God's Glorious Love on Display

This morning in John 13:31–38, we considered how Jesus speaks of His coming crucifixion as the beginning of His glorification. What the world would see as humiliation and defeat would actually reveal the character and glory of God with amazing clarity. At the cross, we see our need for forgiveness, God's mercy toward sinners, His justice satisfied in Christ, His gracious gift of salvation, and above all His holy, self-giving love. Jesus then tells His disciples that this same love will distinguish His people: "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Yet Peter's confident promise of faithfulness immediately demonstrates that this kind of life cannot be produced through human determination or self-confidence. God gives His people the Holy Spirit, through whom His love is poured into our hearts and His fruit is produced in us. As believers receive the undeserved love of Christ and that love overflows through them, the character and glory of the unseen God are put on display in the world.