Living through Jesus Christ

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent his only begotten Son  into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:9-10)

In this the love of God was manifested toward us

1. The love of God is neither passive nor forever latent
2. The love of God is made clear and obvious
   1. When God sent His Son into the world (John 3:16)
   2. By sending His only begotten Son into the world
3. This love of God is really for us, in that God makes it possible for us to live through His Son Jesus Christ

That we might live through Him

1. This is the definite purpose for the coming of the Lord Jesus into the world
2. He has come so as to make us alive and live as an olive branch stemming from an olive tree (John 15:1-5)
3. Living through Jesus would also mean
   1. That we live following His teaching
   2. That we live imitating His example
   3. That we live representing Him

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us

1. Love is clearly found in the fact that God loves us
   1. He loved us while we were not unlovable
   2. He loved us first (before we did not love Him)
   3. He loves us concretely in the person of Jesus Christ
   4. He loves us to the very end
2. Love is not defined by the fact that we loved God
   1. Human love for God in its perfect state is tainted with sin here on earth
   2. Our love for God stands needing being sanctified

And sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins

1. God seeks to atone for our sins
2. He did that through the Lord Jesus His Son
3. Jesus was sent to be the sacrifice of atonement
4. In Him are all our sins atoned in full

God’s love for us in Christ makes it possible for us to live through Christ Jesus! Living through is not the same as living alone, to state the obvious. God’s love for us in His Son makes it possible for us to live through Jesus His Son!