Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Easter is Just the Beginning of God’s Love

Easter is Just the Beginning of God’s Love

Last updated on: April 15, 2006 at 3:02 pm by Jim Erwin

Easter is Just the Beginning of God’s Love 2006-04-15T15:02:00-05:00 Jim Erwin

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Easter is Just the Beginning of God’s Love

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

(Romans 8:31-32 NKJV)

Easter is the beginning of God handing out His love to you.

When the grandchildren visit their grandparents during Christmas, Granddad would be waiting on the chair with arms open wide with love. Sometimes he would take money out of His pocket and hand it out to the grandchildren. Would the grandchildren say: “No, I don’t want what you are giving me”? Of course not. When Granddad reaches out in his pocket, the grandkids start taking their hands out. They know that something good is coming their way. We call what these kids are getting a “hand-out”.

When a person takes a “hand-out”, they are receiving freely something that someone else is giving to them. God is giving us His love as a free “hand-out”. God wants us, no He desires that we take His love freely.

When God says in this verse that He did not spare His own Son, He means that He did not stop giving His Son to us. Another verse in the Bible says the same thing like this:

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 NKJV)

The Bible says here that God gave His only begotten Son. In Romans 8:32, God did not stop from giving His Son. It says: but delivered Him up for us all.

God did not spare His Son because it was the only way God could spare us.

God did not prevent His Son from going to the cross. God handed His Son over as God’s judgment for sin. God did not prevent from giving His love. God showed that He loves by handing His Son over for the judgment you and I deserve. God demonstrated His love by giving us something good – freedom from sin. God demonstrated His love by giving us eternal life. But this one-time act of God’s love is not the end of God’s love for you. God still loves you, and still wants to hand out His love to you.

In essence, God keeps giving and giving and giving. God God keeps giving His hand out to you to help you in your time of need.

God handed Jesus over to die as a way to hand out His love to us. God will keep handing out His love to us. God wants to continue to give us His love.

This is what God means when the Bible says in Romans 8:32: how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

What does the Bible mean when it says all things?

The argument of this verse is from the greatest to the least. The greatest act of God’s love was to let His Son die on the cross for us. There is no other act of love that is greater. I mean, can you imagine a father letting His son die for other people? Yet, God let His Son die for me and you. Why? So that God could spend His love on us.

If letting His Son die was the hardest thing for God to do, then anything by comparison is simple. God said: “OK, I don’t like it, but I have to let My Son pay for the sin that separates Me from my children.” This sounds like an impossible thing for God to do. Murder His Son? Allow His own Son to die on the cross? How could God do that? It seems so impossible.

God allowed His Son to go through spitting, and beating, and a crown of thorns, and insults, and then horrible cruel march down the streets of Jerusalem to a public humiliating death. God allowed Jesus to marched to His death on a cross.

God watched as His own Son’s clothes were used for the gambling pleasure of a couple of grumbling Roman soldiers.

God watched as His own Son’s best friends left Him alone to be beaten and tried.

God watched as His own Son was nailed to the cross.

God watched as His own Son was breathing and losing His breath every second.

God watched as His own Son died.

But God didn’t let His Son stay there. God lifted Jesus Christ up out of the grave to display His love to the world.

After the resurrection, God said: “Now that that act of love is done, I can spend my love on my children. I can hand-out to them whatever they need.”

God spared His Son no pain that He might spare His saints no pleasure.

God shows us His commitment to us by not sparing His Son. When God let Jesus fulfill the requirement that we ourselves should have done, God is saying in essence: “I am making a pledge and a promise to you. Here is the proof of that commitment. Look at Jesus, My Son. Believe on Him, and I promise to be with you and help you.” God knows that I have needs as His child. As my father, He is willing and able to provide for those needs when they come up.

Whatever I need. This is what the Bible means when it says all things. It does not mean that I get what I always think is best for me. What is best to meet my needs is not necessarily the way that God would like to meet my needs. But God’s way is always better.

Easter is just the beginning of God’s love for you. God loves you so much that He will keep making pledges and promises to you. He will keep handing out good things to you. He will not stop loving you.

Of course, you may be thinking: What do I need to do? You need to get your hands out of your pockets, and ask God to begin handing out His love to you.

Perhaps you know Christ, and you follow Him. You may be thinking today, I haven’t seen God give me anything lately. Then perhaps you have forgotten your relationship to God. God is still there. He is willing to hand-out His love to you in many ways. Perhaps some of these ways are different than you would think. But God is still waiting for you to hand out His love to you.

If you are a Christian and you think that God has not handed out His love to you lately, perhaps it is because you stopped asking your Heavenly Father. Many times as children of God, we go somewhere else to ask for a hand-out. It is the same when a child goes to another grandfather and asks for a hand-out. Of course that doesn’t work. The child is not related. So as Christians, it is not smart to try to ask someone else for help. God is our Father. God is the One we should be asking for help. God is still standing there waiting for you to ask Him.

So, if you are ready, get your hands out, and look forward to receiving from God everything you need, and more than you ever wanted.

Easter can be a new beginning of God handing out His love to you.

Previous Post

April 14, 2006

What is Truth?

Next Post

April 18, 2006 The Hard and Soft Responsible Love of God

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 1 Chronicles 1 Corinthians 1 John 1 Kings 1 Peter 1 Samuel 1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Chronicles 2 Corinthians 2 John 2 Kings 2 Peter 2 Samuel 2 Thessalonians 2 Timothy 3 John Acts Advent Amos Book Review Colossians Comics Culture Watch Daniel Deuteronomy Ecclesiastes Ephesians Esther Exodus Ezekiel Ezra Galatians Genesis Guest Post Habakkuk Haggai Hebrews Hosea Humor Inspiritational Isaiah James Jeremiah Job Joel John Jonah Joshua Jude Judges Lamentations Lectionary Lent Leviticus Link Love Luke Malachi Mark Matthew Micah Movie Review Nahum Nehemiah Numbers Philippians Political Watch Prophecy Watch Proverbs Psalm Revelation Reviews Romans Ruth Science Watch Sermon Series Sermons Simple Thoughts Song of Solomon Titus Top Ten Uncategorized Video Review Zechariah Zephaniah

Select a Month May 2026 October 2025 September 2025 June 2025 February 2025 January 2025 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 July 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 June 2023 May 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 January 2022 June 2021 January 2021 October 2020 July 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2009 June 2008 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 October 2006 September 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 September 2005

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was the name of the disciple who doubted Jesus' resurrection?

Select your answer to see how you score.

James John Peter Thomas