But when we speak of God’s love, we speak of something that He set out to prove, once and for all, long before I was ever born. When we speak of God’s love, we need not look to the skies for rainbows or stare into the healthy faces of our children. When we speak of God’s love, we need only close our eyes and imagine a Righteous Man, sinless, guilty of nothing whatsoever, tortured and crucified in our place.
This act, barbaric and gruesome, is not merely a display of divine grace or kindness or patience (though it is all of those things and more). This act, as exposed as the naked body of our Lord, is God’s proof to all – ONCE & FOR ALL – that He loves sinners.
And on my darkest day, after sleepless nights, when all my noble goals and desires appear to be crumbling apart through no apparent fault of my own…in my darkest hour, when I am tempted to surrender to doubt and ask, with Job, “Why has the Lord taken away my righteousness?”…
In those times of pain, I must take my eyes, for a moment, OFF of my suffering and tell myself, “This cancer, this trial, this attack, this depravity…this is not the test of God’s love for me. His love does not hang in the balance of today’s uncertainty.” He proved His love for me, once and for all, at the cross of Jesus the Christ.
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son… (John 3:16)
In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. (1 John 4:9)
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:38-39)
It’s amazing to me that God’s justice, kindness, goodness, graciousness, and mercy are shown in many different ways throughout the Bible, and these qualities are also plainly evident in the world around me. But when God set out to prove His love for me, He did it once and for all in the death of Jesus on my behalf. And over and over again in His Word, He means to tell me plainly, “I love you, Reggie, and I proved it there.”
So I cling to this, and I fight doubt with this. I bolster my faith and stand firm in my life. Why did I have cancer? I don’t know. Why do I suffer? I don’t know. Why is this so painful? I don’t know.
But I know this: God is not my enemy. He is my Father who loves me. And He need not prove His love to me through healing, alleviation of pain, financial prosperity, or towering achievements. Though I may ask for all of these, His proof of love does not depend upon any of them.
His love was proven in Christ. It is confirmed by Christ in my heart. It will be affirmed by Christ when I stand before Him and am welcomed into His kingdom.
That is all we need, Christians. No other demonstration of love is necessary for us. The cross of Christ is proof enough.
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This article originally appeared at ReggieOsborne.com.
