Page 32 - March 2026 - Truth & Tidings

" n this the love of God was manifested was no one like the Son to the Father, and

toward us, that God has sent His only
yet the Son was sent “into the world, that
Ibegotten Son into the world, that we
might live through Him. In this is love, not we might live through Him.” We need Him
to give us life because without Him we are
that we loved God, but that He loved us and “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1). He
sent His Son to be the propitiation for our came that we might have life and have it
sins” (1Jn 4:9-10). abundantly (Joh 10:10).
1
When we stop and think about it, the fact We might ask, how does this display of
that God loves us is remarkable. After all, we God’s love give us life? Verse 10 provides the
are sinners who have displayed our rejec- answer: It is through the death of the One
tion of Him in a multitude of ways. We have who was sent. The Lord Jesus was sent “to be
gone our own way, like wandering sheep the propitiation for our sins.” Propitiation is a
(Isa 53:6); we have sinned and come short word that is not commonly used, and so we
of His perfect holy standard (Rom 3:23). We may not be familiar with it. However, it is a
have not loved Him as we should, as verse vital truth to understand the death of Jesus
10 says, “not that we loved God”; in fact, we Christ on the cross. You see, our sins mean
hated Him. And yet God loves us! If we look that we are deserving of the righteous wrath
at verse 8, just before the two verses that of God. We deserve judgment and eternal
we’re considering, we’ll see it ends with an separation from God. However, God “sent His
astounding phrase: “God is love.” Love is one Son.” He took the initiative; He “manifested”
of His attributes – He is love. So, although we His love. Christ came, and at Calvary He
are undeserving of it, God is consistent with was bearing the wrath of God against sin.
Himself in loving us. He bore that awful judgment fully, entering
into death; then He rose again, triumphant
Verse 9 tells us that the love of God is from the dead.
“manifested toward us.” God’s love does
A popular misconception about God’s love
not exist as a concept, kept to Himself, like is that it overrides everything about Him –
an ornament on a shelf. No, it was put into that His love displaces His wrath. But that is
action in the person of Jesus Christ. He “sent not true at all. The truth is far better: God in
His only begotten Son into the world”; this is His love has met His own righteous demands
the great display of His love. That He is called in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Justice
the “only begotten” speaks of the uniqueness is satisfied – and so is love! Christ is the
of the Son of God to God the Father. There
display of God’s love so that now “whoever
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the believes in Him should not perish but have
NKJV. everlasting life” (Joh 3:16).