19 We love him, because he first loved us.
Genuine Christians are lovers of God, hence the assertion: “We love him”. They cherish great affection for God. This is certainly not representative of humanity at large. The vast majority of mankind ignore or oppose God. What Scripture tells us about the human race is that “there is none that seeketh after God” (Romans 3:11). We who now love God were once also His enemies until He loved us and sought to reconcile us to Him through Christ. Colossians 1:21 declares, “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled”. Likewise, Romans 5:10 reiterates, “when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son”.
If you do love God, you must have been loved of God. True love for God could not have come into your heart in any other conceivable way than that you are the object of His eternal love. You may rest assured that love to God is a clear evidence of the salvation of its possessor.
Our love for God springs out of His great love for us. The source of our love for God is God’s love for us. “We love Him because He first loved us.” Observe, therefore, that our love to God does not spring from the power of our own will. The first cause of our love for God is that He loved us.
By the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we have come to know His love. Romans 5:5 says, “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Having experienced God’s love through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, we are now drawn to love Him. His love for us is the motivation for our love for Him. When the reality of His love is fully affirmed in our soul by the Holy Spirit, a fervent love to God will spontaneously rise from our soul, even as flowers effuse their fragrance under the influence of the dew and the sun. We experienced His love in our hearts first, before we turn to Him in love.
Perhaps some of you have become cold in your love towards God. Now, know that your love can only be restored by the way it has been first instilled in you. Even though your love for Him has become dull, know that His love for you has been steadfast. In John 13:1, it is said of Christ’s love for the disciples that “having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.” His love towards you never diminishes! Believe it, and turn to Him in repentance. His love will rekindle your love for Him.