Love Abounds

9 “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1John 4:9-10 ESV)

In the verses preceding this scripture, John emphasizes the profound nature of God's love and our duty to mirror it. He categorically states that those who love are of God, while those who do not are not. This distinction becomes stark when we observe the hate and evil prevalent in society, a clear indication of the absence of love for God or humanity.

In verse 9, we witness the incarnation, a divine act of unparalleled magnitude. The virgin birth, a miraculous event often overlooked, is paramount to our doctrine. Jesus, born of a virgin, was sinless even in his conception. Conceived by the Holy Spirit, not through human copulation, Jesus was untainted by the sins of Adam. Calvin wrote, “It was, first and foremost, our flesh he took in the Virgin Mary's womb." Calvin further expressed, "not of the womb, but in the wombof Mary." He came near to us, says Calvin, 'indeed touches us, since he is our flesh,” Calvin followed this by writing, “When the Son of God put on our flesh, He also of His own accord put on human feelings, so that he differed in nothing from His brethren, sin only excepted.… Our feelings are sinful because they rush on unrestrainedly and immoderately; but in Christ they were composed and regulated in obedience to God and were completely free from sin.”

Jesus radiated His goodness in his interactions; there was no trace of evil or sin in him. He was the epitome of perfect love, a living testament to the divine love that the scriptures speak of. In our faith in Christ, we live eternally through Him.

In verse 10, John reminds us of the profound truth that Jesus came not because we loved God but because God loved us first. This was why Christ was sent as a propitiation, the one whose act, driven by an unfathomable love, appeased the wrath of God against man’s sin. He was sent out of the love of the Trinity. Christ became sin in our place, an act of penal substitution. He went to a tree, cursed, and gave up His life, the ultimate sacrifice, so that through our faith in Him and our repentance, we can receive salvation and be reunited with God.

Let us rejoice and give thanks, for we are His elect, chosen to worship Him for eternity, a promise sealed by our faith in Christ.

Grace and Peace!