While I know that God loves me, I am not sure I grasp how big His love IS for me. Add to that, the love he has for all humanity. At times, I’ve boxed God in and humanized Him…reducing the attributes of His character to something much smaller than who God really is.

If you’ve been around Christianity for awhile, you’ve probably heard the following verse from the book of Romans. While it is rich with truth, It can seem lifeless because we read it through everyday eyes. The verse reads like this:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

As I pondered the words in this verse, demonstrates stuck out to me–it means to physically show or explain. (That’s of course not the Webster definition.) But, if I were going to demonstrate something, I would describe how a thing worked or how a truth about something exists. The “thing” could be a physical object like a microwave or toaster, or it could be a concept like salvation or sanctification (in Christian terms). But this word means so much more when we take a look into the Greek meaning.

The original Greek word is endeiknumi. The prefix of the word is en or “in.” This little prefix intensifies the rest of the word deiknyō which means “show.”

According to Strongs Concordance, the Greek translation of demonstrates means “to indicate (by word or act), to prove.”1 While it is an understandable definition, the Greek language communicates at a deeper level. The Greek meaning is this:

…properly, to make evident, showing conspicuous proof which demonstrates something as undeniable. The prefix en adds the dimension of “abiding condition” making the “shown forth” on “open display” for all to see, i.e. obvious so “no one could miss it.”

bible hub2

If we look at how God demonstrates His love toward us, it is evident, showing us conspicuous proof that demonstrates it is undeniable. His love is abiding–on open display for us to see. I know for myself that often I do not live as if God loves me undeniably so much so that it is on open display for me to see. And it abides. Always there…constant, continuing…dwelling with me.

In addition…

endeiknymi (“undeniably display”) always occurs in the Greek middle voice which underlines the high level of personal interest shown by the one making something very evident.

[Such displaying then is always done with high personal involvement and sense of advantage.]

Biblehub3

The fact that God used the Greek word for demonstrates is incredibly rich and full. God’s love is highly personal when he gave His son and it sticks with us always. Jesus was sent to earth to die and the deep love God showed us by doing this shows us just how interested God is in us. His heart is huge for us…he came to our world out of a love that we cannot begin to fathom because of its intensity.

Rest and abide in His love today. Take a deep breath and breathe in with the knowledge that you are held and love was sent to earth just for you. It’s personal. It’s here for you. Be still and know it.

1 https://biblehub.com/greek.1731.htm

2Ibid

3Ibid