from who He is, not from what humanity does.
Love is Not Performance-Based
The love of God is not based on what you and I do; it is based on who we are. Romans 5:8 states, “While we were yet sinners Christ died for us,” demonstrating that sacrifice is a result of love. If someone dies for you, it proves they love you.
Many people struggle because their love for God vacillates—it is strong one day and weak another—because it is constantly based on the transactional question: “What is God doing for me?”. If God blesses them, they love Him, but they struggle when they go through a difficult time.
Rejecting the Source of Pain
It is a lie from hell to believe that God gives people cancer, tumors, heart problems, or diabetes to teach them something. God is not the source of your pain; He is the solution for your pain. The sources clearly state that the devil is solely responsible for sickness and death and sorrow and disease.
God’s love for the believer must be based on who God is. In Him, “we live, we move and we have our being”.
God’s Love Precedes Change
The biggest mistake the church can make is demanding that people get clean before they get into the house. This reflects a legalistic mindset which states, “God will love us if we change“. The gospel, however, teaches the opposite: “God will change us because he loves us“.
We must love people as they are, and then God changes them because He loves them. God’s love is unconditional; He finds us dirty in our own blood and says, “I looked at you and I loved you and I said live”.
2. The Power and Function of Divine Love
God’s love is a powerful, active force released into the believer’s heart, transforming their perspective and constraining their behavior.
Love Transforms Perspective
The love of God is released in us and “shed in our hearts by the Holy Ghost” (Romans 5:5). When a person receives the Holy Spirit, the love of God is implanted, resulting in a different personality. Individuals who were once mean, lost in sin, cankerous, or had difficulties with relationships suddenly transform.
Love lets you see things different; it provides a different lens through which you look at people, life, and even God himself.
Love Constrains and Protects
The love of Christ constraineth us (2 Corinthians 5:14). The word “constraineth” suggests two functions:
- Holding Back: Love holds us back, like a leash on an animal, to keep us from going places where harm (like coyotes, foxes, or big raccoons) exists.
- Embracing: Constraining also means that God sometimes wraps His arms around you and gives you a hug, allowing you to feel the love of God.
The First Commandment: Total Commitment
The very first commandment God gives is to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and all your strength. You cannot halfway love God, because if you do, the other half of your affection will love something else, leading to a constant tug-of-war.
3. Living in Love: Breaking Cycles and Maintaining Memory
Living in God’s love empowers believers to break cycles of negativity and ensures a lasting legacy beyond physical death.
Break the Cycle of Retaliation
If you treat people the way they treat you, you perpetuate a continual cycle of negativity. Love means you have the strength to break the cycle when nobody else does.
If you will treat people the way God treats you, you will find that people will begin to treat you better.
Focus on Who They Are
It is vital to stop expecting people to be perfect or to always meet your expectation or standard of conduct. When you shift your focus, you can love them for who they are instead of focusing on what they are not.
Love often requires you to focus on who they are. When you look at people through the lens of God’s eyes, you no longer look at them through your own eyes.
Love Keeps Memory Alive
Loving people when you are alive is how you stay alive after you die. People will continue to remember you because the love you had while you were alive doesn’t die when you do.
Keeping His Commandments (The Love Test)
The true test of love for God is keeping His commandments. John 14:15 says, “If you love me then you will keep my commandments“.
A matured love for Jesus means keeping His commandments not because of fear of hell, but because of a deep relationship: “I keep his commandments cuz I don’t want to hurt his heart”. People you truly love, you do not want to disappoint.