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Question 6

Bercot argues that Jesus came and died not only because He loved us but “even more because He loved His Father,” and points to “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me”; how does centering the cross in Jesus’ love for the Father reshape how you think about atonement, discipleship, and what “love” fundamentally is?

Another way to ask: How does it change your view of the cross if Jesus died not only because He loved us, but even more because He loved the Father? What does that do to how you think about atonement, discipleship, and what “love” really means?

Direct Answer Centering the cross in Jesus’ love for the Father portrays love as joyful, obedient devotion to God’s will; it frames atonement in the context of the Father-Son relationship and makes discipleship about sharing Jesus’ Father-centered delight and obedience.

Support from Transcript:

He says Jesus came and died “because He loved us,” yet “even more because He loved His Father.”
“If it had not been His Father’s will, Jesus would have never come to earth.”
Jesus’ orientation: “His entire delight, focus, and life is in His Father… He constantly thinks of His Father… continually talks to His Father.”
John 4:34: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.”
He calls Jesus “the kingdom life taken to perfection,” implying discipleship is imitation of that life.
Jesus prays that believers share in this union and joy: “that they also may be one in us… made perfect in one” (John 17:21-23) and experience “the profound happiness He knows in His Father.”

Discussion Follow-ups How would your definition of “love” change if it meant, first of all, delighting in the Father and doing His will rather than mainly focusing on what you get from God?

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