Loving People Whom God Loves

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (I John 2 1-2 NIV)

The overarching theme of John’s letters is love. In the three that he wrote, he uses the word 34 times. And in his gospel, love appears 39 times—more than twice the other three gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) combined. In fact, only the Psalms use the word more than John. 

So why do I use a Scripture passage this morning that does not include the word love? Well, with John it is very easy to connect the dots. Perhaps the most well-known verse of the Bible—John 3:16—tells us that “God so loved the world.” And how did He demonstrate that? By giving His “one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” In other words, Jesus was the atoning sacrifice for our sins, an act of love greater than all others throughout history. But not just for our sins, but for everyone’s throughout the world for all time.

In our individualistic society, it is easy to read passages about God’s love as personal to us—God loves ME. And, so He does. BUT, He also loves everyone else as MUCH as He loves you. You are special to Him, but no more special than anyone else. And this has implications for our lives.

If God loves the world and everyone in it, then we as His children must love those we encounter in our daily lives. This includes members of our family and our friends. But it also includes people with whom we are mere acquaintances or don’t know at all. It includes the clerk at the grocery store, the person at the dining hall taking your money for your meal, the waitress at a restaurant, and your professor for a class you have to take, but don’t really like. It also includes people who have hurt you or disappointed you, and people with whom you disagree strongly on any number of important issues. It includes, as well, people you don’t know but of whom you have heard about through the news who are suffering from oppression, war, or starvation.

You see, God loves them all. As Jesus said, it is easy to love those who love us (Luke 6:32). But the Lord calls us to a higher, deeper love than is common in the world. Worldly love is based mostly on what we gain from it. Godly love is unselfish and given even when it is undeserved and the prospects of its return in kind are unlikely. This is exactly how God has loved us, all of us.

Today, how can you love the people around you? And not just your family and friends, but everyone? If you need help, then read I Corinthians 13:4-7 and Galatians 5:22-23. For if God does indeed love everyone in the world, then it is important, as His children, to know how to do that as well.

© Jim Musser 2018