The All-Loving Father
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.
John 3:16 (CSB)
God is love (1 John 4:8). He is perfect in love and extends every characteristic of love found in 1 Corinthians 13. John 3:16 summarizes God's love as the expression of His perfect and divine nature. It reveals three fatherly traits of the Father’s love for us.
God’s love is unconditional. The Father’s love is not based on our actions. We do not earn the Father’s love. We are loved as His creation. His love is so great that while we are sinners, He still made a way for us to be reconciled with Him. When we consider the Father’s unconditional love, we need to look no further than a parent’s unconditional love for their child. Their love remains constant even when the child behaves unlovably. The heavenly Father does this to an even greater extent. He is perfect in loving us when we are unlovable because His love is perfect in its unconditional nature.
God’s love is sacrificial. John 3:16 speaks not only to the unconditional love of God but also to the sacrificial nature of His love. God’s perfect, divine love drove Him to the cross to make the ultimate sacrifice for us. The Father sent His Son Jesus to become the needed, eternal sacrificial Lamb so that we could have a path to reconciliation with the Lord. The sacrificial love of the Father demonstrates His depth of love for humanity. Consider an earthly parent who sacrifices in their personal lives for their children. If an earthly parent willingly does this, how much more will our heavenly Father love us in a sacrificial manner?
God’s love is giving. The Father did not withhold His Son from becoming the needed sacrifice. This act flowed from the Father’s giving nature, fueled by His love for us. The offer of salvation is the prime example of this giving nature. We do not deserve salvation, and we cannot earn God's favor. Yet, the Father extended the gift of salvation because of His great love for us.
How does understanding the love of the Father encourage your walk with the Lord? For me, I find great encouragement as I live with the constant reflection and recognition that I have hope because of the great gift of love from the Father.
QUESTIONS
How does the all-loving nature of the Father impact our understanding of salvation?
How does the all-loving nature of the Father encourage us to love God and love others?
