Who loved who first?

by Jo Corney

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This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:10).

Read 1 John 4:7–21

Here we are at the end of our devotional time together – I trust the daily devotions over recent days have encouraged you in God’s love for you, for us and for all.

This verse is a personal treasure in my faith journey. My intention in sharing this is to encourage you and gently remind you of the liberation and certainty we have in faith because of what God first did for us – he loved us first and made the way for us to have a restored relationship with him for always through Jesus. From this space of being so uniquely and completely loved, we respond to him by wanting to know, please and serve him in our lives.

Coming into the Lutheran expression of Christian faith when I married from another conservative Christian religion, I grappled for some time with the classic Lutheran summary of faith ‘by grace, for Christ’s sake, through faith’. By grace was my issue. Works had been a real part of my previous faith journey where I had to do something or be something better endlessly to feel I could continue in my relationship with God and the church community. I was so disheartened and exhausted from trying. There was no rest or gentleness in my faith – it was rules to keep and works to do to be in relationship with God. How do you think I went? I failed ongoingly, so I tried harder – it proved confusing as I would read or hear the ministry of God’s love and forgiveness, but both seemed unattainable. As a result, God seemed lofty and hard. Despite my various efforts (which were many), it didn’t feel like it came together – the older I got, the more difficult and isolating my understanding of the Christian faith became.

Coming into the Lutheran tradition was transformative for my faith journey, identity, peace, freedom and, subsequently, my service and worldviews. I am not saying it has been perfect or easy. But in a balanced and real way, I would share that over time (particularly through the shaping and influence of our worship liturgy, inquiry and informal study of Lutheran theology and engaging in my local and wider Lutheran church community), I’ve come to understand what this verse says – God loved us first, and it’s from there that we respond. Loving humankind first and showing how he values us by sending Jesus for all, God shows no-one is spare, but all are precious always.

How extraordinary and complete. As I grasped that God reached out to me in his love, I wanted to respond to him, and it became natural to respond to that in joy, gratitude, gentleness, assuredness, service and much more.

I offer you this verse, and I trust your experience of it blesses your faith journey. ‘This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins’ (1 John 4:10).

Every blessing to you this day and for the days to come.

Gracious and loving God, thank you for loving us first. In times of hardship in our lives, please help us know this. May we be held deep in your love for us always, no matter the life space. In the name of Christ, Amen.

Jo is a wife and mum who serves in various roles in her local Lutheran church community and as a chaplain within Lutheran Services.

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