The fruit of the love of the Father

The love of God can only reach us through Jesus Christ. According to John, all the love of God resides in Jesus. "And we have all received of his fullness" (John 1:16). You may be wondering, "How important is it to know that the love of God reaches us through Christ ? How does this affect our everyday lives ?"

This knowledge is much more than a biblical concept. To know that the love of God reaches us only through Jesus impacts the way we keep ourselves in His love. You see, it is not enough for me to know that God will always love me and that He will never stop loving me in all my struggles. He also wants his love to have some effect on me.

So how exactly does God's love impact our lives ? We can not look at the example of men. There are licentious Christians who would like to change the love of God by permission to sin. They convince themselves. "God loves me unconditionally. He will continue to love me despite my drinking, my adultery and my search for pleasure. His grace is greater than my sins." Such people despise the love of God.

We must look at the example of Christ. Jesus has already told us that the Father loves us in the same way that He loves the Son. So, what impact does the Father's love have on Jesus ? The fruit of the Father's love was in Jesus, offering his body as a sacrifice for others.

John writes : "We have known love, in that he gave his life for us" (1 John 3:16). This is the fruit of God's love in Jesus. He gave Himself as a sacrifice for others. The second half of this verse tells us about the purpose of God's love in our own lives. He says : "We too must give our lives for the brethren" (3:16). The love of God leads us to present our bodies as living sacrifices.

David Wilkerson