“We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
“I just love Jesus.” I’ve heard it many times from many people.
Often they mean it like this: “I don’t care much about church or the
Bible or organized religion or theology. I simply love Jesus.” But
simply, truly loving Jesus is full of meaning. Why? Why does
anyone truly love Jesus? John gives us the answer in eight easy
words: “We love Him because He first loved us.”
First, there is a fact stated: “We love Him.” John begins by
declaring the heart of every true follower of Jesus Christ. Simply
and boldly put, we love Him. This is true of every genuine disciple
of Jesus. Charles Spurgeon, the great preacher of Victorian
England said it like this: “There is no exception to this rule; if a man
loves not God, neither is he born of God. Show me a fire without
heat, then show me regeneration that does not produce love to
God.” It is something that every Christian should be unafraid to
proclaim: “I love Him; I love Jesus.” Can you say that? Are you
embarrassed to say it? Can you say, “I love Jesus”?
This verse not only declares our love for Jesus, it tells us when He
loved us: “He first loved us.” Some people imagine that Jesus
loved us because He knew we would love Him and come to faith in
Him. But He loved us before that, and even before the worlds were
created, when our only existence was in the mind and heart of God,
Jesus loved us. He loved us when we were still sinners.
This verse tells us where our love for Jesus comes from. It comes
from Him! “We love Him because He first loved us.” Our love for
God is always in response to His love for us; He initiates, and we
respond. We never have to draw God to us; instead, He draws us
to Himself.
This verse tells us why we love Jesus and how we can love Him
more: “We love Him because He first loved us.” Charles
Spurgeon again said something very helpful here: “Yet we must not
try to make ourselves love our Lord, but look to Christ’s love first,
for his love to us will beget in us love to him. I know that some of
you are greatly distressed because you cannot love Christ as much
as you would like to do, and you keep on fretting because it is so.
Now, just forget your own love to him, and think of his great love to
you; and then, immediately, your love will come to something more
like that which you would desire it to be.”
Did you get that? Instead of working hard to love Jesus more,
meditate more upon His great love for you. Based on this principle
of 1 John 4:19, you can be assured that greater love for Him will
begin to rise within you as you consider more fully how much He
loves you.
Finally, if “He first loved us,” then it is true that He loves us now.
Do you believe it? Let it sink down deeply into your heart: “We love
Him because He first loved us.”—By David Guzik
