John 1:14 and John 3:16 God's Love Came to Earth

John 1:14 says, “The Word was with God and the Word was God and this Word became flesh and dwelt among us”.

1 John 4:8 says, “God is Love”.  God’s love was revealed to us when He came among us to dwell on earth.

John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. 

Matthew 1:23 says, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel (which means God with us).

Jesus Christ is the priceless gift of God’s love.  He came down from the Father in heaven to earth.  He was given for each of us so that we might know God and know God’s love.

Jesus is God in human flesh as we have seen in John 1:14.  John’s gospel is about the deity of Christ.  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are One and existed from the beginning.  In John 14 Jesus tells His disciples that He and the Father are One; “if you have seen me you have seen the Father”.

The same titles used for God in the Old Testament are used for Jesus in the New Testament:  The Eternal Judge, The Holy One, The First and the Last, The Alpha and Omega, The Lord of the Sabbath, The Savior, The Mighty God, The Lord of Lords, The Lord of Glory, and The Redeemer.

God is Love.  Jesus and Father God are One.  Jesus is Love.  The Father sent The Son to show us Love and to teach us how to love. 

When Jesus returned to the Father He left us His Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit continues Christ’s ministry in us and in the world.  Each person in The Triune Godhead possesses the same attributes.  They are eternal, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, immutable, sovereign, and all glorious. 

Love is all about God.  Love originates in God.  Love was with, and in, our Triune God before the creation of the world.  Love began with God.  Love was personified in Jesus when He came to us in flesh, as man.  Love came down as a baby in a manger, to walk the earth, and to show us how to live and love.  As a believer, the Holy Spirit abides in me and I in Him.  He has given me the Fruit of His Spirit.  1 Corinthians 13:13 says that the greatest gift of all is Love.  I want God’s love to be perfected in me.  Lord, thank you for your Love.  Teach me how to love others.     

Galatians 5:22 Love, the First and Greatest Fruit of the Spirit

Love is the first Fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22.  God is love.  Love is of God.  He is the source.  Love originates in God the Father.  Love was manifested in Jesus, His Son.  Love is a gift from the Holy Spirit to us, God’s children, to be perfected in our being and character.  Spiritual growth is a process.  When The Holy Spirit enters into the believer’s spirit He gives the believer His gifts, His nine spiritual fruits; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  We are not all of a sudden perfected in these virtuous gifts.  He teaches us, guides us, convicts our hearts, and grows these gifts within our spirits and understanding.  As our faith grows and we mature in our Christian walk, these gifts manifest themselves in us to a greater extent or degree as we grow.  Others will see that we are walking in compassion and love.  It is hard to walk in love when God isn’t walking with us.  God within us enables us to love, forgive, be joyful even in difficult times, and exercise all nine fruits of God’s Spirit.  

1 John 4: 7-12 tells us much about God’s love and His character.  Love is the supreme virtue of our God.  “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 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. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us”.

God’s spiritual gift to us of Himself; the gift of the Holy Spirit, empowers us to love.  Romans 5:5 says, “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which was given to us”.  Faith works by love.  Jesus said that the greatest commandment is that we love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind; and our neighbor as ourselves (Luke 10:27).  Loving God and others is the first and greatest gift of the Spirit to the believer.  Love makes it possible for us to walk in the other eight gifts; joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Let us walk in love and in the Fruit of the Spirit.        

Galatians 5:22 Joy, a Fruit of the Spirit

We pursue many things in life.  We look for happiness, fulfillment, peace, and meaning.  At some point in life we ask ourselves the questions, “What is life all about?”, “What will make me happy, fulfilled, and peaceful?”  Each of us will follow different paths as we search for answers.  At times the answers are clear for the moment but are only temporary in duration; a new car, success in an endeavor, a sought after relationship, etc.  Things and circumstances can make us happy. 

In my journey through the years I have come to realize that external happiness and internal joy are not the same thing.  No one is happy all of the time.  In Galatians 5:22, joy is listed as the second Fruit of the Spirit.  Joy is a product of God’s Holy Spirit, not a product of the natural mind.  Joy is a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit of God.

In Psalm 16:11 David speaks to God saying, “You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore”.  Joy as described in the Bible cannot be separated from our relationship with God.  I sought God and I continually seek a closer relationship with Him.  I have received the gift of faith and the promise of eternal life with Christ.  I know where I will spend eternity and I know that God’s hand is upon me and guiding me in this life.  Peace and joy are external signs of having found this internal purpose and reason for being. 

1 Thessalonians 1:5 tells believers that even in affliction we posses the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Joy is a Fruit of the Spirit.  We can remain supernaturally joyful even in the midst of pain, trial, and suffering.  Even if we are not happy in times of difficulty we still posses the Holy Spirit’s internal joy.  This joy does not diminish because of external circumstances.  It is Christ’s light in us that can be seen by others who observe us and see how we react to the ups and downs of life.  Those who do not know God cannot understand the peace and joy which I am trying to describe.

John 3:16 tells us that it is available to everyone.  Jeremiah 29:13 and Matthew 7:7 tell us that when we seek we will find.  God wants us to seek Him.  You have everything to gain and nothing to loose by doing so.  He is real.  He will convict your heart.  He wants us to come to Him in an attitude of repentance.  He has the gift of faith waiting for each of us to accept and receive.  He wants us to be filled with His Holy Spirit and to receive His Gifts of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Coming to faith and growing in faith is a process.  Never stop seeking.  Never stop praying.  Never stop listening.  Never stop learning His Word and His promises.  Never stop seeking a closer walk with the Father, through the Son, empowered by His Holy Spirit.  Never stop growing in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  May the Fruit of the Holy Spirit be manifested in each of us so that God’s light would shine through us into the lives of others prompting them to seek what we have found.