WEEK 13

This week we will look at what John says is the second test of love. Last week, we learned that the first test of love is that we have a new nature. God is love and His nature of love is given to us when we accept Christ as our Savior. This love nature is what causes us to love Him, and to love the brethren just as He loves the brethren. Without His love in us, this would not be possible. So now for the second test of love.

CHRIST DIED FOR US (1 John 4:9-11)

The Incarnation is a manifestation of the love of God because it is a manifestation of the divine nature, and the divine nature is love. This does not say the love of God is not manifested any other way, because there are many ways the love of God is manifested. But, this is a unique way. The love of God is directed toward us by His sending His only begotten Son. This carries with it the idea of preciousness. All the saved are sons of God, but Christ was God’s only begotten Son. The reason for the Son’s coming was to provide salvation to sinful man and therefore attain eternal life. This life is not only future, but present as well. This life begins here and now and has no end to it.

The human race has not loved God. This results in the fact that by nature, we do not possess any love for Him. If we had loved and obeyed Him, we might have had reason to believe that He would be willing to show His love for us in a corresponding manner. But we were alienated from Him. We had no desire for His friendship and favor. It was in this state that He showed the greatness of His love for us by giving His Son to die for even His enemies. Not that He approved of our character, but that He cared about our welfare.

Jesus became our propitiation—He atoned for our sin. Basically, this means that Jesus became our:

  1. Sacrifice—the innocent One, the One who had no sin, died on Calvary’s cross.
  2. Substitute—bore our sin and carried it away never to be found; thus fulfilling the picture of the scapegoat.
  3. Mercy Seat—by entering into the Holy of Holies in heaven and sprinkling His own blood upon the mercy seat.
  1. He fulfilled the type of the Old Testament high priest entering the holiest in the temple on earth.
  2. He provided a satisfaction for the demands of a broken law.
  3. Caused what could have been a judgement seat to become a Mercy Seat. That satisfaction for the demands of the broken law is the "propitiation" and that was "for our sins."

So now we are the beloved of God. God sent His Son to become the atoning sacrifice for our sins. It was an act of infinite love and infinite sacrifice, not only on the part of the Son on the Cross, but on the part of the Father who sent the Son. For the heart of the Father was pierced when sin was laid on the Son at the Cross, and His holiness demanded that He abandon the Son. So we should love each other in the same measure as God loves us. If we are God’s children we will have the spirit of our Father, which is one of love.

 

  1. Why is the Incarnation a manifestation of God’s love?
  2. How is being a son of God different than Jesus being the only begotten Son of God?
  3. When does eternal life begin?
  4. Did God send His Son because we were so in love with Him?
  5. Why did God send His Son?
  6. What three things explain what "propitiation" is?
  7. What did Jesus do at the Mercy Seat?
  8. Why was the Father’s heart pierced?
  9. How should we love each other?