A True Love
On June 25, 1967, over 400 million people across 26 countries tuned in to watch the Beatles perform “All You Need Is Love.” It was a song meant to transcend language and culture—a simple message everyone could understand. However, while the Beatles’ message was well-intentioned, they missed the mark. Yes, love is essential, but the world truly needs not just love but the God who is love. More specifically, we need Jesus, who this God of love sent. It's not about being connected to love in general; it’s about being connected to Christ, the very source of true love. And when that connection happens, natural, supernatural love begins to flow—first from Him into you, then from you to others. This is how you understand the profound truth that God is love.
Now, it's one thing to talk about love but another thing entirely to show it. The Christian God isn’t just a God of words but of action, doing, and serving. I’ve met many hurting people, wondering if anyone truly loves them. They’ve been through so much—abuse, abandonment, betrayal. Maybe you feel the same way. Perhaps you’ve asked yourself, “Does anyone love me? Will I ever be loved?”
The beautiful message of the gospel offers a resounding “Yes” to those questions. You are loved, deeply and unconditionally, by a God who is loved and who longs to pour that love into your life. How do we know this? Because He sent His Son. John makes this point twice in his first letter to ensure we don’t miss it: God sent His Son for you and me.
Consider 1 John 4:10, which says, “Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” This verse is one of the most significant in the Bible because it highlights the extraordinary initiative God took in loving us and the profound depth of that love as demonstrated through the gift of His Son. God didn’t send an angel or a mere messenger—He sent His very own Son. And He didn’t send Him to live, but to die—a Savior’s death, taking our place, bearing the punishment that was rightfully ours.
When John says, "Love consists in this," he’s emphasizing what follows. First, God loved us before we ever loved Him—even when we rejected Him. Second, He proved His love by sending His Son, echoing Paul’s words in Romans 5:8: “But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!” Third, God sent His Son to be the propitiation, or atoning sacrifice, for our sins. The term "propitiation" is a deeply rich theological concept essential to understanding the gospel, and it's used three other times in the New Testament:
Romans 3:25: “God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness.”
Hebrews 2:17: “Therefore, He had to be like His brothers in every way, so that He could become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”
1 John 2:2: “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours but also for those of the whole world.”
"Propitiation" means to turn away the wrath of God by means of an offering. In ancient religions, people made offerings to appease angry gods. But in the New Testament, we see something entirely different. God Himself provided the offering—His own Son—to satisfy His righteous demands. As 2 Corinthians 5:19 says, “In Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them.”
This act of propitiation teaches us so much about God: It shows us that God personally hates sin, that sin is serious, and that God’s love is so immense that He provided the offering to turn His wrath away. It also reveals that Christ’s death fully satisfied God’s righteousness and served as a substitution for us sinners. Finally, it teaches us that God’s holiness required satisfaction, and His love provided it.
The world’s translation of love is often limited, conditional, and focused on self, whereas God’s love is boundless, unconditional, and selfless. While worldly love can be temporary and fickle, God’s love is eternal and unchanging. The world's love can be exclusive, but God’s love is for all, inviting everyone into a relationship with Him. Understanding the difference between these two perspectives can transform how we experience and share love in our lives.