Topical Bible: The Love of God is a Part of his Character

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The love of God is a fundamental aspect of His divine nature and character, permeating the entirety of Scripture and manifesting in His interactions with humanity. This love is not merely an attribute but is intrinsic to God's very being, influencing His actions and purposes throughout history.

Biblical Foundation

The Bible consistently affirms that God is love. In 1 John 4:8, it is stated, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." This declaration underscores that love is not just an action God performs but is essential to His identity. God's love is perfect, eternal, and unchanging, reflecting His immutable nature.

Old Testament Revelation

In the Old Testament, God's love is often expressed through His covenantal relationships with His people. Deuteronomy 7:9 emphasizes this covenantal love: "Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments." Here, God's love is portrayed as steadfast and enduring, a commitment to His people that transcends time.

The Psalms frequently celebrate God's lovingkindness, a term that captures His loyal love and mercy. Psalm 136 repeatedly affirms, "His loving devotion endures forever," highlighting the perpetual nature of God's love.

New Testament Fulfillment

The New Testament reveals the fullness of God's love through the person and work of Jesus Christ. John 3:16 declares, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." This verse encapsulates the sacrificial and redemptive nature of God's love, demonstrating its depth and breadth.

The Apostle Paul further expounds on this in Romans 5:8: "But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God's love is proactive and unconditional, reaching out to humanity even in its fallen state.

The Nature of God's Love

God's love is characterized by several key attributes:

1. Unconditional: God's love is not based on human merit or actions. It is freely given, as seen in Ephesians 2:4-5, "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved."

2. Sacrificial: The ultimate demonstration of God's love is the sacrifice of His Son. 1 John 4:10 states, "And this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

3. Transformative: God's love has the power to change lives. In 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, Paul writes, "For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again."

4. Eternal: God's love is everlasting, as affirmed in Jeremiah 31:3, "The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.'"

Implications for Believers

For believers, understanding the love of God is foundational to their faith and relationship with Him. It calls them to love others as God has loved them, as instructed in 1 John 4:11, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." The love of God serves as a model and motivation for Christian living, encouraging believers to reflect His love in their interactions with others.

In summary, the love of God is a central theme in Scripture, revealing His character and His desire for a relationship with humanity. It is a love that is active, sacrificial, and eternal, offering hope and transformation to all who receive it.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Corinthians 13:11
Finally, brothers, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 John 4:8
He that loves not knows not God; for God is love.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

God's Character Our Resting-Place
... on him as an "austere man" and a "hard master?" Are they not laboring to supplement
the grace of God by something on their part, as if ... "God is love." He has ...
/.../bonar/gods way of peace/chapter iii gods character our.htm

God's Love for Man
... life one of toil and care"were appointed for his good as a part of the ... The word of
God reveals His character ... He Himself has declared His infinite love and pity ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/steps to christ/chapter 1 gods love for.htm

His Writings and his Character
... They were part of his day's work. ... who can doubt that, when his face was melted with
tender love in beseeching men to be reconciled to God or lighted ...
/.../stalker/the life of st paul/chapter vii his writings and.htm

The Contrast
... charity, again, because the whole is greater than a part. ... and reflection of the Love
of God upon your ... the day you land, that language of Love, understood by all ...
/.../drummond/the greatest thing in the world and other addresses/the contrast.htm

Robert Hall -- Marks of Love to God
... Are they confined, for the most part, within the narrow ... Unless you are destitute
of love to God you can ... after night, without any serious thoughts of God, it is ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 3/robert hall marks of.htm

The Christian's God
... He taught the great love of God for man. ... Personal Spirit, yet to know only this is
to leave out a very vital part in our estimation or knowledge of God. ...
/.../sell/studies in the life of the christian/study ii the christians god.htm

A Continuation of Mr Bunyan's Life; Beginning Where He Left Off ...
... patiently for the sake of a good conscience, and for the love of God in Jesus ... taken
and imprisoned upon these accounts, he made it another part of his ...
/.../bunyan/grace abounding to the chief of sinners/a continuation of mr bunyans.htm

The Sinner's Need of Christ
... It is no arbitrary decree on the part of God that ... enough to perceive the loving-kindness
of God, to see ... that it is founded upon the eternal principle of love. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/steps to christ/chapter 2 the sinners need.htm

A General Means for Applying Our Works to God's Service.
... the brush, yet the master also for his part did so ... The motive of Divine love pours
forth a particular ... in a special manner dedicated themselves to God to serve ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter viii a general means.htm

Dwight -- the Sovereignty of God
... Herein is love," if there ever was love; "not that ... But if you wish God to be your
guide and your friend ... That part of His pleasure, which you are to obey, is all ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 3/dwight the sovereignty of.htm