Is the Love of God Reckless?

Is the Love of God Reckless?

Published Aug 17, 2022

By Amanda Popp

Is the love of God reckless? Earlier this year our older kids came home from youth group with this question. It brought up such wonderful conversation and conversation that lasted well after bedtime! (those are my favorite conversations)

At first, it was pretty split down the middle between everyone. YES! God's love can be reckless. NO WAY! There’s no way it can be reckless. Eventually, we landed on the same conclusion, though. No. The love of God isn’t reckless at all.

When we started talking the kids brought up a scenario that was talked about during youth group: If a house was on fire and a parent ran back in the house to save their child…that is reckless.

I looked up the definition of the word reckless. Here’s what I found: adjective: (of a person or their actions) without thinking or caring about the consequences of an action.

I, then, said that I wouldn’t call that parent reckless at all. The parent absolutely cares about the consequences of their action. They want to save their child. I would also say, the parent absolutely thinks about the consequences, too. They’re willing to risk the ultimate consequence (their own death) to save their own child.

Then we started talking about the love of God. God knew what he was doing the entire time. God not only knew, but cared about the consequences as well. He knew that when he sent Jesus to die for us it would mean Jesus would die. He knew that because Jesus would die it would provide opportunity for US to be saved. I don't think that is reckless at all.

Perhaps, in Luke 15, the Pharisees were thinking Jesus was reckless when he sat with the sinners and ate with them. When they were complaining about it Jesus told them the parable of the lost sheep.

Luke 15:3-7: So he told them this parable: “What man among you, who has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open field and go after the lost one until he finds it? When he has found it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, and coming home, he calls his friends and neighbors together, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!’ I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need repentance.”

Does it make God reckless because he rejoices over one sinner more than the ninety-nine righteous that don't need repentance?

Personally, I don’t think so.

Jesus continued on with: The Parable of the Lost Coin: Luke 15:8-10: “Or what woman who has ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the silver coin I lost!’ I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.

I love this parable because I absolutely relate to losing something in my house. I look ALL over. I make my kids look all over. I offer to pay whoever finds whatever it is first to make them look all over, AGAIN!

I can relate, probably nowhere NEAR the magnitude, to the joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents. You probably can relate, too! Remember the feeling you felt when you FINALLLLLLLLY found that thing you were looking for. Now, for a moment, think about how God must feel when we finally surrender to Him. Do you think he jumps up and down all giddy, too? 😉

In the next parable Jesus share, The Parable of the Lost Son, I think we get a beautiful glimpse into how God reacts to us when we come back to Him. WE come back to HIM. God never leaves us, it is us who leaves God.

You know the story, right? The younger son decides he's good and wants to go off. His father gives him the inheritance due to him. (WAIT A MINUTE!! That means the father probably had to sell things to give him the inheritance. What love the father showed his son that really didn’t deserve it) The son goes off and loses all his sense of responsibility. I love that verse 17 says: When he came to his senses… basically like we all have to come to our own senses and realize God is exactly who he says he is.

Verse 20 of Luke 15: “So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.

Do you notice what it says? First, HE went to his father. (just like WE need to go to God) Then, notice what happens next…while the son was a LONG WAY OFF, his father SAW HIM! And the only way the father could even see him would be if he was looking for him. The only way the father could see him a long way off would be if he was looking off to the distance for him. How beautiful, right? His father was watching for him. Even more beautiful, his father was FILLED with compassion. His father then ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. His father set aside all the hurt the son had to have caused and welcomed him right on back with compassion and love. Just like God does for us when we know Jesus as our Savior.

When we stand before God, he doesn’t see our failures and the hurt we’ve caused him…he sees the blood of HIS SON, JESUS. The blood that washed our sins away and made us blameless before the throne.

I don’t know about you, but I don't call that sort of love reckless at all. I call it amazing love. I call it beautiful love. I call it unconditional love. I cannot call it reckless. I cannot call it reckless, because I know that God cares about the consequence of his action. His action of sending his son to die for us resulted in SAVING GRACE for each of us. The consequence of his son’s death…is that we would have life in him.

I just can’t call it reckless.

What about you? Would you call the love of God reckless?

Maybe you can. Truth is, I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer to the question. The only thing that really has a right or wrong answer would be the answer to the question–did you know Jesus died for you and loves you so much and wants you to live for him? Will you accept that love from God, our Father and surrender to his son, Jesus?

I can’t answer that for you. But I can tell you this, answering YES to those questions have brought me the craziest sense of joy and hope that I could never begin to fully explain.

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