A couple months ago I preached a series of sermons on The Greatest Commands. I quite enjoyed digging into the lyrics of that beautiful hymn. This week at camp we’re studying those words as well, specifically the statement by John in 1 John 4. It’s one of the most beautiful summaries of the love of God in all of scripture, and it begins with John making a statement almost in passing, but it blows my mind every time I think about it.
God…created love.
Here’s what John writes:
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
(1 John 4:7)
Obviously, it’s not a text we’re unfamiliar with, especially that line in the middle: Love is of God.
The word “of” in the phrase is, in the Greek, “ek” and it means “out of.” In other words Love came out of God. Love originated with God. Once upon a time love did not exist and then God created it.
Now think about that:
The first time you loved someone was the first time you loved, but it wasn’t the first time love happened. Someone loved someone before you ever did. You’re not that old. That means you can trace love backward to find its origin. Love had a beginning, and it wasn’t even the first time Adam saw Eve and loved her; that was the first time Adam loved, but it wasn’t the first time love happened. Love happened when God loved. Love happened, before you and I were ever created. Love happened before creation itself. Love happened in the mind of God when He thought about you and how you and I would sin against Him.
Before the world began, God looked at what would be, and what He saw was a creation that would sin against Him, blaspheme Him, turn away from Him, and spit in His proverbial face by worshipping His creation instead of Him, the creator. And in spite of all of that, He still thought to Himself, “I still want to create these people. I still want a relationship with these people. I want to be with these people forever.” And God took those ideas, and those “I wants,” and He gave it a name:
Love.
Despite knowing that we would sin, and knowing that sin stirs within Himself a desire to respond with judgment, God decided instead to save us from His own judgment. How? By saying “I will love them and send my Son to be the propitiation (sin offering) for them.”
Never forget: God created love so He could use it to save you.
He didn’t stumble into it like someone realizing micro-waves can also be used to heat up cold meatloaf; He didn’t create love accidentally. He purposefully invented love just so He could use it to save you from the crime of you hating Him.
And if that doesn’t blow your mind, I don’t know what else I can say…other than what John says later in the chapter:
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
(1 John 4:11)
How amazing is it that God created love so He could love you?
John says “It’s pretty amazing, right? Now go love each other just as much.”
~ Matthew