God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. — Romans 5:8
We love because he first loved us – 1 John 4:19
Romans 5:8 isn’t only a comforting truth. It’s a mirror.
Before we ask what this love means for how we treat others, we have to sit with what it means for how we love Him.
He loved us before we understood Him. Before we believed correctly, lived rightly, or even knew His name. That kind of love doesn’t just ask to be admired. It asks to be returned. Not out of obligation, but because once we truly see what it cost Him, something in us wants to give back without conditions, the way He gave to us without them.
We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). That’s the order. His love comes first. Ours is the response. And when that response is real, it begins to change the way we love everyone else too.
He didn’t wait until we understood Him to love us. That’s where our love for Him begins.
And it’s where our love for others has to come from too. (Bible Portal)
