Love is...

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Genesis 22v1-2

Do you know where the first mention of the word 'Love' is in the Bible?

The first reference of the word love in the Bible is in Genesis 22v2, when God says to Abraham 'Take your son…whom you love' and offer him as a sacrifice. The story of Abraham and Isaac is such a powerful picture of the relationship between the Father and the Son. It is prophetic of the cross and it's incredible that the first mention of love is basically God declaring how much Abraham loved his son whilst also reflecting how much God loved his only Son. And yet, God was willing to send his own son to die in our place because of how much he loves us!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

God demonstrated to Abraham when he provided the ram that he would provide the sacrifice.

When Abraham named the place 'The Lord will Provide', he specifically used the future tense - not the Lord has provided but the Lord will provide - clearly he understood that God's provision here was not complete. It was just a glimpse of God's big plan to save us when he would provide his own Son in our place because of his love for us!