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  "path": "/2026/03/06/wesley-on-the-love-of-god/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-06T20:23:54.000Z",
  "site": "https://juicyecumenism.com",
  "tags": [
    "Wesleyan",
    "John 3",
    "Ryan N. Danker",
    "_John Wesley Institute_",
    "_here_",
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    "Wesley on the Love of God",
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  "textContent": "_“God so loved the world—That is, all men under heaven; even those that despise His love, and will for that cause finally perish.”_ -John Wesley\n\nIn many churches this past Sunday, we heard the familiar words of John 3, including that beautiful verse given here in Wesley’s translation: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth on him may not perish, but have everlasting life.”\n\nWesley’s comments on the verses from John 3 in his _Notes Upon the New Testament_ include the quotation at the top of this newsletter. This is part of his comment on verse 16. These comments speak of the radical and all-encompassing nature of God’s love; love that is so unlimited that it reaches out to all people “under heaven,” including those who reject Him. And yet even as wonderful as that is, this same love made tangible in Christ will go so far as to die for us, taking on our sins, and showing us just how far divine love will go to save us.\n\nOn the cross, love Himself was offered once for all that all might come into the saving embrace of God. And yet even then, we can’t begin to fathom the depths of God’s love. We can see it in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and we experience it each and every day as we encounter the God who is love. But it is beyond human thought.\n\nIn another one of his writings, Wesley compared the love of God to an ocean. And even though we fly across oceans today in our jets, anyone who has stood oceanside can see why Wesley used this metaphor. Standing there on the shore, we can’t see its limits, it appears to go on forever. We can be overwhelmed by the immensity of it, even if we know that it has limits.\n\nYet unlike oceans, God’s love goes on forever. It has no limits, even the ones we try to place on it. Love is the very character of God. But Wesley’s metaphor provides another approach.\n\nWe can wade into the ocean, and that might be a key element to Wesley’s metaphor because a relationship with Christ might be described as wading into His never-ending love, a love so deep and so broad that while it can’t be comprehended was made known, and changed everything, hanging on a cross.\n\nWhen we encounter the love of God, we are invited to partake, to wade in. Its beauty draws us. And we are invited to cooperate with His love—empowered by grace—and that love, holy love, begins to transform our lives. In Charles Wesley’s words: “His offered love, make haste to embrace, and freely now be saved by grace.”\n\n* * *\n\n_Ryan N. Danker is director of the __John Wesley Institute_ _, Washington, DC_. _This is reposted from a weekly JWI newsletter that can be subscribed to_ _here_ _._\n\n* * *\n\n**P.S.** Thank you for all the support that so many of you have shown the JWI! We run completely on the gifts of our donors. We can’t do this ministry without you. If you’re able to partner with us financially, please consider a gift today here!\n\nThe post Wesley on the Love of God appeared first on Juicy Ecumenism.",
  "title": "Wesley on the Love of God"
}