Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,
What could possibly give more comfort than the knowledge that our Creator and His Son, the Messiah, love us? The term "love" (agapao) is defined as "to have a preference for, wish well to, regard the welfare of" (Thayer 3-2-25). John’s words best describe this love. The love God has for us is more than can be imagined. The closest we can get to it is found in John words: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Paul says: