This verse caught my eye this morning. I thought how succinctly it demonstrates the heart of God; what He prizes and values and desires as a response/foundation of relationship with Him:
“…for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.” – John 16:27
This is when Jesus is having his final talk with His disciples before going to the cross. In chapter 16 of John, He is explaining to them without great detail some very important points:
· I am leaving
· I am sending the Holy Spirit in my place, which will be better for you
· You will be persecuted and killed for My sake
· He tells them of His imminently impending death; that they will grieve while the world rejoices, but that their grief will turn to great joy
What strikes me from the verse above is that throughout the entire Old Testament and from all the things Jesus has said and done in His earthly ministry, what God has desired as a proper response to all that He is (perfect, holy, just, righteous, omniscient, omnipresent, full of lovingkindness, etc.), to all He has done – from creating the universe to offering deliverance from sin and eternal life; from arranging a way to heal the breach caused by sin so that He could enjoy rich relationships with those who love Him - is for us to believe Him and to love Him and to recognize and love His Son, Jesus Christ.
The failure to do this is the entire reason God turns His back on Israel as a nation until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Moses song Deut. 32). To break down the verse:
“For the Father Himself loves you, because”
· you have loved Me
· and have believed that I came forth from the Father.”
1. You have LOVED ME – these disciples were the friends of Jesus, and they truly loved Him. But loving Him would not be what pleased the Father unless they also:
2. BELIEVED that He came forth from the Father.
Truly LOVING JESUS requires that the person recognizes Who He is. BELIEVING He is the Son of God AND also loving Him – these are the keys to what pleases the Father.
It is that simple.
It is that profound.
Every person who does not respond this way to Jesus Christ – loving Him and believing He is the Son of God – cannot possibly please God. This is how it has always been and how it will always be.
This is very good news for us who do. Our heavenly Father isn’t asking us to do grand things to impress Him or to earn His love. He gives it freely, freely, freely to those who love Him and believe Him.
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