Since God So Loved Us 



God is love (1Jn4:8). 

As the object of His love, He made man and 

As the expression of His love, He sent the only begotten Son as an atoning sacrifice. 



Love includes the attribute of reconciliation: 

As a father yields to his young son and intentionally loses to him, 

When men were still weak and sinners (Rm5:6-8), 

Since before the creation God loved us and 

Sent His son in the flesh according to His plan (Eph1:3-6). 



Faith is knowing His love and being moved by it, and 

The life of this faith is putting effort to keep this loving relationship with Him and with the souls He gave. 



Deceived by the devil, 

Adam sinned and was banished from the Garden, which 

Then was shielded by a flaming sword to prevent him from returning there (Ge3:24) - 

A demonstration of the wall of enmity between God and man (Eph2:14). 



God gave the Law to the Israelites so that 

Those who sinned would be punished (Ex32:35-38), for 

The sinner is God's enemy. 



The many divisions and layers in the sanctuary and the veil (Ex26:1-14, Ex26:33) were all 

Copies of the wall of hostility between God and men (He8:5). 

However, since God commanded them to 

Sprinkle the blood of the appointed animal and burn its fat for a fellowship offering (Lev3:7-11), 

The people of Israelites were able to maintain a peaceful relationship with God, albeit temporarily. 



Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it gain in three days (Jn2:19), because 

Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body, 

He would tear down the broken relationship between God and men and 

Establish a loving relationship between them, for 

He came as the Son of Man, God's concessions for mankind, 

To give His life as an atoning sacrifice (Mt20:28; Rm5:10). 



As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished (Jn19:30), declaring that He: 

1. Laid down His life to confirm that the Father alone is love (Rm5:6-8; 1Jn4:9-10); 

2. Condemned the divider (Ge3:4; 1Jn3:8); and 

3. Tore His flesh like a veil, the wall of hostility, and gave His blood as an atoning sacrifice, a fellowship offering (Mt27:51; Rm3:25; He10:20).



The Father raised Him and He entered the kingdom of the Son He loves (Col1:13), and 

As the Lamb on the throne He eternally testifies God's love for men. 



The Holy Spirit comes to those who 

By faith received God's love through the blood of Jesus, and 

Lets them be moved by that love. 



The man of the Spirit has 

God's love poured out into his heart and is moved by His love. 

He resists sin, God's enemy, to the point of shedding blood (He12:4), and 

Rather than seeing the appearance of others 

He only sees their souls, thus 

Putting effort to be the first to concede and lose to them, and love them. 



O Lord, 

For You loved our souls, 

You kept us from the pit of destruction and 

You have put all our sins behind Your back (Is38:17). 

Let us also have the eyes to see through 

Our neighbor's clothes, flesh and bones so that 

We can put their flaws and weaknesses behind our back. 

Let us only love souls! 

Amen.