Doctrine: Love

God’s Love

As for divine attributes, Scripture practically screams of God’s love and compassion. The “God is love”[1] passage might be the most famous. Even non-Christians seem to know that “God is love.” John 3:16, “For God so loved the world…” is the most widely known and translated verse in the entire Bible. Christians wear crosses to remind them to live in an honoring way in light of the sacrificial love shown by Christ (Galatians 2:10). This eternal attribute cannot be separated from God’s nature, and because of it, Christians cannot be separated from him (Romans 8:38-39). There are several worlds used to describe God’s love. Checed may be found in the Old Testament referring to God’s loving kindness and faithfulness. Agapaō is a Greek word that the New Testament authors frequently use in relationship with God’s sacrificial love for humanity.

Thomas Aquinas speaks of love in general as the basis for any tendency.[2] He explains the difference of human love and godly love by clarifying animalistic desire (passions) from God’s movements of will (acts). “Clearly then God loves all things, willing them every good they possess; yet not as we do. Our love doesn’t cause a thing’s goodness; rather the thing’s goodness, real or imagined, evokes our love, and enlists our help in preserving and furthering that goodness. But God’s love evokes and creates the goodness in things.”[3] In this way, Aquinas explains God’s love as his good actions towards his creation. Moreover, he speaks of it as a seeking of unity and community although he is complete in himself.[4] “The lover in loving the good of the beloved and planning and working for it as though the beloved was himself, is transported out of himself into the beloved…”[5] The concept is that by acting in love, God seeks unity with that which he created (as exemplified by the incarnation). According to Aquinas, God’s love is the culmination of his essence and his actions.

Where Aquinas explains philosophically, Wayne Grudem takes a different approach while maintaining God’s love as an action. He explains “God’s love means that God eternally gives of himself to others.”[6] Rather than explain the essence of what God’s love is, he focuses on what it does. He likens God’s love for humanity to God’s internal love encompassed within the Trinity. Each person of the Trinity gives and loves the other. “It should cause us great joy to know that it is the purpose of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to give of themselves to us to bring us true joy and happiness. It is God’s nature to act that way toward those upon whom he has set his love, and he will continue to act that way toward us for all eternity.”[7] Basically, Grudem says that God’s love is his purpose lived out.

Finally, Stanley Grenz provides a link from Aquinas’s explanation of God’s loving essence and Grudem’s active examples of it. Grenz proposes that God takes action in love because the suffering of his creation moves him. “The Bible indicates that compassion characterizes God’s response to the human predicament. Because of the divine love, the plight of God’s creatures evokes his compassion.”[8] He often speaks theologically through “the drama of redemption,” and this topic is no different. “God’s loving compassion finds concrete expression in Jesus of Nazarethe, for compassion lay at the heat of our Lord’s understanding of his mission.”[9] In summary, God’s love is the motivating force behind his ultimate role in reconciling all things to himself.

With these perspectives in mind. God’s love is the lavish, extravagant, unimaginable, great, underserved, manifestation of his character. Everything in his ontological nature may be encompassed by the word “love.” Too often people define God by their perception of earthly love instead of defining love by God’s character. God is protective, graceful, merciful, and he is altogether holy. This is true love. 1 Corinthians 13 puts it this way, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”[10]

As Christians seeking to be made into Christ-likeness, love must also be our defining characteristic. It must be the first foundation for every tendency (Aquinas), the self-giving purpose of every action (Grudem) and the total culmination of our life drama (Grenz). The Bible speaks of specific ways that Christ followers should live out love. Christians should love their enemies by not retaliating under persecution and praying for them.[11] Christians should look after the orphan and widow.[12] Christians should use their gifts to edify the body of believers.[13] Most importantly of all, Jesus says “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."[14] Directing the life of the Christ follower is the God of love. They no longer live for themselves, but for their God and their neighbor. This is love.

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[1] 1 John 4:7-8

[2] Aquinas53

[3] Aquinas54

[4] Aquinas54

[5] Aquinas54

[6] Grudem199

[7] Grudem199

[8] Grenz94

[9] Grenz95

[10] 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

[11] Matthew 5:44

[12] James 1:27

[13] 1 Corinthians 14:12

[14] Matthew 22:37-40