God is Love

1 John 4:16 NGÜ (German translation)

And ‘there is something else that gives us the certainty of being connected to God:` We have recognized that God loves us, and we have given all our trust to this love. God is love, and whoever lets love define him lives in God, and God lives in him.

God’s love takes many forms in the Bible.

You may have heard a pastor say, or read it yourself in the Bible, that God’s love can move mountains, heal broken bones and wounded hearts, transform lives and set free those held captive by sin and shame. And He does all this because He loves us humans. God loves you!

Why can’t we always accept this love for us? 

First of all, let’s look at the word “love.” In German, the word “love” is rather vague because it is very versatile. For example, I love sparkling water, I love playing the guitar, and I love my family. If love means the same thing in all three examples, does that mean that I love, say, sparkling water as much as I love my family? Of course it doesn’t. Love is used in many ways these days. 

The ancient Greek language had four words to describe different kinds of love: Phileo (brotherly love), Eros (erotic love), Storge (motherly love), and Agape (self-sacrificial love). Only two of these Greek words are used in the New Testament, agape and phileo. But what does it mean, “God is love?”

First of all, it means that love is an essential and fundamental characteristic of God. It is not a feeling that comes and goes, but it is part of His character. “God is love [agapos],” means that He is the source of agape love.  Agape is an unconditional love that gives up everything for another and asks or expects nothing in return. His love is the highest form of love: undeserved, gracious, and sacrificial. In 1 John 4:9 we read that: ” (…)God’s love for us was made manifest in that God sent his only Son into the world to give us life through him.”

God loves you so much that He gave His only Son. Not because you deserve it, but only because YOU are worthy of this sacrifice to Him.

God has always been there and so has His love for you. Maybe you have heard that God loved you even before you were in your mother’s womb. Even before you could have done anything, He loved you. What is difficult for us to understand is that His love is independent of our deeds. Neither from the bad nor from the good. There is nothing you can do that will change that love. Neither any efforts nor any bad thoughts. God loves you and nothing can or will change that. 

Action Step: Today, try to put aside the thought that you have to make an effort to be loved. Try to accept the boundless love for you. No matter what the circumstances are! They do not determine God’s love for you. 

God is love and YOU ARE loved