The June 30 sermon (available soon at this link) included as a heading, “God’s love for us is secondary to His love for His Son.” Let me expand on that point here, explaining why this is good news for all of God’s people. Indeed, this is the best news possible.

Consider Ephesians 2:4-7, part of one of the most well-known passages in Scripture. Here is that passage with some modifications. Without looking at the Bible, can you figure out what is different?

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up and seated us in the heavenly places, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us. (Ephesians 2:4-7, modified)

How does that sound? Does that version capture the essential truths of the Gospel?

Many professing Christians act and think as if it does. But actually it greatly distorts Paul’s message, for it leaves out both the goal of salvation and the means. Paul actually wrote the following (underlining what was left out):

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved– and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-7)

Five times in that short passage the Apostle highlights that our salvation is in Christ, for Christ, and because of Christ. We cannot leave out Christ without grossly changing his meaning. The church, redeemed humanity, is the Father’s love gift to the Son (John 17:6, 24). As Paul has already said in Ephesians, the Father’s purpose and plan is to unite all things in the Son (Ephesians 1:10); the Father has put all things under Him and then given Him as head to His people, the church (Ephesians 1:22).

So our salvation is not an end in itself. Nor is it the high point, the goal of God’s plan. Our salvation is part of God the Father’s great plan to sum up all things in the Son, to exalt His Name, to show what He is like.

And this indeed is the best news possible. The Father’s love for His people is an expression of His eternal, perfect love for the Son. The Father incorporates us into the Son; He therefore looks upon us with the same delight and favor with which He looks at the Son. He is well pleased with us because He is well pleased with the Son. He will never change His love for us because He will never change His love for the Son.

So don’t fall into the common error of thinking of salvation as all about us. Don’t ever leave out the Son when thinking of the Father’s love for us.

Instead, exalt the Son! Praise Jesus! Know that if you are in Him, you are eternally secure in the Father’s love for the Son. And that is the greatest love of all.