As I was reading my Bible today, the reality of the magnitude of God’s love hit me. In 1 John 4:16–18 it says:
“…God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love” (NLT).
As I read verse 18, it really touched my spirit on how God’s love is unconditional. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (NKJV). God already knew we were sinners. He knew that asking for forgiveness one time was not enough.
The Bible says we will sin against God in our thoughts, our speech, and/or our deeds. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” (Proverbs 23:7, KJV). The Amplified version says, “So is his behavior.” So once it is thought, we have already sinned against God.
Think of how many times we think of things as we see people walk by, or watch a show and think, “If it were me…” God says even though we don’t act on the things we think, it is already done. The point I am trying to make is that we are constantly sinning. However, as children of God, we understand that we must come to our Father and ask for forgiveness, and by the blood of Jesus, we are made free. Everything is forgiven, and once again we are made whole through Christ Jesus.
As I read 1 John 4:18, it all came full circle for me. It says that if we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love. As children of God, we are not meant to live in fear of punishment, but in confidence of His love and grace. No matter what we do, He still loves us. With a sincere and repentant heart, we approach the throne of grace, and God, in His mercy, forgives us and makes us whole again.
So to fear punishment is to not know or understand who God our Father is. Unconditional love means that no matter what, He still loves us. If we lied, stole, and even murdered, once we have a sincere heart of repentance, He will forgive.
Does love mean we serve no consequences? We still face consequences for our actions, for Scripture says that whatever a person sows, that they will also reap (Galatians 6:7). This means that we must be diligent in sowing what is good and pleasing to God to reap His goodness and favor. God knew that we would fall short of perfection, so in His love, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to offer Himself as the sacrificial Lamb for us.
There will be moments when we fail and need to be cleansed by the blood of Christ, but as God’s children, we are not abandoned or rejected. We remain loved, and we do not fear condemnation, because Jesus has already accounted for the sins of the world.
Seek Him and ask for forgiveness for your sins today. God is waiting for you to come back home to your Heavenly Father. Won’t you accept that perfect love today?
Until next time, be blessed. If you are in need of prayer, please click here and know that I am praying for you.
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