1 John 4:10
“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
What does 1 John 4:10 mean?
This is a beautiful reversal of how we often think about love and God. We tend to imagine that God's favor is something we have to earn through our devotion, but John is saying the opposite: God's love came first, completely unearned and undeserved. He didn't wait for us to get our act together or prove ourselves worthy. Instead, he took the initiative to send Jesus to bridge the gap between us and him, absorbing the weight of our wrongs so that relationship could be restored. The phrase "atoning sacrifice" refers to Jesus's death as a kind of payment or offering that makes us right with God again. It's the most costly expression of love imaginable: not just words or distant care, but a willingness to enter into our suffering and mess. This message can be especially comforting when you're struggling to feel lovable or worthy, because it says God's love doesn't depend on your performance or your feelings about him.