Evangelism: Loving God, Loving OthersSample

Prefer God; Prefer Others 

We’ve mentioned the meat of today’s reading previously, what is known as the Great Commandment. And this is the source of this whole Bible reading plan – Loving God, loving others. 

We know that God’s love was most significantly manifest by Jesus’ death (John 3:16 TPT): “For this is how much God loved the world—He gave His one and only, unique Son as a gift. So now everyone who believes in Him will never perish but experience everlasting life.”

One of the definitions of the Greek word we translate as ‘love’ is ‘to prefer’ (search ‘agape’). If you substitute ‘to prefer’ it runs like this: ‘For this is how much God preferred the world…’ The word ‘prefer’ only makes sense in relation to something or someone else. So if God preferred the world, we immediately wonder, ‘to what did God prefer the world’? The verse answers the question – His one and only, unique Son.

Now, be careful, here. We’re not suggesting for a second that God the Father didn’t or doesn’t love God the Son (in fact, tune in tomorrow for a laser focus on this very reality). There is perfect union, perfect love within the Godhead. But God the Father is acting in preference by giving His one and only, unique Son. That makes this demonstration of love even more remarkable. 

Why did God the Father do this?

‘So now everyone who believes in Him will never perish but experience everlasting life.’

He preferred the world – loved us. How? By Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. Why? So that those of us who believe in Him will never perish but experience everlasting life.

So, if God’s love was most notably manifest by this enormous sacrifice intended to make a way for sinners – all of us through all of history except Jesus – to be saved, then who might our love for God and love for others look? 

(hint – we’re not suggesting that you have to die on the cross)

First, we prefer God. We prefer God to ourselves. We favor His priorities, His desires, His will to any of ours that might not correspond. 

Second, we prefer others. To ourselves. Might it be fair to understand these two preferences – preferring God and preferring others – involve, in an integral manner – evangelism? God’s preference of others looked like sacrifice for their salvation. Our preference for God and for others over ourselves looks like sacrifice for their salvation.