16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The battle rages over the souls of men and while Satan lures us with lies, God lures us with love. Indeed, just as victory in war is demonstrated by the placing of the flag of the victorious country,
in like manner, God’s banner over those who believe in Him is love.
4 He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love. Song of Songs 2:4 (NIV)
God is not ashamed of His children. To be sure, He delights in us and it is His desire for this delight to be evident to others as well. The prophet Zephaniah tells us:
17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zeph 3:17 (NIV)
God’s motivation towards people is love. This love is not limited to a few choice souls or to certain distinct groups rather His gift of love is given for the whole world.
“The essential fact of Christianity is that God thought all men worth the sacrifice of His Son.” William Barclay
“God placed such value upon mankind, showed such estimation of him, that though he deserved nothing by rejection and wrath, God sacrificed His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, for man’s salvation. This was done for man’s good and solely because God, the subject, accorded him this wholly undeserved value.” New Testament Lexical Aids Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible
The Bible teaches that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Paul states in Romans:
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)
“I was the enemy of God. I was stamping through God’s universe, shaking my fist in His face. And in the very moment when I was shaking my fist in God’s face and tramping through the Creator’s universe, muddying all His streams, that’s when Jesus died for me. And if this is when Jesus died for me, what hope it gives me now! Now, even when I fall, the blood of Jesus is enough. He didn’t save me because I was strong; He saved me when I was weak. He didn’t save me when I was a pretty thing; He saved me when I was a mess. On the basis of this reality, I can have comfort.” Francis Schaeffer, The Finished Work of Christ.
God loves us - we must let the Truth of these precious words resonate in our weary souls – impress them upon our hearts and our minds – indeed, God loves us. Even when we were His enemies, He so loved us that He gave us His one and only Son that those who would believe in Him would not perish rather experience life in abundance both now and forevermore.
15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:15-16 (NIV)
“The supreme happiness of life,” Victor Hugo said, “is the conviction that we are loved”...Unfortunately, many people go through life feeling unloved – and unlovable...No matter the reason, your feelings aren’t telling you the truth! God loves you, and if you begin to see yourself the way God sees you, your attitudes will begin to change. If He didn’t love you, would Christ have been willing to die for you? But He did! The Bible says, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16). God loves you. Hammer that truth into your head and mind every day. It will make all the difference.” Billy Graham
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:31-32 (NIV)
“He will never suffer a believing soul to perish; he has passed his word for it. It is he that says, I shall not perish, I shall not be condemned, but have everlasting life, if I believe. This will I build and depend upon to my last moments, as upon an immovable rock.” K. H. Von Bogatzky
“Love Him totally who gave Himself totally for your love.” Claire of Assisi
“Amazing love! How can it be, that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?” Charles Wesley