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The saving love of God necessitates the sanctifying love of God
—the love that saves us, also shapes us, which is sometimes emotionally confusing.

God is good.
His purposes are good.
The situation we are required to
bear within this reality may not be.

How you feel must give way to what is true—it is the truth that will set you free of your feelings, in order to embrace what is true and benefit from it.

God is love.
All of His purposes toward His beloved are loving.
The situation we are required to bear,
may not feel like one loved, should be in.

1. You are loved providentially (Eph. 1:4-6)
Q-When was I first loved? A-Included in Christ’s crucifixion prize.

In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ...

“Before the foundation of the world,” there existed a God who chose to have eternal relationships with people for no other reason than His love (cf. Deut. 7:7-9).

In that love, we bear the responsibility of living holy and blameless lives, which vindicate the glory of God’s loving of the unlovely and results in praise.

2. You are loved perfectly (Eph. 3:17-19; 1 Jn. 4:7-18)
Q-What is love supposed to be like?

God’s expression of love toward us is perfect—being the very source of love ensures there is no better.

Love is perfected in us (12)-relying on the love God has for us (16)
- Loved perfectly to love (7,11,12)
- Perfect love drives out fear (18)

Keeping commands is the evidence that I love God (Jn. 14:15);
Motivation to keep the commands is the realization that God loves me!

(I am freed, by God’s love for me, to keep His commandments as evidence that I love God, and not because I am afraid of Him—those freely loved are able to express love (11). Otherwise, keeping commandments out of fear of God will result in remaining rebellious or a feeling of rebellion (Rom. 7:7f)—no condemnation in Christ rescued me! (Rom. 8:1)) –fear and rebellion, assured of love and obedience.

What if I’m not feeling it? - Both the HS in power, and the Body of Christ in practice, make God’s love real to me, which makes expressing His love an easier and a growing thing through the motivation of His love; which also makes me less likely to be a rebel.

Solution, Rom. 8-Eph. 3:18,19-

3. You are loved permanently (Rom. 8:35-39)

Can anything drive a wedge between God’s love and me?
- God is not emotionally vulnerable in the way He loves
- God is not fickle or whimsical in the way He loves, nor can He be intimidated or threatened
- You can’t lose by conditions what you were given freely and undeservedly in the first place

Let’s take a look at the candidates most likely to do just that... (evidences of love abandoned?)
- Trouble
- Hardships
- Persecution
- Famine
- Nakedness
- Danger
- Sword
- A situation, reality (present and possible), powers, circumstance, created thing

Immensely comforting nature of this promise is that the promise of being loved does not depend on me—I don’t have to keep God loving me—He does—and nothing else can get in the way either!

What is for our good is our friend and ally
What is bad is conquered
Both are dominated by a loving God who can and does use both to marvellously fit us for guaranteed glory.
Many separations occur in our lives, God simply will not allow His love to be one of them.

Love is that which forgives the most and condones the least. (C.S. Lewis)

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