How Can You Know That God Loves You?

It’s easy to say that Christ loves the world, or that He loves everybody in general. But how can you be certain that Jesus Christ loves you personally?

In a world of 7 billion people and counting, how can we know that God the Father and Jesus Christ love each one of us individually?

The truth is that God doesn’t just love the world in general—He loves each of us individually. But don’t just take our word for it. Here are three reasons you can know that God loves you as a unique individual.

1. Christ’s sacrifice was for you. 

The first reason is perhaps the most obvious: Jesus Christ gave His life so that you could live and inherit eternal life. It wasn’t something that Christ did just out of obedience to the Father, but something Christ actively chose to do so that you could be a part of His family. Christ’s sacrifice was so driven by love that it sets the example for what love is (1 John 3:16).

Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision, like a soldier heroically jumping on a grenade to save his comrades in the heat of battle. Christ’s sacrifice was planned and thought out long in advance (Revelation 13:8).

Christ died so that every human being who has ever existed could have a chance to experience eternal life in His family. He took on the death penalty for everyone, and that means you (Hebrews 2:9). Even in the midst of His final prayer before being crucified, Christ was praying for you specifically (John 17:20).

Christ loves you so much He died for you.

To learn more about the need for Christ’s sacrifice, read “Why Jesus Had to Die.”

2. God offers you the Holy Spirit.

Some of you may be thinking about baptism, while others may think that step is quite a ways in the future. That’s okay. Christ Himself taught that baptism was a decision that should be made carefully and not rushed into (Luke 14:26-33).

Once you’ve made that decision and are baptized and have hands laid on you, one of the great blessings that you will receive is the gift of God’s Holy Spirit. The gift of God’s Spirit being placed within you will help give you strength and power to walk the Christian way of life (John 16:7).

This promise is made for you. Peter said the promise of the Holy Spirit “is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39).

The Father and Jesus Christ desire to send you the gift of the Holy Spirit.

To learn more about the Holy Spirit, read “What Is the Holy Spirit?”

3. Christ makes intercession for you. 

Despite popular imaginations, Christ has not been floating on a cloud, surveying His domain while “Saint Peter” checks people in at the gate. Since His resurrection, Christ has been working nonstop on our behalf. One of His important tasks is to intercede for us before His Father.

Jesus has an interesting relationship with our prayers, one that most people don’t comprehend. He is not the One we pray to; we pray to God the Father. But we are to pray in the name of Jesus Christ. That means He acts as our intercessor and advocate. If our prayers are according to God’s will, we will receive an answer at the Father’s discretion (John 16:23-24).

Christ doesn’t just allow us to pray in His name. He also actively goes before God the Father and intercedes for us (Romans 8:34). The author of Hebrews wrote, “He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). We need this intercession because there is also an accuser who advocates against us: Satan the devil (Revelation 12:10).

Christ loves you so much that He intercedes with God the Father for you.

The love of Christ

God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, love the entire world (John 3:16). And that includes you specifically. God wants you to enter His Kingdom.

He has done—and continues to do—everything He can do on your behalf. What will you do in return?

To learn more about God’s love, read about the “Love of God.”