1st August 2025 Question box

OK, today’s question is a great one:

Why do people love Jesus?

There’s probably a few ways that I could answer it. But let me go with this one: Because the Father loves the Son.

In John 3:35 it says: “The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.” See, I think everything can be traced back to the God the Father’s love for his Son. The Father created this world with the intention that his Son would rule over it.

Let me read a little quote from one of my favourite books: Delighting in the Trinity: “Jesus Christ, God the Son… is the one eternally loved by the Father; creation is about the extension of that love outward so that it might be enjoyed by others. The fountain of love brimmed over. The Father so delighted in his Son that his love for him overflowed…”

Not only in creation; it’s the same with redemption: The Father decided to save people so that the church would be his Son’s bride. The Father says: “I love my son so much that I want others to love him too.” And he laid out the plan of salvation in such a way that his Son is the hero of the story.

Jesus the Son is the hero because all the prophets point to Him. Jesus the Son is the hero because of his amazing life, and his sacrificial death, and his resurrection as ruler over all things.

Now of course this love we have for Jesus is brought to life within us by the Holy Spirit. In our fallen state, we don’t love God or his Son, but when we are born again, the Holy Spirit awakens in us an appreciation of who Jesus is, of what he’s done, and of how lovely he is.

But trace it all back; where does this love come from? Its all the overflow of the Father’s eternal love for the Son.

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This question was originally answered in our evening service on 16 March 2025. I’ll aim to post another question and answer next week. You can read about how our question box works here.