God has demonstrated his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. And this same God moves towards us personally uniting us to Jesus by his Spirit. That means our life in union with Jesus begins with God’s love. We are not united to Jesus because of something in us that makes it happen. Nothing at all precedes God’s love for us. We live in Jesus and he lives in us simply because of God’s free love. And now, within this union, we know that we are deeply loved. With John, we say, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
As those who are loved, we are called to walk in love. That means living a life of love for the God who has loved us and for others. Recognising, that we are only enabled to love as the Father’s Son lives in and through us by his Spirit. We may feel we are called to much more than love? However, the God who is love shows us there is nothing higher or better than love for God and for others. Love is simply the greatest thing in the entire world. Paul says love is “the most excellent way”. Indeed, unlike faith and hope, love remains forever (1 Cor 13:8). For, as Jonathan Edwards says, “Heaven is a world of love”. So we walk in love knowing that to love is to live in God as he lives in us.