God’s demonstration of love: “While we were still weak…Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5: 6).
The character of love is revealed in the midst of weakness.
• False love—as narcissism—preys on weakness rather than protecting it.
• False love—as self-loathing—points out weakness rather than providing for it.
• False love—as fear—hides from weakness rather than helping it.
And in our weakness we settle for false love because we don’t know better, we can’t imaging better, we can’t hope for better.
The idea of love—as abstraction, as sentiment, as romantic—crashes to the ground when weakness is revealed.
But God demonstrates his love in this… (see first post for the intro to this series, and sign up in the sign bar or below so you don’t miss any posts)
“While we were still WEAK”
When we were helpless, powerless, laking agency—God did something for us.
When we were weak, without protection, without capacity—God acted on our behalf.
When we were impotent, impoverished, and inadequate—God carried our burdens, even unto death.
This is the demonstration of God’s love.
“WHILE we were still weak”
God did not wait until we were stronger.
God did not wait until we acknowledged our weakness.
God did not wait until we asked for help with our weakness.
God did not exploit our weakness.
God did not add burdens to our weakness.
God did not shame us for our weakness.
Rather, God saw our weakness, helplessness, powerlessness, and took action. God perceived our problem and pain, and took action.
God felt compelled to take action because of our weakness.
Not in spite of it.
This is the demonstration of God’s love.
“Christ DIED for Us”
The demonstration of love always costs the one who loves. False love is known because it extracts something from others, rather than giving something. False love takes, instead of gives.
Real love is the giving of life from one to another, from the one who has an abundance of life to the one who needs it.
And “while we were still weak” Christ offer the abundance of his life—even unto death—so that we might live (Eph. 2:4-5).
This is the demonstration of God’s love.
God: Attuned To Us
In responding to our weakness, God responds like an attuned parent to an infant—understanding the signals of distress, pain, and weakness.
God takes action to solve our problem—not expecting us to fix it for ourselves, and not shaming us for being weak.
God takes action to solve our problem—out of his own abundant resources, pouring out grace instead of writing a bill of services.
In our weakness, God offers his abundant life.
This is the demonstration of God’s love.
Posts in “Unsystematic Thought’s on God’s Demonstration of Love” Series:
- From Abstraction to Demonstration of Love (#1)
- While We Were Still Weak (#2)
- God Proves to Us (#3)
- On God’s Unique Kind of Love (#4)
- While We Were Still Warring (#5)
- Enemy Love as Forgiveness (#6)
Embodied Faith Podcast Episode:
Other Posts on Love
- Should Love Change Us, or Accept Us?
- God’s Love is Not a Starter Kit
- Why Sacrificial Love Misses the Point?
- Why Enemy Love in the Borderland?