> As believers in Jesus Christ, our understanding of God’s love should be a constantly evolving journey. When we first come to faith, we often grasp the basic concept that God loves us enough to send His Son to die for our sins. But as we mature in our faith, our comprehension of this divine love should deepen and expand, leading us into a more profound relationship with our Creator.
Grasping the Unlimited Love of God is a Lifelong Pursuit
The apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian church, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19, ESV). This prayer reveals that understanding God’s love is a lifelong pursuit, one that requires spiritual strength and goes beyond mere intellectual knowledge.
Reflect on these questions:
- How has your understanding of God’s love changed since you first believed?
- In what ways do you feel you still struggle to fully grasp the extent of God’s love for you?
- People often struggle to fully grasp the extent of God’s love due to several common doubts and challenges. Have you struggled in any of the following ways?
- Feeling Unworthy: Many people find it hard to believe that they are deserving of unconditional love, whether because of past actions, personal flaws, or a general sense of inadequacy.
- Experiencing Suffering and Pain: The presence of suffering and adversity in one’s life or in the world can make it difficult to reconcile these experiences with the concept of a loving God.
- Comparing Human Relationships: People often project the limitations and failures of human relationships onto their understanding of divine love. Since human love can be conditional and flawed, they may find it hard to believe that God’s love for His people is truly unconditional.
- Intellectual Doubts: Philosophical and theological questions about the nature of God and divine love can create intellectual barriers. For instance, wrestling with the notion of God’s omnipotence and omnibenevolence in the face of evil can lead to doubts.
- Religious Experiences and Teachings: Negative religious experiences, such as judgmental or legalistic teachings, can skew one’s perception of God’s love as conditional or earned rather than freely given.
- Emotional Barriers: Personal struggles with fear, guilt, and shame can create emotional walls that make it difficult to fully embrace the idea of being loved unconditionally.
- Inconsistent Spiritual Life: Periods of spiritual dryness or inconsistency in faith practices can make it challenging to maintain a sense of closeness to God, leading to doubts about His love.
- Cultural Influences: Societal values that emphasize achievement, success, and worth based on performance can impact one’s understanding of love as something to be earned rather than freely given.
- Misunderstanding Scripture: Misinterpretations of religious texts and beliefs can contribute to a skewed understanding of God’s nature and love. Verses taken out of context or misunderstood can lead to a fear-based rather than love-based relationship with God.
These doubts and struggles can create significant barriers to fully experiencing and understanding the depth and breadth of God’s love.
God’s Love in Multi-faceted
As we grow in our faith, we begin to see that God’s love is not just a feeling or an abstract concept, but a transformative power that shapes every aspect of our lives. The renowned theologian A.W. Tozer wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” How true this is when it comes to God’s love!
Scripture reveals multiple facets of God’s love that we should continually explore:
- God’s love is unconditional (Romans 5:8)
- God’s love is sacrificial (John 3:16)
- God’s love is eternal (Jeremiah 31:3)
- God’s love is personal (Galatians 2:20)
- God’s love is transformative (2 Corinthians 5:17)
As we meditate on these truths, our understanding of God’s love should lead us to a greater sense of security, freedom, and purpose in our Christian walk.
Pastor Tim Keller explains, “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” This paradox of God’s love – that it embraces us in our unworthiness – should continually astound and humble us.
God’s love should overflow into our relationships
Ask yourself the following questions:
- How does understanding God’s unconditional love free you from the mindset of performance-based Christianity, which focuses on achieving spiritual worthiness through actions and behaviors?
- In what ways can you demonstrate sacrificial love to others, reflecting God’s love for you?
- What aspects of God’s love do you find most challenging to accept or understand?
As our grasp of God’s love grows, it should also change how we view and interact with others. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Our increasing knowledge of God’s love should overflow into our relationships, leading us to love others more deeply and unconditionally.
The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, “God’s love is as deep as eternity, as high as infinity, as long as immortality, and as broad as immensity.” As we continue to plumb the depths of this incredible love, we should find ourselves more and more conformed to the image of Christ, who is the perfect expression of God’s love.
Conclusion
In conclusion, our journey of understanding God’s love is never complete this side of eternity. We are called to continually grow in our knowledge and experience of this transformative love. As we do, we will find ourselves more secure in our identity in Christ, more empowered to live out our faith, and more effective in sharing God’s love with a world in desperate need of it.
Let us press on, as Paul encourages in Philippians 3:12-14, not that we have already obtained this or are already perfect, but let us pursue a deeper understanding of the One who has made us His own. May our comprehension of God’s love continue to expand, leading us into the fullness of life that Christ promises.
Visit our companion site
Discover the Truth About Jesus Christ
Are you new to the Christian faith or seeking answers about Jesus? Visit JesusIsLordBlog.com for insightful articles, compelling reasons to believe, and a deeper understanding of what it means to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior. Start your journey today!
