Loved by God

I have begun to discover that the deeper I go into theology, the more simplistic my joy becomes. I am not saying that I find no joy in the thick of theology. What I mean is, the more you go into theology, the more amazing it is that we are loved by God. In the thick of theology, we find joy in the the fact that we are loved by God. The depths of theology magnify the love of God.

This is not just my opinion or my experience. I believe being awed by the love of God has a direct correlation to an understanding of right theology. We see this put on display by the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 8. Romans 8 is one the most well known and studied chapters in all of the Bible. The reason so much time and effort is spent in Romans 8 is because it is such a vast well of intense theology and gospel promises. If you read Romans 8 you will come across a plethora of theological topics such as, The Holy Spirit, resurrection from the dead, suffering, glory, justification, predestination, sanctification, and more.

One of the main themes of the passage is suffering as a Christian. When we arrive near the end of the chapter what is one of Paul’s main anchors for giving us hope in the midst of all these things? It is the love of God.

Paul is one of the greatest theologians ever and he could not stop talking about and hoping in the love of God brought to us by the blood of Jesus. How do we know that God loves us? Christ died for us. How can we be sure God will love us? Christ resurrected from the grave.

One of the more trembling realities of the love of God is the specificity and the intensity in which God loves his elect. All those outside of Christ will receive nothing but the full force of God’s wrath and justice toward their sin for all eternity. Yet, those in Christ, will receive nothing but the full force of God’s love and mercy toward them for all eternity. Sinner, failure, scumbag, dirt bag, loser, outcast, reject, crackpot; in Christ you are loved by God. He accepts you. He loves you. And he proved it at the cross.

So, for the sake of your joy in the love of God, go deep into the thickets of theology, where the love of God is magnified.