1st John 4:10. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” PROPITIATION.
Look at this way the love of God to us is revealed – Look at how a sinner’s pardon can be sealed – Look at what no longer by types is concealed – God sent His Son to be our propitiation.
We had no love within and were God’s enemies instead – We had no claim on God for we were spiritually dead – We had only condemnation and looked forward with dread – But God sent His Son to be our propitiation.
The Lord Jesus came to earth God manifest in the flesh – The Lord Jesus came full of grace and perfect righteousness – The Lord Jesus came that sinners like me He could bless – God sent His Son to make propitiation for me.
He in Himself assumed our legal obligations – He in Himself took my guilt and condemnation – He in Himself covered the guilt of my separation From God who sent His Son to make propitiation for me.
By dying in my place, He took the punishment I deserved – By dying in my place, He from hell me preserved – By dying in my place as my sacrifice He served – Me when God gave His Son as a propitiation for me.
It was love that led God to give such an unspeakable gift – It was love that led Jesus to be willing Himself to give – It was love that made it possible for me in Christ to live – Because God sent His Son to make propitiation for me.
Now God is satisfied because His legal claims have been met – Now Christ is satisfied for what from the travail of His soul He gets Now I am satisfied for His propitiation has forever settled my debt – God sent His Son as a propitiatory sacrifice for me.
“Father God, I thank Thee for the sacrificial work of Christ on the cross that turned away the righteous wrath that was against me. I am free from the sins that bound me and separated me from Thee. I have been made a child of God by faith in Jesus Christ who dealt with that just and legal wrath my sins had caused. I thank Thee that I am accepted in Christ, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”
His uncaused love met our need by His Son being the "propitiation" for our sins. His love provided payment for our sin in a just legal way that met every demand against us, and at the same time revealed the extent of His love. Love does not make God nor us, morally lax, but makes forgiveness possible. God created people and wants them to appreciate Him and enjoy spontaneous fellowship and love for Him. Those same characteristics of the divine nature, we share with other children of God in whom we see the features of God displayed.
How can we truly love someone we have never seen? Visible evidence is only just that. The inward person and nature are revealed in a variety of expressions. God revealed Himself as "The Word" that "was made flesh and dwelt among us." Expressions of the soul and spirit come to us usually by words. Those physical external expressions can be changed very easily. True, we can lie with our words too, but words of love and grace have their own testimony by tone of voice, cadence and affect our visible outward expression. God expressed Himself to us through His Son, and the uniqueness of His life and words. "Never man spake like this Man." "We have never seen it on this wise before."