What does "God is love" reveal about His nature and character? The Heart of 1 John 4:16 “And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” John doesn’t say merely that God loves, but that “God is love.” Love is not a mood or impulse in God; it is His very essence. Love as God’s Essence, not Merely an Attribute Think of God’s nature as the source spring, not a reservoir that can run low. • Every other attribute flows out of this fountainhead. • Because love defines His being, His power, holiness, justice, and wisdom always operate in perfect harmony with love. • Psalm 136 repeats, “His loving devotion endures forever.” The refrain only makes sense if love is foundational to who He is. Love Revealed in the Trinity Before creation, Father, Son, and Spirit shared perfect, self-giving love (John 17:24). • Love is eternal; it did not begin when God made humans. • The Son can say, “I am in the Father and the Father is in Me” (John 14:11), mirroring “whoever abides in love abides in God.” Love Displayed in Redemption God’s character never stays abstract. • John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son.” • 1 John 4:9–10: “In this is love… He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” • Romans 5:8: “God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The cross shows love as sacrificial, costly, and initiative-taking. Love Governs God’s Actions Because He is love: • His kindness: “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious” (Exodus 34:6). • His discipline: “Whom the Lord loves He disciplines” (Hebrews 12:6). Even correction is an expression of fatherly love. • His gifts: “Every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). Love Defines Our Relationship with Him • We “come to know and believe” His love—experiential and relational, not merely theoretical. • Abiding language (John 15:4; 1 John 4:16) pictures continual dependence, like a branch drawing life from the vine. • Security flows from love: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Love and God’s Holiness “God is light” (1 John 1:5) sits beside “God is love.” His purity never contradicts His love. • Love does not overlook sin; it provides the righteous solution for it. • At the cross, holiness and love meet in perfect balance (Psalm 85:10). Living Responses to a Loving God • Receive: Trust His unchanging love—“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). • Reflect: “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). • Remain: Keep in step with His love through obedience (John 14:21) and Spirit-empowered fruit (Galatians 5:22). “God is love” unveils a God whose very nature moves toward us with covenant-faithful, sacrificial, holy affection. Knowing this, we anchor our hearts in Him and let His love flow through us to the world. |
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