To read more testimonies from around the world about the saving work of Jesus, see Lost and Found: How Jesus Helped Us Discover Our True Selves from The Gospel Coalition.
Sam Allberry explains how we can only love Jesus because he first loved us.
Below is a lightly edited transcript of the video above. Before quoting, please check the video to ensure accuracy.
I love Jesus because Jesus loved me. And it’s not that I will only love somebody if they loved me first, but you can only love Jesus because he’s loved you.
If Jesus didn’t love me, I wouldn’t know who he was. He had to reveal himself to me, so I can only love Jesus because he’s revealed himself, and he’s revealed his goodness. He’s revealed his kindness, and he embodies all that we long for, all that we wish we were, and so often want.
So I love him because of his compassion. I love him because of his truthfulness about the human condition. I love him because of his willingness to do what he did for people like me. That he would not just point out my mess, but he would actually be willing to throw himself into it, to bear in himself all the consequences of my sin, and to make me whole and right in him. When I first became a Christian and first understood the death and resurrection of Jesus, I remember thinking, This is someone I can build a life on. And that hasn’t changed. So, I love Jesus because he loves me.
