Title: What the Bible Teaches about God Pt 4 The Love of God
Text: Various
Date: 2-18-07.am
Introduction:
Last week we looked at God’s holiness. We saw Isaiah’s vision of God high and lifted up and His glory filling the temple. From that vision we understand God is not like us. He is perfect and holy and pure and everything about Him is perfect and holy as well. God’s holiness (1) reveals that we are sinful, (2) It reveals how completely sinful we are compared to a holy God a God. A God who is so completely pure He can not tolerate nor look upon sin(3) and God’s holiness and purity demands clear cut decisions on our part concerning how we live. The Bible says His perfect holiness and purity is our standard for personal righteousness and conduct
Understanding God’s holiness also brings the realization that even though we are commanded to be holy we are unable to achieve the kind of holiness God’s perfection demands. His holiness and righteousness are expressed in through judgement on sin, that judgement on spiritual death and it falls on all of humanity, because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
But we ended last week on a positive note because the Bible tells us God’s righteous judgement is tempered or balanced by another of His moral attributes, Love.
God is Love
When we talk about the moral attributes of God love is probably the first thing that comes to our minds. The Bible tells us in 1 Jn 4:8, God is love. The question is , what does that mean?
First, God’s love doesn’t mean excusing sin, or turning a blind eye to it. Sometimes that’s the idea people have of God’s love. God love is so great everyone and everything can be excused, or an even more perverse idea that no matter what we believe or how we live because God is love everybody is going to make it to heaven in then end.
1 Cor 6:9-10
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,
10 nor thieves, nor {the} covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (NAS)
Gal 5:19-21
19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (NAS)
Eph 5:5-6
5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. (NAS)
To that 1 Cor 6:11 adds, And such were some of you;
God’s perfect holiness and purity will not allow Him to excuse sin. Misunderstandings about God’s love fail to consider His holiness. In I Jn 3:1-3 John talks about how much God loved us. "See how great" John writes. This is a statement of astonishment, of amazement, of wonder, of awe. John is literally overwhelmed when he considers degree of love demonstrated by God towards us. God love is so great He loved us even when we did not deserve His love.
Romans 5 tells us how God sees us. Verse 6 says "While we were still helpless," when we were unable to make any contribution to the redemption we desperately needed, when there was nothing we could do about our condition, we were totally bankrupt, even our good was polluted by self-interest, when our righteousness was like filthy rags and we were mired in sin and simply sinking further and further. God didn’t turn a blind eye, and excuse us and He didn’t say that’s alright everyone is going to make it to glory. Instead the Bible says when He saw us as helpless Christ died for us.
i. Love is Active
When we say God is love, what we are really saying is God is loving because love is something you do, not something you are. Now don’t misunderstand I’m not contradicting the Bible. But the Bible teaches love is active. In other words you can’t be love unless you show love and that’s what God does. God is love, because God shows or demonstrates love. Consider these verses:
I Jn 4:10
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (atonement, sacrifice) for our sins. (NAS)
I Jn 4:10
10 In this act we see what real love is: it is not our love for God but his love for us when he sent his Son to satisfy God's anger against our sins. (TLB)
I Jn 4:10
10 This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven. (TEV)
or:
John 3:16
16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (NAS)
Rom 5:8
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (NAS)
ii. The ultimate manifestation of God’s love is Jesus Christ
God’s love does not negate His holiness. God’s great love is demonstrated not by excusing sin or turning a blind eye to it not by some form of universalism but by accepting the judgement of sin upon Himself in the person of Jesus Christ.
Those verses not only show that love is active but that Jesus Christ is the ultimate manifestation of God’s love.
I Jn 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son
Rom 5:8 . . . Christ died for us.
iii. Humans are the special objects of God’s love
Those verses also make clear we are the special objects of God’s love. God created us in His image. He breathed into Adam the breath of life. He gave man the right to be stewards over creation (Gen 1:26-30). It is seen in His promises and provision for us.
His love is especially demonstrated in and throughout the salvation process. And salvation is a process, a process that begins even before we trust Him. While we were still sinners, the Bible says God’s love was demonstrated on the cross. God’s plan of salvation, born out of His love, was conceived before any of us here were born. Before our parents our grandparents and even our great grandparents were born God loved us. He understood the deadly effect sin would have on our lives.
It is demonstrated throughout our lives through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. His love will ultimately be displayed when we receive our glorified bodies and reign with Him throughout eternity.
That God is love means He is continually active in our lives and in the world. It is demonstrated through
1. Benevolence - or concern, God recognizes that we are incapable of being holy. Providing a means for us to achieve positional holiness by the blood of Christ
3. Grace - Giving us something we don’t deserve - paying the price of sin on the cross. Accepting that sacrifice and guaranteeing or eternal life by the resurrection.
3. Mercy - withholding something we do deserve His wrath
4. Persistence or long-suffering - 2 Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (NAS)
God’s love for us is great. In love He calls us to turn from sin and turn to Him and accept His love into our lives.
IV. In response to God’s great love believers are then to be channels His love.
His love flowing through us is a powerful force. It enables us to do more, to love more, to share more to be more than we possibly could relying only on ourselves.
First, we can exhibit divine patience. With ourselves, with others and with situations. With God’s Spirit living within us, we are empowered to wait on His timing and purpose. Divine patience is to be exhibited in every area of life, in our relationships, our ministries, our marriage, at home at work at school.
Second, we demonstrate God’s love through a kind and caring attitude. As believers, we have the capacity to be genuinely kind, regardless of how others treat us. Unlike vengeance, which feeds our own desires, kindness responds to the other person’s need for love and affirmation.
Last, we understand that love is not arrogant. Apart from the fullness of God’s love, people are empty. The Bible describes our condition without God it’s not a pretty picture. As believers, we're indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who enables us to understand our value and our position in God’s eyes. But that is not to be a source of pride and arrogance, instead it allows us to be humble before men. 1 Cor 6:11 And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God. (NAS) We are sinners saved by the grace of God. Our message is that God hates sin, but He loves sinners and He doesn’t want anyone to face His righteous wrath, and His love applied to the heart can save any person.
Micah 7:18-19
18 Who is a God like Thee, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love.
19 He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, Thou wilt cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea. (NAS)
God’s love is powerful. It doesn’t excuse sin, It saves sinners and when we allow His loving, caring Spirit to flow through us, as individuals and as a church, we can also profoundly affect our world for the good of mankind and the glory of Almighty God as we freely give what we free received. Do you know that kind of love in your life?