What It Means to Believe in God's Love for You

""And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16)

WOW! This all makes sense now!

I often wondered: "What is the difference between knowing that God loves me, and believing that God loves me?"

Today, I understand that difference.

"To know that God loves me" rests on the knowledge that He loves me. I know it.

"To believe that God loves me" rests on the knowledge that He loves me, even when I fail.

He loves me, even when I sin.

He loves me, even when I am not paying attention.

He loved me when I didn't even know about Him. His love is an active, vibrant, ever-rushing, never-ending love.

His love was paid for at the Cross through the death of His Son. Even when I sin tomorrow, when I fall short in any way next week, when I miss the mark next year, He does not stop loving me.

He is love! He cannot help but love me, for that is who He is.

There is something else that we need to believe about His love: that it is the best love out there!

For the longest time, I still believed that fulfilling my desires was the best. I wanted to indulge and engage. I later learned the blessed joy of being forgiven of all my sins -- all! -- and the gift of righteousness secures me and causes me to reign in life.

That was all great.

But there was something still that had not sunk in about God's love.

God had been loving me all these times in my life. He was loving me passionately, even when my mother had left me at the airport.

He had loved me, even when police officers were questioning me with or without cause. He had been loving me, even when I did not have a job, or I had no idea how I was going to pay the rent. He loved me even when I got angry with Him and did not esteem the gift of His righteousness in my life.

Then there were the lies that I had believed: "The sinful feelings, the same-sex desires: they were cutting off God's love for me! They were cutting off my capacity to appreciate His love for me!"

That was never true. Never.

Then another lie broke through: "If I recognize that God still loves me when I sin, I will never stop sinning!"

This lie has placed so many preachers, pastors, teachers, and churches in the greatest bondage of all.

When I heard on that calm Wednesday afternoon that still, small voice of grace, I received such immense peace and love: "Arthur, I am still loving you, even when you have those feelings. Even when you want to indulge those fantasies, I am not going anywhere!"

And like the Grinch whose heart grew two sizes larger, my capacity to receive His love was greater. Indeed, His love IS BETTER! I don't have to work for it, I do not have to "do something" to receive it!

In another, grander sense I believed in His love.

I didn't just know that He loved me, but I believed it, I was confident in His love for me!

And I believe that it is more than enough, and know it, too!