Quick answers to common questions
What is love?
Love can mean so many different things. Our favourite foods, or books, or holiday destinations. A romantic feeling about someone we are attracted to. Our feeling of care towards a child or a grandparent.
But when we think about whether God loves us, we are thinking about an even deeper kind of love. A commitment that he (or she) will care for us, work for our good and overlook our shortcomings.
Does God really love us like that?
God is love?
According to christian teaching, not only does God love us like that, but “God IS love”. Love is the fundamental characteristic of God!
That means he cares for you and me more than anyone else in the world does. He wants the very best for us.
Not only that, but he loves us even though he knows we often behave in ways we are ashamed of or which are hurtful to others. He knows, and he still loves. Nothing will stop that.
That means he will forgive us for the things we are ashamed of, if we ask him to. And he wants to help us do the very best we can in the future.
Jesus shows us God’s love
Christians believe God came to earth once, as a human being – the man Jesus, who shows us God’s love in action.
Jesus cared for the people society had rejected and took their side. He forgave people who had lived unwise lives and encouraged them to move onwards and upwards in their lives.
And he was willing to be executed rather than change his behaviour and teachings, a death that he said would be the means of us receiving the love God wants to give us. How that works is a mystery, but it’s what he said.
So you can be at peace. God really does love you and wants the best for you. You can ask him to forgive you, help you and care for you.
Image: Free Bible Images.
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