Martin Luther (Thesis 28) "The love of God does not find, but creates, that which is pleasing to it."
Human love is drawn out by something attractive in the beloved. God's love is different. God loves because He is love. He is able to love the weak. He is able to love the traitor and the cowardly. God is able to love those that are evil. God makes the object of His love lovely. God makes the object of His love worthy. He is not looking for worth. He dispenses worth.
Martin Luther (Luther's Works 31:57) - "Rather than seeking its own good, the love of God flows forth and bestows good. Therefore sinners are attractive because they are loved; they are not loved because they are attractive."
The cross tells us that God loves His enemies. It tells us that God loves rebels. God is not scouring the earth looking for the worthy person to shower His grace upon. Instead He shows grace because He is gracious.
We do not reach out to God. The Bible is the story of how God "stooped" down to touch us. The Bible is not a manual of disciplines on which we can somehow climb to reach God. Instead it is the story of how God came down to become a man. Then He stooped further to become a servant. Then even further to be crucified. The direction is always down - from God to us, not from us to God.
The Bible isn't a story about great men and women and their overcoming faith. It's the story of a great God who dispenses favor to unworthy human beings.
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