God’s Unconditional Love, Part 2

Who can fully grasp the dimensions of God’s unconditional love for us? It is hard to understand. At the core of God’s nature is unconditional love, which is sacrificial and life-giving.  Even when we judge ourselves to be worthless, God loves us. Let’s turn to the Bible to gain insight into God’s love.

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for love is chesed, meaning loyal love. This term does not have a clear word for an equivalent translation. Different Bible translations use “lovingkindness,” “steadfast love,” or “mercy.” God’s enduring love lays a foundation for His covenantal promises throughout the Bible. God’s loyal love is often connected with His covenants.

This covenant love is described in Deuteronomy 7:9.

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

God’s expresses His love to us through covenants.

Characteristics of God’s Unconditional love

God’s love is unfailing.

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to          anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15

God’s love is eternal.

I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. Jeremiah 31:3

God’s love is lavish.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1

God’s love is sacrificial.

The extent of God’s love toward us is demonstrated in the life of Jesus Christ establishing a new covenant that brought us back into relationship with God. Our Savior’s love was agape love in its highest form. He loved us enough to leave heaven, to become one of us. because of unconditional love, Jesus suffered humiliation, pain and death for all people, for all sinners.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16

We don’t have to have everything together to be accepted by God. The apostle Paul states in Romans 5:8:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God’s love is inseparable.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present not 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. Romans 8:38-39

Emmanuel, the God who is with us, loves us. Always.

When we embrace God’s love for us, we find peace for our souls.

In my Bible study group I asked, “ When was a time when you knew God’s love for you?” It led to an interesting discussion and time of sharing. One woman talked about a tragedy in her life that happened before she became a Christian. The event brought shame and guilt on her, as well as self-condemnation. Years passed. After she accepted Jesus as Savior, the love of God touched her so much as she experienced forgiveness and the release from shame and guilt. As she shared the story, her eyes filled with tears from having experienced the deep love of God that helped her overcome the past.

She concluded saying, “No matter what you’ve done, God offers His God offers His love and forgiveness to you.”

We can believe the broad statement that “God is love,” but often it is hard to pinpoint a certain event when you experienced God’s love. I encourage you to think about it. In the dark times, His love is there. In the confusing times, God’s love brings peace.

Rather than judging ourselves as a worthless recipient of such love, we adjust our thinking to be unworthy of the deep love God has for us. Do you see the difference? Worthless says, “I don’t deserve it, and won’t accept it. Unworthy says, “Thank you, God for loving me in spite of my failures. I am humbled to receive such a precious gift of love.”

C.S. Lewis said, “Though our feelings come and go, Gods love for us does not.”

The Word of God gives us assurance of God’s unconditional, sacrificial love every day.

For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. Zephaniah 3:17

God loves you more than you can imagine. All you have to do is open your heart to receive it.

The core of God’s nature is love. This love undergirds all of God’s actions.

Each day we can grow in understanding the depth of God’s unconditional love.

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. Ephesians 3:18-19

YOU are loved!