Love Came Down

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

JOHN 3:16

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 1 CORINTHIANS 13:1 

Did you know that the true message of Christmas is found in John 3:16? Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” This is the heart of Christmas. Jesus is God’s great love gift, because Jesus came to give His life that we might have life and “have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Without a doubt, love came down at Christmas. 

Now, because Jesus loved us enough to die on the cross for our sins, what better Christmas gift could we give others than to share His love with them, that they might have life? Love is a gift our world desperately needs this Christmas season. In order to know and share Christ’s love, we need to know how Christlike love looks and acts. And the best place to find a well-rounded description of love is in the Bible’s great love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13.

Let’s concentrate on verse 1. What Paul has in mind here is the agape love of God. In verse 1, Paul writes, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.” What Paul is saying here is that love is absolutely indispensable. The finest oratory on earth is no substitute for love. We’ve all heard the expression, “He talks a better game than he plays.” Paul isn’t forbidding us to talk about love. We need to be a witness. But when it comes to sharing Christ’s love this Christmas, we need to back up our verbal witness with the quality of our lives!

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers