1 John 4:19: We Love Because He First Loved Us

1 John 4:19
[19] We love because he first loved us. (ESV)

This short verse says a lot. I have encountered many "Christians" who think that they decided to love God because they were loving people and so it was natural for them to love God. This could not be further from the truth. The only ability that we have to love comes from the fact that God first loved us. Let's take a look at our life before God's love.

Romans 5:8
[8] but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (ESV)

Ephesians 2:3
[3] among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. (ESV)

We were not loving creatures before God showered his love upon us. We were sinners. We lived to please ourselves. Love, by definition, cares about the needs of others. We did not. We were by nature objects of wrath. It is important to realize that our very nature was corrupt. We were not naturally loving. Rather, we were deserving of God's wrath.

But, God! Those are two powerful words. Paul tells us in Romans what happens to us in our completely unworthy state. God pours out his love on us. We are still objects of wrath. We are undeserving. We are unloving and unlovable. Yet, because God is loving, Christ died for us and we were able to be recipients of salvation and a brand new life. That new life is able to love. The old one is dead.

How do you view your relationship with God? If you think you were worthy of God's love, you are lacking in understanding. Thank God for His amazing love. Because he loved us, we can know and give love.