God So Loved The World

For God so loved the world, not just a few,
The wise and great, the noble and the true,
Or those of favored class or rank or hue.
God loved the world. Do you?

Easter is drawing near, and each year its coming always reminds me of the astonishing love of our great God for all people. For who but an amazingly loving God would not only send His Son for rebellious people, but willingly die for evil those people did against Him? And who but the self-giving Triune God could ensure that the demands of both justice and grace were both met so that sin could be paid for without requiring death of every person who has ever lived? And who but our marvelous Lord would not only pay for sin and provide human beings with homes in heaven but also adopt those who believe as His children and give them His Holy Spirit to empower, indwell, and seal them for their redemption day? Easter, more than any other day, reminds us of these great truths and spurs us toward gratitude.

But in addition to gratitude, it ought to spur us also toward action. After all, if we love and serve a good of such astonishing, amazing, marvelous love for people who hated and rebelled against Him, how can we do less than to serve as the heralds of that love to all people, just as He has called us to do? And if God’s deep desire is that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4), then shouldn’t it be the deep desire of every Christian as well?