Verse of the Day 11/9

1 John 4:10This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.  New Living Translation (NLT) 

 

Twice in this passage John writes that "God is love".  This a true statement but one that has been taken out of context and quoted on its own to reason that God does not judge or punish sin.  Today's verse states that Jesus is a sacrifice for our sins.  Many translations use the word "propitiation" which means that their was a price to be paid, justice had to be served, and this verse tells us that Jesus has paid that price. 

 

Immediately after we are told that God is love in verse 16, verse 17 speaks of judgment.  Thankfully, this chapter gives us comfort that we as Christians will not be judged on our merits but on the righteousness of Christ who paid the price, the propitiation,  he satisfied the demands of God's justice. 

 

In "Comfort for Christians", James Smith writes, " God loves us, and therefore He planned our salvation, sending His one and only Son to take away our sins by the sacrifice of Himself. He also sent His Holy Spirit to teach us our need of Christ and lead us to Him. And, finally, He has put His blessed Word in our hands so that through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures, we might have hope."

Do you have this hope?  If so, how then should we live?

 

1 John 4:9b " God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him."

 

Blessings,
Mike
Follow the verse of the day at wwww.mikesvotd.blogspot.com

1 John 4:8-17 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

¹³ By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ¹⁷ By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.