Because He First Loved Me

The line in the hymn I once resisted became one of the most beautiful truths I know.

🎶 Because He First Loved Me

I know this may sound strange to some of you, but for several years I had a problem with the old hymn “O How I Love Jesus.”

You know the one.

There’s a line in the song that says:

“We love Him because He first loved us.”

And every time we would sing it, something inside me resisted that line.

I didn’t like singing it.

Not because I didn’t love Jesus — quite the opposite.

I loved Him deeply.

But that line made me feel like my love for Him was somehow conditional… like I only loved Him because He loved me first.

And in my heart I wanted to say,

“God, I love You anyway.
I love You because of who You are.
I love You because You are holy, faithful, and true.
I love You because You are who You say You are.”

So for years, when that part of the song came around, I would sing it quietly or rush past it.

But as God often does, He gently corrected me.

And it started with a simple thought:

“Sing it again.”

Not because I love you.

Because I first loved you.

And suddenly it made sense.

If He had not loved me first…

I would not even know Him.

I would not know His character.
I would not know His mercy.
I would not know His forgiveness.
I would not know what real love even looks like.

Scripture says it clearly:

“We love because He first loved us.”
— 1 John 4:19

Not because He loves us now.

But because He first loved us.

Before we searched for Him.
Before we understood Him.
Before we even knew we needed Him.

God loved us first.

Just like a parent loves a child before that child ever learns to say the words “I love you.”

A baby doesn’t choose their parents first.

The parent chooses them.
Loves them.
Protects them.
Provides for them.

And through that love, the child learns how to love in return.

That’s exactly what God did for us.

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
— Romans 5:8

He loved us before we deserved it.
Before we understood it.
Before we could ever return it.

He loved us so much that He gave His Son for our sins.

And that love is what teaches us how to love Him back… and how to love others.

So the next time you hear that hymn…

Or the next time you sing it in church…

Let those words sink in:

“Because He first loved me.”

Not as a limitation on your love.

But as the beautiful truth that made your love possible.

God loved you first so you could learn how to love Him… and everyone else.

And when you see it that way, that line in the song becomes even more beautiful.

“O how I love Jesus…
because He first loved me.”

💭 Reflection

When you think about God loving you first, how does that change the way you see your relationship with Him?

🙏 Prayer

Lord, thank You for loving me before I ever knew how to love You. Thank You for revealing Your character, mercy, and grace so that I could know You personally. Teach me to love You more deeply and to share that love with others. Amen.

👣 Practical Step

Today, take a moment to thank God specifically for loving you before you understood Him — and ask Him to help you reflect that same love to someone else.

💌 Invite a Friend

Share this with someone who may need to be reminded that God’s love always moves first.

C