Why does God love us?

 

GOD IS LOVE. Saint John the Evangelist (also known as the Beloved Disciple) mentions this phrase in the fourth chapter of his first letter, which was written in the same vein as his wonderful Gospel (the Gospel of John). In Christianity, Jesus Christ incarnated (embodied in human form) is testament to the love that God our Father shows His people. God is love and He loves us. Importantly, He loves you. Yes, you the reader. Right now as you read this, you're being loved beyond your wildest imagination by a God Who formed you.

The late and brilliant Pope Benedict XVI wrote an encyclical by the same title, God is love (Deus Caritas Est), which was made available publicly in early 2006.

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The God we know in the Holy Bible and in our personal lives is a God of love. He personifies love and is love. And love is multifaceted. Unfortunately, modern media (television, movies, the internet, books, amongst others) tends to focus on romantic love, usually of a young man and a woman, or, often, self-love where it’s all about me and, ultimately, me the consumer (which is great for the highly commercialised, instant gratification world we live in today).

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But true love is much greater than this version of selfish, conditional, emotion-centred form of love or human interaction.

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Primary to our understanding of love (that of the divine, and truest, version) is charity. Blend into this the characteristics of kindness, compassion, self-sacrifice, caring for others (especially the most vulnerable in our societies), empathy, sympathy, honesty, goodness, then we see a glimpse of a God Who loves us. And He loves you without any limits. Jesus’ account of the Good Samaritan who takes the time, effort and compassion to care for a complete stranger is a perfect example of selfless love. A perfect example of Who God is.

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As a Christian, I can attest to the personal experience of my faith and the fruits of it which show that God truly is love and He cares for me. My experience is also strengthened by the Catholic Church I belong to and the Bible that I try to be familiar with in whose 73 books we find God journeying with humanity throughout history. A journey in which He nurtures, instructs, loves, cares and protects us, amongst other duties of His wonderful and magnanimous care. Additionally, I see God in the Godly people I meet daily. They embody the virtues of kindness, compassion and the whole gamut mentioned above. And the wonderful thing is that a truly Godly person has no malice. This is refreshing in a world often filled with hatred, violence, destruction, greed, personal gain, deception and the like.

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So why does God love us? Why does He love you? Well, some of the answers to these questions are personal and can only be answered by you (or me, if directed to me). But overall, through what is shared in the Bible, Church tradition and history, proper religious practice and through the greater Christian experience, we can safely say that God created each and every one of us through a wonderful act of love. Because He is love and, therefore, all that He does, especially in relation to us humans, is done through love.

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There is a common saying that “even if you were the only person on earth, Jesus Christ would have died for you on the cross”. Despite the billions of people who inhabit the world today (approximately eight billion) and the billions who were here before us (estimated at 135 billion) and who are yet to come, God the creator, the Father, loves each and every single person with a love that we, as humans, cannot fathom. For His only Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer a most horrendous, violent and demeaning death, purely as a testament of His love for us and His desire to save us from damnation, is proof enough of this deep love.

 

In our ‘modern’ world of today, so engrossed in individualism and self-centredness, it’s difficult to understand the true nature of God. Much of society deems itself highly sophisticated and self-reliant. Add to that the greed and gratification that characterises materialism and faith only in human achievement, and the spectres of peer pressure, shallow fashions and fads, then you get a heady mix that leads to poor choices, alienation from God and, ultimately, to disaster and self-destruction. In our ‘modern’ society, we seem to distance ourselves from God and, in many cases, hate God and the religious institutions and authority related to God. Then, when so many people estrange themselves from God, and find themselves mired in a host of terrible situations, they blame God when things go wrong. God is not responsible for our foolishness or irrational behaviour, or for us straying away from him. He is not responsible for our poor choices. He desires that we thrive in life and that we enjoy full and complete lives, filled with Christian joy, strength and charity towards each other. But He is also a gentleman who respects our free will. He did not create us to be robots.

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We live in a terribly broken world since time immemorial. Today’s world is not different from 2,000 years ago. There are wars, social injustices, racism, sexism, wickedness, victimisation, abuse of children and the vulnerable, apathy, cruelty, self-destruction (such as suicide and self-harm), family break ups and so many more terrible things. Many people suffering from tragedy or distress blame God, Who is ever-loving and ever-caring. If we truly lived in an enlightened, faith-filled and loving relationship with God, then whatever the world or circumstances throw at you can be handled in your stride, and with a positive attitude towards God. Don't forget that God, too, is not a stranger to suffering and tragedy. His own beloved Son hung naked and dying on a cross many years ago.

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If you can only imagine the most loving and caring person you have ever met, and multiply their virtues and their love and care towards you a billion times over or more, you’ll find God. God is there in your good times and in your bad times. In fact, He is most present at times when we are experience suffering or difficulty. We just need to keep our hearts’ eyes open to this reality and the generosity of our Father.

So, in general, how do we know that God loves us? Well, He says so in the Bible through the words written by those who knew Him closely. We also know of the many wonderful things He has done for His people in the Old Testament and in the New Testament through His Son, Jesus Christ. Some of the more common signs of His love include raising the dead, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, empowering the marginalised, curing those possessed by demons and, most importantly of all, saving humanity from eternal damnation. These are all signs of a loving God.

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We also know God loves us through the remarkable acts of love, service, charity and sacrifice done by His people throughout the course of history. Just a glimpse at the incredible work that Christian missionaries have done worldwide, or even a snapshot of the untiring work of the late Mother (Saint) Teresa of Calcutta and her order of nuns and helpers, are evidence enough. Even in your own life, how would you describe the virtue and kindness or true Christians? I’m sure that in your heart of hearts you do know that Christians have done remarkable things in bringing love to a terribly broken world. This world, our species, would be unrecognisable if not for the Christian experience. Millions, perhaps billions, of underprivileged people and children would have gone uneducated, unfed and medically uncared for. There may have also been far more terrible wars and strife worldwide if not for Christ. The world would also have been a far less civilised and honourable place to live in.

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Following on from the above, look at your own life and of those around you. Everything that you or they have is pure gift from God. From the gift of life, family, friends, food, drink, clothes, shelter, education, security, employment, material blessings and many more are all fruits of God’s love. We rarely pay attention to these signs of God’s love for us and even more rarely do we even say thank you to Him. Perhaps it’s a good habit to get into: to say thank you daily for all the thousands of blessings He showers on you out of His love for you.

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In conclusion, please know that God loves you in your good times and in your bad, in your best moments and in your worst. He created you with His hands and heart. You are a gift of His to others, to Himself and to yourself.

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God bless you and know that you are never alone…and that you’re always loved.