A Better Kind of Love
- Acceptance
- Assurance
- Atonement
- Confidence
- Cross
- Dr Eliezer Gonzalez
- Eternal Life
- Faith
- Forgiveness
- Gospel
- Grace
- Jesus
- Love
- New Testament
- Salvation
May 14, 2018 2192
The Bible tells us about what the love of God is like. In Romans 5, the apostle Paul compares it to the highest kinds of human love. He writes,
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die (Rom 5:7).
A “righteous” person was someone whom God considered good. In Paul’s culture, a “good” person was a person whom society looked up to. Paul says that it would be extremely rare that someone would want to die to save a righteous person, and that there’s only a slightly greater chance someone might be willing to die for an admirable person in society.
But Paul tells us that that’s nothing like what God’s love is like. He says,
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:7–8).
The “but” means that Paul is contrasting the love of God with human love; he isn’t just illustrating a “greater” love. The use of the reflexive pronoun in the Greek is correctly translated here as “his [God’s] own love.” It is a different kind of love to anything we ever humanly experienced. Why? Because people might be willing to die for the worthy, but Christ died for the worthless.
Jesus told a parable of a worthless son in Luke 15. He is worthless in every sense of the word, yet the father sees him from far away, throws off his heavy cloak, and runs down the road as fast as he can, to embrace his son, throw his arms around his neck, weep tears of joy, and restoring him to his place in the family.
The Father loves simply because he loves.
Why? Because the son has brought some of his money back? No. Because he still sees potential in his son? No. The Father loves simply because he loves. The other brother doesn’t understand his. He has the human definition of love: that love must somehow be earned, and when he angrily confronts his father, the father in effect says, “We have to celebrate and be happy, because this brother of yours was lost and is found. I loved him when he was lost, and I love him now that he is found.” And at the end of the story, as the brother refuses to go in to celebrate, it seems that he will never understand the Father’s love. The Father’s love doesn’t conform to his rules, his expectations, or to his religion. It is a different kind of love.
In fact, perhaps we shouldn’t call the love of the world “love” at all. Much of it is “un-love,” and the best of it, as beautiful as it may be, ultimately only serves to point us imperfectly towards the true definition of perfect love: “God is love.”
Love isn’t defined by the worth of the loved, but by the character of the Lover. And after Calvary, how could you ever feel unloved again?
– Eliezer Gonzalez
Abigail koenaite
Oct 19, 2018
God loves us all so we must also practice what's God's doing in our life's,we must love each other n respect each other amen.
Eliezer Gonzalez
May 21, 2018
I do too!
Elbert T. Nyonneoh
May 21, 2018
I'm very grateful to God for the love he has for us continuously. I pray that he will use me to develop the same love for him also.
Eliezer Gonzalez
May 21, 2018
God bless you, Rose. Remember that what God has for you is always best, and if you knew the end from the beginning, you would always choose God's way. So, rejoice in it!
Eliezer Gonzalez
May 21, 2018
Thank you, Martha, for continuing to love. The love of God shines best in adversity. Grace and peace, Eliezer
Martha
May 21, 2018
I’m like the rose above my comment. My daughter and her family are very difficult to live with. They live with me but I hardly see them. I know that my lord will take care of everything. But I do love them very much. My oldest son doesn't come to visit, but may God bless them all.
Jacob Mahama
May 20, 2018
God always admonishes us to pursue righteousness for our own good. God is always merciful to us. True love as best described in the bible covers all wrongs which is what we need today as it edifies the body of christ. Individual restoration is safeguarded.
Roberto Franklin
May 20, 2018
God is all in our life. I belong to God and I need Jesus in control of my life. My life is going in trouble.
Rose Lailis
May 20, 2018
My name is spelt wrong on last comment. It's Kailis not Lailis. Sorry
Rose Lailis
May 20, 2018
Yes ! I agree . My daughter has been "very difficult " towards me, but I can't stop loving her . No matter what she does, I still can't wait to see her and talk to her. As for my grandson the love i have for him is out of this World. I have no men in my life , but did have many when I was younger. The love I have for my little grandson is so different from what I ever felt for any man. Priceless. I think it must be to do with family. And of course my love for Jesus comes first. I don't have many friends or other family , but I'm happy with all I've got.
Eliezer Gonzalez
Oct 20, 2018
Very true, Abigail. Grace and peace - Eliezer