The Lord says, through John, that God showed us love by sending Jesus to the world to show love by his words and acts, and by his suffering the death penalty for our sin, and by living a sinless, acceptable life for our merit. God first loved us, and, in Christ, gave us peace with him, our sins now forgiven. The love God gives us then overflows from us to other people as we love them, seeking their welfare. We have come to know and believe that God loves us.
