Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."—1 John 4:10.

Oh! this love of Christ; it is beyond all degree, standard, or compass. In comparison with it, other love, high and noble as that other love may be, dwindles into insignificance. Then let me ask you now, somewhat more in detail, to think of the love of God in Christ Jesus towards us, as the text sets it forth.

The love of God is LOVE TO THOSE WHO DO NOT LOVE HIM. "Not that we loved God, but that he loved us." When God loves those who love him, it seems to be according to the law of nature; but when he loves those who do not love him, this must be above even all laws,—it is according, certainly, to the extraordinary rule of grace, and grace alone.There was not a man on earth who loved God. There was none that did good,—no, not one; and yet the Lord fixed the eye of his electing love upon sinners in whom there was no thought of loving him.

No more love to God is there in an unrenewed heart than there is of life within a piece of granite. No more of love to God is there within the soul that is unsaved than there is of fire within the depths of the ocean's waves; and here forsooth is the wonder, that when we had no love to God he should have loved us. This is a mild way of expressing it, for instead of loving God, my brethren, you and I withheld from him the poorest tribute of homage. We were careless, indifferent. Days and weeks passed over our heads in which we hardly thought of God. If there had not been any God, it would not have made much difference to us as to our thoughts, and habits, and conversation.

God was not in all our thoughts; and, perhaps, if somebody could have informed us that God was dead, we should have thought it a fine piece of news, for then we could live as we liked, and need not be under any fear of being judged by him. Instead of loving God, though now we rejoice that he loves us, we rebelled against him. Which of his laws have we not broken? We cannot put our finger upon one command without being compelled to acknowledge that we have violated its claims, or come short of its demands.

"Herein is love;" God loved the unlovely, the hateful, the vile, the depraved, and loved them though they loved not him. God Loves me!!!

C. H. Spurgeon

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