The sonnet, titled “A Sonnet on the Divine Love and Atoning Sacrifice of God’s Son (1 John 4:10)”, reflects the core message of 1 John 4:10: God’s unmerited love for humanity, demonstrated through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It emphasizes that love originates not from human efforts but from God, who sent His Son to bear the burden of sin, break the chains of death, and offer redemption. The poem celebrates this divine, transformative love that lifts the fallen, washes away guilt, and invites humanity to abide in Christ’s eternal grace.

1 John 4:10, which reads (in the NIV):
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

In boundless grace, where mortal hearts fall short,
God’s love descends, a radiant, holy flame.
Not ours the spark, nor ours the will to court,
But His the gift, unearned, that bears His name.
He sent His Son, the Lamb of sacrifice,
To bear the weight of sin’s unyielding chain,
To break the bonds of death, to pay the price,
That we, redeemed, might rise and live again.
Oh, love divine, unmerited, profound,
That stoops to lift the fallen to His side!
In Christ, the Father’s mercy is unbound,
His blood the tide where guilt and shame subside.
This love, eternal, calls us to abide,
In Him whose heart for us was crucified.