God So Loved The World

I John 4:9-15

When a baby is born, it has only limited means of reacting to the world around it. As it grows, it learns to interact in different ways. Babies who only get attention when they scream learn that screaming is the way to get action. Those who get the attention they desire when they are quiet learn to be quiet and happy.

As he grows the child develops a system of relating to others based on his experience as to how people respond to his behavior. Those around him respond in the way they have learned as well. This produces a personal code of behavior, which may become stronger than any inherent moral standard. Contact with more diverse situations forces expansion of his code.

That code is essentially a religion. From time to time philosophers or governments may deliberately modify the religion to serve their own purposes. Attempts are made to explain why the code works, become religious dogma. It may be scientifically tested and proven or based on pure speculation. As a society comes in contact with other societies, they either modify their religion to meet the standard of others or try to force others to conform to theirs.

Like many other religions, the Moslem religion grew out of older religions, as a result of conflict, developing the attitude that the best way of protecting oneself was by killing those who were different. They developed the concept of Jihad, similar to the teachings of many others, as a means of self protection. Buddhists, on the other hand, discovered that by yielding and going along with their enemies, aggression could be neutralized. Thus we have two widely different religions, both dealing with the same problem in different manners, because of their different experiences.

Different background experiences tend to produce different standards and practices. Those who get very little guidance in the home develop very different standards of behavior. There is no way to prepare for dealing with situations different from past experience so reactions in such cases may be very ineffective.

Most religions develop like a child trying to develop a code of behavior with no one to teach him. Unlike other religions, Christianity is not based on man figuring out how to get by in this world, but on God, like a loving parent, teaching us what is expected. God is reaching out to man, not man reaching out in hopes of finding a God. The basis is summed up in John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

Human experience of death is only visible up to the point of death. Beyond that, there is little evidence to predict what goes on. Some religions attempt to guess what is on the other side, while others assume that everything ends at that point. Any religion based on human experience is only guessing beyond that point. Because God knows what is on the other side of death, he can tell us what we need to do to prepare for it. Just as a parent shows their love for their child by teaching him what he needs to know, and providing what he needs, God has shown his love by teaching us and providing what we need. Some children refuse to accept their parent’s teachings, and some people reject God’s. That’s their responsibility, not God’s.

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” (I John 4:9)

God demonstrated his love by providing a savior to enable us to have eternal life. It is attained through him. Romans 6:3-6 declares, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

Love is not a quid pro quo proposition. It is not a trade, or a balancing the books. When a marriage deteriorates to one does this so the other will do what they want, it is no longer a love relationship but a business transaction. The girl who feels obligated to have sex with a guy because he took her out to dinner is unwittingly prostituting herself, for example. If he loved her, he wouldn’t demand she have sex in return. Such an attitude prevents real demonstrations of love. God loved us when we did not love him. It was not conditional on our loving him back. He loved those who never turn to him the same way.

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (I John 4:10)

Those who understand and experience love ought to want to please the one who loved them so. One way of expressing that love is by loving others who he loves just because he loves them. Since we have no way of physically expressing our love directly to God, Loving those he loves is almost the only way we have of physically demonstrating our love, even giving up all our own possessions and goals. “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (I John 3:16)

Even beyond that, we received the Holy Spirit at salvation. As Romans 8:9 explains, “…Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” One of the results of the Holy Spirit in our life, the fruit, is love, which is to be expected since God is love.

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.” (I John 4:11-13)

When the Holy Spirit is producing the same kind of love in us, God’s love is expressed to those around us. His love is completed in us, because he dwells in us, and we have proof of our salvation. As Romans 8:16-17 states, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

John and the other apostles observation of Jesus’ baptism and hearing God’s statement is crucial to the message of our salvation, and they can attest to the accuracy of the claim. God indwells every person who confesses Christ, and he dwells in God.

“And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” (I John 4:14-15)