"I am in them and You are in Me. May they be made completely one, so the world may know You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me."

The believer is loved, as the Lord Jesus is loved, by God the Father.

First, this is a radical fact - that we are loved at all, because we are sinners. God does not owe us love. The angels sinned, and they are greater in power, but He didn't love them! He cursed them with chains of darkness until the Judgment [Jude 1:6]. The world is not loved. In John 17, the world represents those who are not saved. These, Christ did not pray for. We, however, are the ones given to the Son by the Father, the elect from the beginning. John 17:9, "I pray for them. I am not praying for the world but for those You have given Me, because they are Yours." 2 Thessalonians 2:13, "But we must always thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth." We are the most privileged beings in all eternity, redeemed from sin.

Oh, how this ought to delight our hearts that WE are loved by God. Oh, how we ought to dance, and walk in holiness.

Secondly, we are loved as Christ is loved, which is justly and fully. Christ is loved in all purity and completeness. He's loved because He's worthy, and we are worthy in Him.

Without an atonement, we could never be loved. With the atonement, we see why God loves Him - He's the Father's eternal Equal who humbled Himself, and became obedient to the death of the cross, whom God highly exalted for His worthiness! He's the perfectly obedient Son, and we are loved in Him and seen as ONE with His glorious Person. Ephesians 1:22-23, "And He put everything under His feet and appointed Him as head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of the One who fills all things in every way."

Oh, how beautiful He is, and He's the reason God loves us. Look not to yourselves. Look to Christ, and you will see it.

Thirdly, since we are loved, let us love one another. We are all one in Christ and commanded to maintain the unity of the faith. Let's not offend each other, but bring one another to Jesus, and promote Him. Ephesians 4:2-3, "with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love, diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us." Let's not make opinions the test of fellowship. Rather, let us consider one another. Philippians 2:4, "Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."

Oh, how beautiful we'd be, if we lived out the command to love each other. How different would our social media be, if we loved brothers from different backgrounds and experiences, rather than dominating them with opinions? We'd shine more lovely to the world! Let it be!