I've often heard it said that God loves us for who we are. But I don't think that's quite right. Say what, you ask? Isn't God supposed to love us no matter what? Well, yes and no. Saying that He loves us exactly as we are implies, to me, that there is no need for who we are to be changed. But there is a need for us to be changed. In fact, it's a life or death issue.
God doesn't love us for who we are. He loves us in spite of who we are. He loves us so much that He refused to let us stay where we are. Romans 5 says that God showed His love for us by sending His Son to die for us while we were still sinners. How many people do you know that would die for a bad person? Most people would not die for anyone, although a few might be convinced to give their life for an incredible person like Mother Teresa or Ghandi. But a bad person? Who would willingly give their life to save someone who's already made a mess of their life?
That's how much God loves us. Not for who we are. In spite of who we are. He loves us so much that he refuses to allow us to stay where we are. He wants to take us from glory, to glory, to glory in Him. I love the philosophical picture that Romans 5:10 paints for us. "If God was able to do so much for us with the death of His Son," it says, "just imagine how much He can do with the life of His Son!" Can you imagine? I can't. He's so much bigger than I, His love is so much more profound than mine, that I find it quite impossible to fathom.
If you're struggling with who you are, with how to approach God, don't worry about cleaning up yourself before you approach Him. He offered us grace so that we could come to Him as we are. So let Him love you. Not for who you are. But in spite of who you are.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
God doesn't love us for who we are. He loves us in spite of who we are. He loves us so much that He refused to let us stay where we are. Romans 5 says that God showed His love for us by sending His Son to die for us while we were still sinners. How many people do you know that would die for a bad person? Most people would not die for anyone, although a few might be convinced to give their life for an incredible person like Mother Teresa or Ghandi. But a bad person? Who would willingly give their life to save someone who's already made a mess of their life?
That's how much God loves us. Not for who we are. In spite of who we are. He loves us so much that he refuses to allow us to stay where we are. He wants to take us from glory, to glory, to glory in Him. I love the philosophical picture that Romans 5:10 paints for us. "If God was able to do so much for us with the death of His Son," it says, "just imagine how much He can do with the life of His Son!" Can you imagine? I can't. He's so much bigger than I, His love is so much more profound than mine, that I find it quite impossible to fathom.
If you're struggling with who you are, with how to approach God, don't worry about cleaning up yourself before you approach Him. He offered us grace so that we could come to Him as we are. So let Him love you. Not for who you are. But in spite of who you are.
Romans 5:8-11
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
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