“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13
In our culture today, it’s very typical for people to treat the words “I love you” as something trivial. These words that should hold great weight are being tossed around for the purposes of manipulation or as a space filler in conversations. In the Bible, God demonstrates His love for us by sending His only Son to die a sinner’s death on our behalf. In John 15:13 we are told, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus laid down His life for us. God’s love is not weightless, nor is it trivial. It is sacrificial, all-encompassing, and it is firm and secure.
God’s love is a sacrificial love.
God didn’t just say “I love you” (Isaiah 43:4), He puts His love into action by sending His one and only Son to die on the cross. This sacrifice was not made because we are good people. Rather, His word says in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We did nothing to earn or deserve the amazing love of God. Yet, in His grace and mercy, He chose to lavish His love on us through the sacrifice of His Son. 1 John 3:1a says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
We will never do enough good in this world to be worthy of God’s love. Salvation comes through faith only and is given by grace only.
Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
We will never be able to speak about ourselves or what we have done when we share about the love of God. All praise, honor and glory belongs to Him for the saving work that He has done in and through us. But for the grace of God, where would we be?
God’s love is all-encompassing.
God’s love is so vast and so great that it can seem incomprehensible. Look at how it is described by Paul in Ephesians 16-19:
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Psalm 103:11 is a good verse to ponder as we think about just how magnificent God’s love is. It says, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him”. Can we measure the distance between heaven and earth? Can we even fathom it? God is saying this and even more, is the extent of His love for His children. Praise God.
God’s love is firm and secure.
When we consider the love of our family and friends, or even the love we give, we may be tempted to doubt based on behavior, words, or shortcomings. But people are just people and whether on purpose or by accident, there will come a point where they will fail us and we will fail them. God on the other hand has never failed us, and He never will. His love for us is firm and secure. His ways are not fickle and even though it may seem like He is not on our side sometimes, God is the only One who knows what we need and when we need it. His word confirms His immovable, unshakeable love for His children in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The children of God never have to be insecure on the point of God’s love. Jesus Himself says in John 10:28, “ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” We can always depend on our Father’s love.
As we reflect on the love of God, may our hearts be put at ease knowing that in His love, we are safe and secure. If you are not yet a child of God, make the choice today to repent of your sins and put your faith in Jesus (Romans 10:9-10). We will never experience a greater love than His.