Why do you believe God loves you? Why should anyone?
by Simon Cox—
During this third week of Advent, as Christmas Day is approaching, we celebrate the love that God has so generously given us. Most people (atheists excluded perhaps) seem to agree with the notion that God loves everyone. It’s a simple idea that reflexively rings true. Some people might agree at first but become more hesitant when the question is personalized then asking, “Do you believe that God loves YOU?” To some it might be a strange thought imagining the Creator of the Universe singling you out of a crowd, pointing his finger with a smile and saying, “I love YOU!” You might be uncomfortable believing that the one true God loves you despite the bad things (sins) that you know you have done.
There are also those individuals who have no problem admitting that God loves them. I’m always happy to hear that as I happen to know it’s entirely true that God loves every single person who’s ever lived. The question I have for that person who quickly admits to God’s love for them is: “Why?” Why does that person believe God loves them? If it’s true of you, why do YOU believe God loves you?
During his time on earth, Jesus told the following story about two very different men (keep in mind that the “Pharisees” were the religious leaders of the time, the teachers of God’s law. “Tax collectors” were oftentimes-hated men who made a good living from extortion!):
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee (and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ (Luke 18:10-13)
The Pharisee seemed to think he was a pretty solid guy. He fasted, he gave, and he wasn’t like those “other people.” I think it would be safe to say that he thought he was deserving of God’s love. He felt confident enough to stand and compare himself to those who were clearly not as deserving as he was.
The tax collector on the other hand seemed to understand one of the most important truths of this life: He was not worthy to stand in front of God.
I would imagine most of us have been in the situation or at least witnessed someone else making a fool of himself or herself in front of a very important or highly honored individual. Some of us might even now be able to feel the deep, gut-wrenching discomfort of someone seeing you at your worst. That very memorable feeling that makes you want to run away and bury your head in the sand.
This is exactly the feeling I experience when I read about this Pharisee’s behavior in the temple.
This guy had the audacity to believe that his good behavior would impress the perfect and holy Creator of the universe. This is as ridiculous as trying to genuinely impress the Queen of England with your “cashier of the week” award. I’m not downplaying what it takes to be cashier of the week, to fast twice a week, or to give a tenth of all you receive. I’m simply making the point that
We must remember to whom we are speaking.
We must realize how pure and holy God truly is while also realizing how dirty and corrupted we as humans are! How dare we approach God thinking that we deserve to be loved? The tax collector in the story nailed it on the head when he “would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast.” He knew he was nothing. He knew he didn’t deserve God’s love.
Now if we finished right here, we would only have half of the story. The Bible (as well as spending 4 seconds on earth) makes it very clear that every person alive is guilty of sin and has broken God’s law. This leaves us (sinful humans) separated from God (perfect and holy). That’s bad news.
Here’s the good news: In Romans 5:8, the Apostle Paul tells us that, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Even though we are not deserving of God’s love, He gives it to us anyway! Jesus, God in the flesh, came down from heaven, lived a perfect life, and died in our place taking on Himself the punishment that is rightfully ours. Returning to earlier question…“WHY?” Why would God leave His glorious throne in heaven to come down to this filthy earth, live in a limited way as a man, and then let people (the ones He loves) kill him??
The answer is a simple one: LOVE! This is the love we are celebrating during this season of advent: A holy God erasing the sins of an undeserving world through Jesus’ death on the cross.
I like to imagine a third man in the story Jesus told. The third man would be standing next to the tax collector with his eyes and hands raised to heaven. His exterior posture would be much the same as the Pharisee next to him. The posture of his heart however would be vastly different. His heart is full of humility, not pride. His confidence is rooted in Christ’s sacrifice, not in his own worthless performance. This man is not marked by self-hatred or self-righteousness; this man is marked by joy.
If you think the way you live your life is going to impress God, I beg you to consider strongly to whom you are talking. He made a way for you through Jesus because there is no other way. If you need to talk to someone about this or would like to learn more, please contact us. We would love to explain more about this amazing love. Merry Christmas.
Love,
Simon