The Love of the Father

The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
 John 17:22-23
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​The greatest prayer ever recorded in scripture (in my opinion) is Jesus’ high priestly prayer recorded in John 17. The best line from that prayer is v.23 where Jesus is praying to the Father for all future believers and prays “that they [believers] may be one even as we [Jesus and the Father] are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” The line that always jumps out at me and that I find so encouraging is the tail end of v.23—“so that the world may know that you…loved them even as you loved me.” Notice Jesus is praying that the world and all believers would know that the Father loves us “even as”—i.e., just as, to the same degree—as he loves Jesus, his only begotten son. What is so encouraging to realize is that because of all that Christ as done for us—for those who have placed faith in Him—God the Father loves us as much as he loves his only begotten son. In light of Christ’s work in his life and death, those who have faith in Christ have had their sins completely atoned for and are cloaked in his perfect righteousness. Thus, when the Father looks at believers, he sees the same thing he sees in Christ—sinless perfection! Thus, the comfort is knowing that, as believers, there is nothing we can do to make God love us any less. God the Father loves us perfectly as much as he loves Christ himself! Hallelujah!