God Loves Us
How much does God love people? What does the Bible say about God’s love for people? Why does God love people?
What does the Bible say about God's love for us? -
- God's Love Illustrated - Luke 15v1-7
- God’s Indiscriminate love - Matthew 5v43-48
- God’s love spreads - 1 John 4v7-12
- God’s heart of love - Deuteronomy 7v7-9
God's Love Illustrated
Luke 15v1-7
Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!
So Jesus told them this story: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!
Questions for reflection or discussion
- Why would Jesus receive and associate with notorious people?
- How does Jesus illustrate the love of God for people, whatever their state?
Thoughts to consider
Notice the sense of joy with which Jesus expresses the delight in heaven when God’s children return to him.
The tax collectors mentioned here were collaborators with the occupying forces who profited through a significant cut on top of what they were asked to collect.
God’s Indiscriminate love
Matthew 5v43-48
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Questions for reflection or discussion
- How does Jesus describe the quality of God’s love for people?
- How would you know if the invisible God was showing you love?
Thoughts to consider
God’s love comes to us in many ways. Mostly, we don’t even recognise that he has shown love. We put it down to luck. Since none of us is perfect, none would be good enough to receive love on merit. We are all undeserving recipients of God’s love.
God’s love spreads
1 John 4v7-12
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
Questions for reflection or discussion
- What does it mean that God is love?
- What is said about how God’s love spreads out?
- How have you seen people love or fail to love following an experience of love or hatred?
Thoughts to consider
God loves everyone whether we believe it or not. As we are loved, so we have the capacity to love others.
God’s heart of love
Deuteronomy 7v7-9
“The LORD did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! Rather, it was simply that the LORD loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the LORD rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.”
Questions for reflection or discussion
- Why did God love the people of Israel?
- How did God show love of to the captives?
- How did God show love to Pharaoh and the people of Egypt?
Thoughts to consider
Many try to behave in a way that will make God love them more. God already loves us, he will not love more or less. God’s love is always looking for our development. If we are oppressors, the love will take a different form.
