What does love really mean?

by Barbara Latta

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in

Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16 NKJV).

Those of us who have grown up in church have heard John 3:16 quoted over and over. We learned that verse as a child and could spit it out at the drop of a hat. This scripture is probably the most familiar to everyone, even those who don't know God personally.

But like most things that we bandy about, it can become overused words that lose their meaning.

Do we really know what Jesus was saying when he told this truth to Nicodemus?

God so loved….

This is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and gave his Son (1 John 4:10).

We can’t love God apart from Him loving us first because there is no love in us without Him.

The world…

God’s gift is available to all who will receive it.  …Not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9b). Unfortunately, not everyone will receive eternal life, but it’s not because God didn’t give it.

That He gave….

He gave His Son from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). He knew His creation would sin and He made a way to redeem the lost. God loved His created ones made in His image so much he was willing to give Himself to pay for the wrong that we do.

He gave by putting His Word into the form of flesh. The word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14)

God was walking and talking with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden until they sinned. They threw away their intimacy with their Creator.

God was walking and talking with mankind in the form of Jesus, but most did not recognize him. They threw away the God that was before them.

He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him (John 1:11).

Love came down from heaven, but He didn’t have to. But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:7-8).

This gift from the Father was presented to the fallen earth wrapped in swaddling clothes. In insignificance and with no earthly fanfare, He was born in the normal human way. He became one of us, so He could identify with our hurts, fears and temptations (Hebrews 2:18).

Jesus came to earth through a bloody human birth and left the earth through a bloody human sacrifice.

What does “God so loved the world” really mean? It means love came down…so we could be lifted up (Psalm 145:14).

Christmas brings us the cross.

Merry Christmas and may God bless us every one!
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