This Is Love
A simple message from John the Disciple
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By this the love of God is revealed in us: that God has sent his one and only Son into the world so that we may live through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:9-10 (NET)
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John is great about making things clear.
If someone asks “how does God show His love to us?” John answers simply.
God sent his one and only Son, Jesus, into the world so that we may have eternal life.
It’s similar to John 3:16, which is famous because it’s the Gospel message condensed down to one verse. Here we have two verses that retell the Gospel message for us.
And, again, John simply gives us the mission from God: that Jesus came to give us life.
No need to hunt out for the deeper wisdom in what Jesus preached. No need to wander aimlessly, trying to figure out what God could have possibly meant for us.
No, we just have to place our faith in Jesus.
It’s simple.
As for the next verse:
Jesus’ job was to be the perfect sacrifice so that our sin might be covered.
After all, eternal life couldn’t happen if we remained broken and sinful. Besides, we wouldn’t want to spend eternity walking around as broken people.
How miserable would that be?
Spending eternity walking on this broken earth, seeing all the problems around us, and knowing that we’re stuck in this existence forever?
No thank you.
I’d rather trust in Jesus, accept His sacrifice in my place, live for Him, and be restored to perfection in the great Day to come.
That sounds good to me.
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2025 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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