Jesus knew that writing about atonement and love was not going to be enough to reveal the reality of their meaning. God’s plan was for him to come down to earth and be the living model of redemption, atonement, and love. God’s word became a human being and lived among the people God had made a covenant with. Jesus was the seed of a whole new race of people. The population of that new race would come from every nationality, skin color, and ethnicity. Today we are called a holy nation, a royal priesthood, a chosen people, and God’s special possession. This all comes with a responsibility to be Ambassadors for God’s Kingdom and follow in the steps of Jesus Christ. The key to doing this is to love people the way Jesus did. He said that if we do that, people will know that we are His disciples. Loving others is something we should be doing all the time, whether the people we come in contact with are family, friends, or foe. The result will be that even though people can’t see God, they will be able to see His people in action as we demonstrate God’s love, acceptance, and forgiveness. By doing that, God’s love is made complete in us.
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
1 John 4:10-12