How do you know that you’re loved?(Zechariah 6-8; 1 John 4)

How do you know that you are loved in a world that is full of so much pain & suffering?
We might be reassured by the love and care that we receive from others and see that as an evidence of God’s love. There’s a sense in which that’s true, John tells us “love is from God” (1 John 4:7)

Why is love from God? Think about who God is—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is three persons in perfect loving relationship. And because all people are made in the image of God most people express that love in some way.
But the love that John is talking about here is a particular type of Christian love, a love that shows you are God’s people. John speaks of being born of God (v7), this is what happens when we realise that the world does not revolve around us. Think of the toddler who has everyone following them around, picking up stuff after them, it’s not surprising that we grow up thinking the world revolves around us! But when we realise that we are not the centre of everything, and that God is, and when we see that God has made it possible for us to have a fresh start through Jesus, we turn back to Him and say sorry, and experience His forgiveness. It’s such a change that it’s like a new birth. And it leads us to treat others differently. There is a new love, especially for other Christians. A love that seeks to put others first. A love that shows you are a Christian. And John says, if you don’t have this love, then it’s a sign you don’t know God, because God is love (4:8).

It’s a challenge to our churches, they should be marked by an other person centred love. We should go thinking, not about our needs, but how we can serve others. I still remember the church I grew up in, for a month before and after my mum died there was a meal on our doorstep every single day. I may have questioned God’s love in allowing my mum to die at such a young age, but here was concrete evidence of the love of God!

But what about if we haven’t experienced that sort of love at church? How can we know that God is loving no matter what we’re facing? Is it possible to still know that you are loved by God? Yes, God has shown His love publicly in a way that cannot be denied. Look at the next verse, look what He’s done! “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world” (v9). How did he show his love? He sent His Son—notice His only Son. The Son that He has always loved, He sent Him into the world, to be crucified, to die in your place! I remember when I first understood this, it took away all my questions of how could a loving God allow my mum to die. Here is concrete proof of His love, He gave His Son to die in my place.

How can you know that you’re loved when you face pain and suffering? Well, you should see it in the church, and if the church is not demonstrating the love of Christ, then questions need to be of that church. But you can always know you’re loved by looking to the cross of Christ, see the place where God demonstrated his love for you and let that alleviate all your doubts and fears.