“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10
We are saved not by our love for God but by the love of God for us in sending Christ to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
“Atoning sacrifice” means satisfaction for the demands of God’s Law. Jesus satisfied God’s demands for perfect obedience and perfect payment for sins. Through His life and death on the cross, Jesus became the means of forgiveness, the way of reconciling man to God. Because God sent His Son to take away our sins, we can confidently stand before God without fear of judgment.
Luther said, “Provide yourselves with armor from Scripture concerning justification, which takes place through faith. Collect, I say, a number of Scripture passages that ascribe righteousness to God. Then, if you put your reliance on these passages, you will be able to stand even after a fall…”
God’s blessings on your day…