“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14:21)

Jesus came into this world to express God’s love. He did this through His death on the cross. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) While this one event is the apex of God’s love demonstrated to man, everything leading to the apex and after it also expresses to us the breadth of God’s love.

Jesus expressed His love to the Father through His obedience to the Father. In a dialogue with the Jews in the Temple courts, Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” (John 8:28-29) Later in the discussion, Jesus would also say, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word.” (John 8:54-55) Jesus lived His life in obedience to the Father and would die in obedience to the Father. Knowing what was coming, Jesus, in the Garden prayed to His Father. “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39) Jesus demonstrated His love of the Father as He willingly died that God’s love for us could not just be shown, but could bring to us personally His love. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1)

It is the breadth of God’s love which covers all our sin. It is also the breadth of God’s love which transforms us from sinner to His child who will learn to live in obedience to Him. With God’s love given to us we now can demonstrate our love for Him. “But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:5-6) Jesus lived expressing God love; we are to live expressing God’s love. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (1 John 4:10-12)

Expressing our love to God and each other is how we are to demonstrate the transformation of God’s love in our lives. We are able to do this because we follow Jesus in obedience. Jesus gave to us as believers a new commandment for us to follow. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35) When we live as Jesus did, we express love given to us by Him. Demonstrating His love, the world will see Jesus in us. The breadth of God’s love flows from the cross to us and expands to others through our lives. This breadth of love has been happening since the resurrection and will continue until Jesus returns.

Walking with the Word of God may “we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” (2 John 1:6) When we do walk in His love, may Jesus be revealed to the world because they will know we are His disciples.

In the Love of Jesus,

Michael Block