God’s Love Student Notes

God’s Love — Student Notes

Questions for Thought

• What is your definition of love?

  
  
  
  

• When have you felt most loved?

  
  
  
  

• Do you display love well to others?

  
  
  
  

What Is Love?

Many people define love as a feeling — butterflies, excitement, or attraction.

But true love — the kind that comes from God — is not a feeling.

Love is Jesus Christ dying on a cross so we may have eternal life.

• God’s love is called Agape Love — a love that is:

  
  
  
  

  • Selfless

    
    
    
    

  • Committed

    
    
    
    

  • Sacrificial

    
    
    
    

  • Unconditional

    
    
    
    

When we base our definition of love on the cross, we can recognize when the enemy tries to twist what love means.

Read 1 John 4:7–21

What does this passage reveal about God’s love?

Main Truth:

God is love. When we live in love, we live in Him.

Three Main Talking Points

1. Feeling vs Knowing

   
   
   
   

2. Beloved vs Despised

   
   
   
   

3. Love Others vs Love Yourself

   
   
   
   

1. Feeling vs Knowing

Key Verse: 1 John 4:9–10

“9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”

We love because God first loved us.

When we know we are loved, we carry ourselves differently.

Psalm 139:13

“You knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

Before you were born, God knew your story.

The Enemy’s Version of Love

Satan twists love by saying:

• “Do what makes you happy.”

  
  
  
  

• “Love yourself first.”

  
  
  
  

• “You have to earn love.”

  
  
  
  

• “If you mess up, love isn’t available.”

  
  
  
  

This kind of love:

• Feeds the flesh

  
  
  
  

• Leads to shame and exhaustion

  
  
  
  

• Creates insecurity and disbelief

  
  
  
  

But Jesus says:

“My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” — Matthew 11:30

Read 1 John 2:15–17

“15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

The world’s love is temporary and tempting, but God’s love is eternal.

Reflection:

How can you walk in love when the world offers temporary satisfaction?

2. Beloved vs Despised

1 John 4:16–18 (NLT)

“16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”

We must allow ourselves to be loved by God.

Past hurt can distort our view of love—but God’s love never changes. It’s perfect.

1 John 3:1

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”

You are a child of God, adopted into His family.

The enemy can’t take what he can’t have—your identity in Christ is secure. Don’t live in fear of the enemy 

Romans 8:38–39

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Reflection:

How does knowing you are beloved change the way you live?

3. Love Others vs Love Yourself

1 John 4:19–21

“We love because He first loved us…”

We show we love God by loving others.

In a world that celebrates hate and self-centeredness, we are called to be set apart — to love like Jesus.

What Does God’s Love Look Like?

1 Corinthians 13:4–7

God’s View of Love

The World’s View of Love

Patient

Impatient

Kind

Rude

Does not envy

Envious

Does not boast

Boastful

Honors others

Dishonors

Not self-seeking

Self-centered

Keeps no record of wrongs

Keeps score

Rejoices in truth

Delights in evil

Always protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres

Destroys, doubts, gives up

1 John 5: 1-3 

Everyone that believes that Jesus is a Christ has become a child of God and everyone who loves the father loves his children, too. We know we love God’s children, if we love God and obey his commandments. 

Application Questions

1. What is one way you can reflect Agape love this week?

   
   
   
   

2. Where have you believed the enemy’s version of love?

   
   
   
   

3. What would it look like to live as someone who is beloved by God?