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John 4:9-10a
9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us...
When I was in seminary one of the preeminent theologians whom we were required to read was a German theologian by the name of Karl Barth. His principal work was a fourteen volume work titled, Church Dogmatics. It contained 6 million words, was written over 35 years, and covered every essential topic of the Christian faith. Some have called Barth the greatest theologian of the 20th century; perhaps of all time. Not only were his works voluminous, they were complex and difficult to comprehend on first reading. I felt an enormous achievement when I finally got through many of his works and handled the tests on them fairly well.
The story is told that later in his life Barth was lecturing at Princeton University and after finishing his lecture opened the floor for questions. A student asked him, Dr. Barth, what do you think is the greatest theological statement ever made? After thinking for a few moments, this renowned theologian, this brilliant theologian, answered by saying, "The greatest theological statement ever made is, Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.'" Isn't that amazing? This brilliant and complex theologian saying that "Jesus loves me" is the greatest theological statement ever made.
That's it! That's the heart of the Christian faith! You are loved; I am loved! God loves you; God loves me. Not because we deserve it; not because we earned it; not because we're worthy. None of us can earn God's love. He simply loves us - that's the profound truth! Yes, He holds us accountable; but He never stops loving us no matter what!
In Jesus Christ God has made clear the extraordinary truth that He loves each of us. He loves us in spite of ourselves!
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