January 19 | Romans 5:6-8

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DAILY READING

Romans 5:6-8

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REFLECTION

Why Does God Love Us?

By Dave Mann

Even as long-time Christians, we are tempted to believe that God loves us because we are basically good people.  We may think that God’s love for us is greater when we do good things – attend church regularly, read the Bible and pray, donate generously to the church and Christian causes, etc.  But just today, I heard our pastor declare, “There is nothing that we can do to make God love us more than he already does.”  That statement certainly undermines the persistent thought that we can induce God to love us more.  Where did our pastor get that radical idea?

He just may have been reading the Bible recently and wants us to be set free by what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8. When we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ... While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

This means that Christ died for:

• Adam and Eve who rebelled against God but blamed everyone except themselves

• Moses the murderer who then tried to conceal his action

• David the adulterer who also schemed to get Uriah killed in battle

• Peter who bragged about his loyalty but then denied Christ

• the centurion who supervised the nailing of Jesus to the cross

And today Christ died for:

• those who are committing sexual sin

• those who are arrogant, boastful, unkind

• those who are lovers of money

• those who are gluttons, prideful, liars, covetous, lustful, self-centered

• and more...

Furthermore, we are powerless to save ourselves.  We cannot be good enough even to nudge God toward forgiveness.  We are still sinning when Christ paid the price for our sin on the cross.  We are still sassing the Lord.  We are still arrogantly blaming others or even God.  We are still making excuses.

So, if we cannot get God, by our own actions, to desire to forgive us, what is it that motivates God to love us?  Love is who God is.  It is God’s own nature to love, to forgive.  The Trinity is a community of love.  The Father loves the Son.

• John 3:35: "The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand."

• John 5:20: "The Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing"

• John 10:17: "The Father loves Me, because I lay down My life."

• Matthew 17:5 God declares, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased".

So, when we are put in Christ through our baptism and faith in Him, the Father loves us as much as he loves the Son.

PRAYER

Father, I will be eternally grateful that you love me as much as you love Jesus.  Thank you for putting me in Christ through no merit of my own.  And when you look at me, you do not see my sin, but rather you see your own beloved Son.  In Jesus’ name, amen. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVE MANN

I am a Pastor for Internationals (retired) in the UALC community. I am married to Pam, father of four, and grandfather of seven. Pam and I have lived twenty of our years in other countries including France, Cameroon, Haiti, and Morocco. In retirement, we continue to enjoy writing devotionals, learning languages, and teaching English to internationals.