“The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Jeremiah 31:3
Where does love come from? What is the essence of love, the nature of love? What is its strength and power? The answer to all of these questions concerning love, …and we speak of the love of God…, is God Himself. Christ reveals Himself in the Old and New Testament as the beginning and the ending. By this very reality we discover that if we know any semblance of love on a human, earthly level, it has come by testimony, demonstration in life, or the very revelation of Christ by the Spirit. When Scripture speaks to us of the fruits of the Spirit, it begins by saying that the first one is love. John, in his first epistle declares, “God IS love.” If Christ is the Beginning of all creation, the very essence of all that is good and holy, is it not right that we should seek Him in order to learn what love is? Is it not by the revelation of His nature and holy character manifested in nature, the Scriptures, proven and portrayed to us in His coming to earth to walk among us? If we would have any doubt as to where we should go, and to whom we should look, to learn of love, we need to heed what the Apostle John wrote: “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 Jn. 4:10) He then adds: “We love Him, because He first loved us.” (4:19) The prelude of love is the existance of the eternal Word, Christ Himself, our Maker and Redeemer. He alone reserves the right, and is capable by the Spirit to reveal to us the truth of love in all of its beauty, magnitude, and power. However, the knowledge of love, to have its designed and revealed effect, always expresses itself. In the case of a loving God who is ever seeking to save sinful man, this manifests itself in His call to the individual heart.
Perhaps one of the most remarkable, and miraculous truths of Scripture, is that the Almighty God, who inhabits eternity, can, does, and will speak to the heart of man. He has no need to shout, for the entirety of nature and creation speaks eloquently of His nature and goodness, and this, day after day. But it must be said that since Christ died for every man, tasting death for every man, God calls to all men everywhere to be saved. How does this “call” manifest itself? In the Lord’s wonderful words in Jeremiah, we find that because of His everlasting love towards Israel, He declares: “…with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” (31:3) God puts in the hearts and minds of men the thought of eternity, drawing out his heart towards the eternal by giving him the desire to seek God. It is as man responds to that thirst, or conviction of conscience, that God increasingly reveals Himself to the heart, bringing that person to saving faith in Him. There is one more thing to consider on the subject of this love of God. Love is a commitment by God to man, so that man might commit himself to God for time and eternity.
In the book of Malachi, the Lord tells His people: “I have loved you, saith the Lord.” (1:2) However, in spite of the Lord’s declaration of this wonderful fact, the response of Israel was at best tepid, lukewarm. She did not realize the enormity of the commitment and power of God. When Jesus told the man with the withered hand to stretch forth his hand, the man obey and was healed. When God in His love tells Israel to turn to Him, it is with the commitment of His power to enable her to do so, and thus, be brought to the place of highest blessing and usefulness.
Dear Father, Love through us that the world may know Thy saving power. In Jesus’ name, Amen.