"And we know and have believed the love which God hath in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him. " 1 John 4:16
"Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made; were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade; to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry; nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky" (The Love of God; pg. 608).
The Love of God is a favored subject about which religious-minded people write. Those who examine the religious sections in bookstores will find hosts of books written around the subject of God's love. Songs about God's love dominate our songbooks. Why is so much written about God's love?
Apart from revelation, no such knowledge would exist. Revelation has plenty to say regarding God's love. The Bible tells us that:
- God is love (John 4:16).
- He so loved us that He gave us His Son (John 3:16).
- God loves so much that He is not willing for even the basest sinner to perish (2 Peter 3:9).
- God is the One who truly cares (1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 103:11-14).
The bible gives the historical account of God's love for man; that is why so much is written on the subject!
Why is God "mindful" of us? - Psalm 115:12
As humans, we really stink at times! We are a sinful lot (Romans 3:23). Israel was known as the bride of Jehovah (Isaiah 54:6). And as Jehovah's bride, she was painfully unfaithful (Isaiah 57:3,8). Why would a God of holiness, righteousness, and justice want anything to do with such an ungodly lot as mankind? Why should the Lord "with everlasting lovingkindness have mercy on thee (us), saith Jehovah thy Redeemer." (Isaiah 54:8) We find the answer to this question in Isaiah 54:5, "for thy Maker is thy husband; Jehovah of hosts is His name: and the Holy one of Israel is thy Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall He be called." God created us and therefore loves us! We belong to Him (Isaiah 43:1).
How can I know that God loves me, the chief of sinners?
I can personally know that God loves me and will forgive my sins as I repent of them because He said so (Isaiah 54:9ff; 55:7; Acts 2:38; 8:22; 17:30; 1 John 1:9). We know that God cannot lie because it is not in His character to lie (Hebrews 6:18).
God continued to love those who, through idolatry, committed spiritual adultery (Isaiah 57:3), those who debased themselves with the council of other kings (2 Kings 16:7; Isaiah 30:1-6; 57:9), and those who were covetous (Isaiah 57:17). Since God continued to love the sinners of the Old Testament, I can be assured that He will certainly love a sinner such as me (John 3:16; 1 John 4:4ff).
In the Old Testament, God instructed His people to forget the sins of their youth and press on in repentance with contrite hearts (Isaiah 54:4; 57:15; Psalm 51:17; Ezekiel 20:6-8, 23:2-4,19). The apostle Paul, through great sorrow, overcame his past sin and learned to press forward, and so must we (1 Corinthians 15:9; 2 Corinthians 7:9,10; Philippians 3:7,13). I can certainly know that God loves me because he said "for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee." (Isaiah 54:9) His promises are sure, and His loving kindness will not depart from man.
God's love is conditional!
Certainly, God is not willing for any person to perish (2 Peter 3:9). Certainly, God's love is equated with His gift of eternal life, which culminated in His grace (Ephesians 2:1ff). Certainly, God is the essence of love (1 John 4:16). Even though it is God's true nature to love, He will not force His love on any man. The Lord said, "I will dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit." (Isaiah 57:l5) If then, God is love (1 John 4:16), and men reciprocate God's love by "walking after His commandments," (2 John 6) it stands to reason that God's love is conditional. As sinful men, we must, with contrite hearts, seek God's favor through repentance, in order that we may partake of all that love offers.
Brother Robertson has ably demonstrated that our God is a God of love. But if we read the Bible carefully, we learn that God expects His children to demonstrate their love for Him. How do we, as God's children, show our love for Him?
- "If you love Me, keep My commandments." {John 14:15}
- "And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." {1 John 3:22-24}
We show our love for God by being obedient to His will in our lives and conforming our will to His will. So many in the religious world (and even some in the Lord's church) want to depend solely on God's love as the answer to the entire equation concerning man's duty to God. Yes, we need God's love every day, and we can be thankful for His love. But all of His love, as great as it is, does nothing to diminish our duty to love Him with total commitment. Only by steadfastly obeying the commands he's given us can we fulfill our duty to love Him. Dear reader, you know God loves you-the question is "do you truly love God." (KMG)