How does God demonstrate His love for us? Why does God love us?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Throughout the Bible, God has shown His love for His people and for individuals. God has demonstrated His love by providing for His people in many ways, including creating a beautiful garden for Adam and Eve and promising a Redeemer to restore what sin had broken. He demonstrated care by covering Adam and Eve’s shame with garments and guiding Israel with the Law. His love was evident in rescuing His people and continuing that rescue through Jesus, who died for our sins and rose again, conquering sin and death. Today, God continues to demonstrate His love, not just in offering us salvation but by His provision, guidance, and intentional care. When we recognize God’s love in our lives, we are called to respond to His love and reflect it in our daily lives.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• God demonstrated His love in giving Adam a perfect partner for him, Eve (Genesis 2:18–25).
• God demonstrated His love by creating a garden in which Adam and Eve could live. It not only contained everything they needed, but He also created it beautifully (Genesis 2:9) and gave them purpose in tending the garden (Genesis 2:15).
• God demonstrated His love for us in the promise of the Messiah who would crush Satan’s head and bring redemption to what sin had destroyed. Called the protoevangelium, Genesis 3:15 is considered the first gospel message, where God promises a future savior who will defeat evil. By declaring that the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent’s head, God showed His love by providing hope and a plan for redemption even in the midst of humanity's sin and failure.
• In Genesis 3:21 after Adam and Eve realized their nakedness and attempted to cover themselves with fig leaves, God made garments of skin for them. This demonstrated His love and care by addressing their shame and protecting them, as well as foreshadowing the sacrificial system that would later be established for atonement, the means to relationship with God.
• God demonstrated His love by making Israel, a people who were not a people, so they could bless the entire world (Genesis 12:1–3).
• God demonstrated His love by revealing Himself to His people by giving them the Mosaic law. The Law revealed God’s character and guidance for righteous living, clearly setting boundaries for their well-being (Exodus 20:1–17; Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 5:1–22; 6:1–25). Psalm 19:7–11 describes the Law as perfect and beneficial, guiding the Israelites toward spiritual and communal flourishing.
• God demonstrated His love by rescuing His people time and time again. God delivered the Israelites as a people from Egyptian slavery through the plagues (Exodus 5—13) and then by parting the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21–31), saved them from Midianite oppression through Gideon (Judges 6:7–16), and protected Jerusalem from the Assyrian army (2 Kings 19:35–36). God also showed His love by rescuing individuals such as Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), saving Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:16–30), and delivering Daniel from the lion’s den (Daniel 6:16–23). God demonstrated His love for us by His enduring commitment to protect and care for His people, as a whole and individually.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Romans 5:8 clearly reveals the way God demonstrates His love for us: "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (cf. 1 John 4:9–10). Even before we were born, God was at work to provide a way for us to spend eternity with Him.
• God demonstrated His love through sending His only Son Jesus Christ to provide salvation for those who believe. John 3:16 observes, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." God reveals His love through salvation.
• God demonstrates His love for believers as He prepares them an eternal home with Him. In John 14:2–3 Jesus promises, "In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also."
• Colossians 1:17 teaches, "And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." God shows His love for humanity by sustaining our lives.
• First Peter 1:5 notes believers are those, "who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." God’s love sustains us and guards our faith till the end. Second Timothy 1:12 adds, "I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me."
• God reveals His love through the calling and gifts He has given us. Ephesians 2:10 shares, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." First Corinthians 12:7 adds, "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." God has uniquely created each of us with purpose, for our good and the good of others.
• God reveals His love by making believers part of God's family. As 1 John 3:1 declares, "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are."

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

God continues to demonstrate His love for us today in countless ways, and our task is to recognize and respond to His ongoing care. Just as He intentionally created Adam and Eve with care, purpose, and beauty, so He creates us. He did not just create robots or utilitarian creatures; He created people who can reason, create, enjoy relationship, grow, develop, and more. He provided Adam and Eve with a one-flesh bond and shared purpose (Genesis 1:28; 2:4–25). Still today He surrounds us with meaningful relationships and purposeful work (John 15:1–17). His promise of redemption through Christ (Genesis 3:15) is fulfilled in the gift of salvation, offering us hope and forgiveness. God’s daily provisions and guidance are still available to us today—through His Word, by His Spirit, in relationship with others, from common grace, and by His direct care for each of us (Matthew 6:25–34; 7:7–11; James 1:5; 2 Peter 1:3–11). Reflecting on these truths encourages us to be attentive to His presence and to actively embrace the purpose and gifts He has given us (Ephesians 2:10; 1 Corinthians 12:7). By acknowledging His love in our daily experiences, we can live in response to His grace and reflect His love in our interactions with others.

UNDERSTAND

• God demonstrates His love for us in the way that He created us.
• God demonstrates His love for us in the way He promised and sent a Messiah who would rescue us from our sin.
• God demonstrates His love for us in the way He provides for us daily—relationships, tangible needs, revealing Himself to us, and more.

REFLECT

• How does recognizing God's provision and care in your life affect your daily decisions and interactions with others?
• How does understanding God's love in His promise of redemption and eternal life influence your perspective on life's challenges and your purpose?
• How can you actively respond to and reflect God's love through your actions and relationships?

ENGAGE

• What does God’s love toward humanity as a whole and individuals reveal about His character and relationship with humanity?
• How can we support and encourage others in recognizing and reflecting God's daily provision and care?
• How can understanding God’s love in the Old Testament inform how we perceive His love in the New Testament?