The Love of God

[66 Books]

Appreciate any feedback to my Theology



Is the Love of God a feeling? Is it a concept that we cannot experience? Do we know what exactly is the Love of God?


1 John 4:7: "God Is Love"

This means that everything he does is Love because He is Love. There will never ever be an action even in His anger that is not out of Love. For God is Love.


Our concept of God's Love is incomplete and limited. We cannot and have not yet fathom the Love of God. How could we, for He is God and we are not.


So is there anyway for us to know the Love of God other than Words that He promised?


John 15: 13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends"

The Love of God moves Him. He feels love just as much as we would.
The reason we could feel Love is because God is Love and we are created in His image.

Now if we are created in His image and we desire something else, we are empty.
Without Love, we are empty.


"This is all amazing and all, but I want to experience this Love, how can I?" You asked

If you could see Christ on Calvary, You will receive what you asked for.

 

[SabbathBlessings]

Appreciate any feedback to my Theology



Is the Love of God a feeling? Is it a concept that we cannot experience? Do we know what exactly is the Love of God?

Yes, the bible spells it out for us

1 John 5: 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome

Yet so many people try to "do away" with God's commandments or think they were altered despite clear scripture prohibiting anyone of doing so. Deut 4:2, Proverbs 30:5-6

 

[Soyeong]

Appreciate any feedback to my Theology



Is the Love of God a feeling? Is it a concept that we cannot experience? Do we know what exactly is the Love of God?


1 John 4:7: "God Is Love"

This means that everything he does is Love because He is Love. There will never ever be an action even in His anger that is not out of Love. For God is Love.


Our concept of God's Love is incomplete and limited. We cannot and have not yet fathom the Love of God. How could we, for He is God and we are not.


So is there anyway for us to know the Love of God other than Words that He promised?


John 15: 13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends"

The Love of God moves Him. He feels love just as much as we would.
The reason we could feel Love is because God is Love and we are created in His image.

Now if we are created in His image and we desire something else, we are empty.
Without Love, we are empty.


"This is all amazing and all, but I want to experience this Love, how can I?" You asked

If you could see Christ on Calvary, You will receive what you asked for.

When we express aspects of God's nature through our actions, such as holiness, righteousness, goodness, justice, mercy, and faithfulness, we are expressing our love for those aspects of God's nature, and God's law is His instructions for how to express those aspects of His nature (Romans 7:12, Matthew 23:23), which is why there are many verses in both the OT and the NT that connect our love for God with our obedience to His commandments. In other words, everything that God specifically chose to command was commanded in order to teach us how to love a different aspect of His nature. Furthermore, this also shows us how God expresses His love and how to experience his love.

The Hebrew word "yada" refers to intimate knowledge gained by experience, such as in Genesis 4:1, where Adam knew (yada) Eve, she conceived, and gave birth to Cain. In Exodus 33:13, Moses wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him His way that he might know (yada) Him and Israel too. In Jeremiah 9:3 and 9:6, they did not know (yada) God and refused to know Him because in 9:13, they had forsaken His law, while in 9:24, those who know God know that He delights in practicing steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in all of the earth, so delighting in expressing these and other aspects of God's nature is the way to know Him, or in other words, the way to have a relationship with Him through experiencing His love.

Likewise, it is also the way to know the Son, who is the exact image of God's nature (Hebrews 1:3). In Matthew 7:23, Jesus said that he would tell those who are workers of lawlessness to depart from him because he never knew them, in 1 John 2:4, those who say that they know Jesus, but don't obey his commands are liars, and in 1 John 3:4-6, those who continue to practice sin in transgression of God's law have neither seen nor known him, so knowing God and Jesus is the goal of the law, which is eternal life (John 17:3).

While Jesus certainly expressed his love through laying down his life on the cross, he instructed in John 13:34 to love one another as he had loved them, which was said before he went to the cross, so while he expressed his love through his death, he also expressed it through his life, and the way that he expressed it was through his obedience to God's law.

 

[bling]

Godly type Love is a huge subject which Books have been written.

Just using the word “Agape” to describe it does not do it justice, but as an introduction let us start with the objective:

Everything needs to start with the objective.

The differences and issues begin with misunderstanding of the objective. Most Christians like: Man’s objective is to “bring glory to God” and have scripture references to support that objective, but a person can take any commandment or direction of God given in scripture and have Biblical support for call that command: “Man’s Objective”. We are certainly commanded to do that command, so why is it not man’s objective?

There are the two superior commands which all other commands are subordinate to and combined would be like: “Love God (and secondly others) with all your heart, soul, mind, and energy.” That appears to be man’s “Mission Statement”. The huge problem with fulfilling that “Mission Statement” is the fact that the “Love” needed would have to be huge, way beyond anything man could develop, learn, deserve, earn, pay back, be instinctive to man, or somehow just be forced upon humans.

Thus, the reason you have free will, is because it is required for you to complete your earthly objective.

This messed up world which includes satan roaming around is not here for your pleasure, but to help each of us to become like God Himself in that you have the unique, unbelievable Godly type Love (God himself is Love).

There are just somethings even an all-powerful Creator cannot do (there are things impossible to do), like create another Christ, since Christ has always existed, the big impossibility for us is; create humans with instinctive Godly type Love, since Godly type Love is not instinctive. Godly type love has to be the result of a free will decision by the being, to make it the person’s Love apart from God. In other words: If the Love was in a human from the human’s creation it would be a robotic type love and not a Godly type Love. Also, if God “forces” this Love on a person (Kind a like a shotgun wedding) it would not be “loving” on God’s part and the love forced on the person would not be Godly type Love. This Love has to be the result of a free will moral choice with real alternatives (for humans those alternatives include the perceived pleasures of sin for a season.)

Read the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, the young son was generously given more then he could handle (like most of us today), which the father would realize. The prodigal son returned to his father, not out of “Love”, but selfishly wanting a job he did not deserve or should even ask for. Just because the son became just willing to accept pure undeserved charity from the father he hated, allowed the father to shower him with gifts. God is that way with you.

God has created beings to shower them with the greatest gifts possible, the greatest gift being having a Love like His.

If there is this Creator of the universe out there, His “creations” could not really “do” anything for Him, so this Creator would have to be seen as a Giver (Unselfish Lover) and not trying to “get” something from His creation.

Why would God have a totally unselfish type of Love, since He personally would not get anything out of it? If God’s “Love” is some kind of knee jerk reaction, then it is really meaningless (something like; gravity which is nice to have, but everyone automatically has it). God Loves us in spite of what we have done, who we are or what we will do, so it has to be by His choice.

God would create the right universe for the sake of the individuals that will accept His gift (the most powerful force [Love] in all universes, since that force [Love] compels even God to do all He does) and thus the willing become like He is (the greatest gift He could give).

What keeps the all-powerful Creator from just giving whatever He wants to his creation, eliminating the need for free will and this earthly time.

This Love is way beyond anything humans could develop, obtain, learn, earn, pay back or ever deserve, so it must be the result of a gift that is accepted or rejected (a free will choice).

This “Love” is much more than just an emotional feeling; it is God Himself (God is Love). If you see this Love you see God.

All mature adults do stuff that hurts others (this is called sin) these transgressions weigh on them, burden them, to the point the individual seeks relief (at least early on before they allow their hearts to be hardened). Lots of “alternatives” can be tried for relief, but the only true relief comes from God with forgiveness (this forgiveness is pure charity [grace/mercy/Love]). The correct humble acceptance of this Forgiveness (Charity) automatically will result in Love (we are taught by Jesus and our own experience “…he that is forgiven much will Love much…”). Sin is thus made hugely significant, so there will be an unbelievable huge debt to be forgiven of and thus result in an unbelievable huge “Love” (Godly type Love).

Sin has purpose in helping willing humans in fulfilling their objective. God does not like it but allows it.

Unfortunately, I, along with others, needed to see and know the brevity of life in order to respond sooner than later. Time is not on our side, since we do not get better, but worse. If everyone had at least 60 years, there would be no rush to repent and repenting does not get easier with time. We all tend to spiral down into the pigsty of life (like the prodigal son) and that does help, if when we do come to our senses we turn to the Father, but that does not have to take 60 years.

Let me just give you an example of How God works to help willing individuals.

If the nonbeliever had knowledge of God's existence that person would not need faith in God's existence, but faith is needed for humility and humility is needed to humbly accept pure charity and the only way to get Godly type Love is through accepting it as pure charity in the form of forgiveness.

This also shows a “need” for man to sin.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Most importantly, God's love is both Himself and His activity; namely as He shows and reveals Himself through the Incarnation--in the Person and Work of Christ.

Consider the ancient hymn, "Of the Father's Love begotten", speaking of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ the Eternal Son and Logos, our Lord.

Recall Christ's own words,

"No greater love has anyone than this, that they lay down their life for their friends." -John 15:13

God has deigned to call us unworthy and wretched sinners "friends", and has given Himself up even unto death, to love us, to give Himself to us, to share His own life with us.

The love of God is God being Himself.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[eleos1954]

Appreciate any feedback to my Theology



Is the Love of God a feeling? Is it a concept that we cannot experience? Do we know what exactly is the Love of God?


1 John 4:7: "God Is Love"

This means that everything he does is Love because He is Love. There will never ever be an action even in His anger that is not out of Love. For God is Love.


Our concept of God's Love is incomplete and limited. We cannot and have not yet fathom the Love of God. How could we, for He is God and we are not.


So is there anyway for us to know the Love of God other than Words that He promised?


John 15: 13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends"

The Love of God moves Him. He feels love just as much as we would.
The reason we could feel Love is because God is Love and we are created in His image.

Now if we are created in His image and we desire something else, we are empty.
Without Love, we are empty.


"This is all amazing and all, but I want to experience this Love, how can I?" You asked

If you could see Christ on Calvary, You will receive what you asked for.

Gods love (agape love) is not a feeling .... it is a principle ..... putting others before self .... exactly what Christ did on the cross .... provided the way to salvation for those who accept Him as their Lord and Savior through faith.

 

[Diamond7]

Is the Love of God a feeling?

It is an attitude of thanksgiving and praise without grumbling or complaining.

 

[AbbaLove]

Is the Love of God a feeling? Is it a concept that we cannot experience? Do we know what exactly is the Love of God?

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.​

​

On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: `I desire mercy, not sacrifice. ' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:12, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:31-32)​

​

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)​

Mary Magdalene was delivered of 7 demons. She may have been the same woman that washed the feet of Jesus and poured expensive perfume on His feet. The man that was delivered from a legion of demons wanted to go with Jesus. Instead He told him to go tell others what great things the Lord had done.

It's not difficult to love Jesus when you realize how great was His Love when He delivered you from the enemies grasp. How much do good church-going folk love Jesus if they can't stop sinnng and have been told that even after being born again it's still impossible to stop sinning.

Some church-goers believe at the very time they were sprinkled with holy water as an infant that they were born again. Yet they still sin as adults. Is a Christian that knows he/she is guilty and can't stop sinning find it's a struggled to follow Jesus ...

30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ [a]This is the first commandment.​

31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”​

32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.​

33 And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, [b]with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”​

34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (Mark 12:30-34)​

I Desire Mercy, Not Sacrifice: The Limitless Love of Our God​

www.onesteadfast.com/Blog/ScriptureStudy/I-Desire-Mercy-Not-Sacrifice-The-Limitless-Love-of-Our-God​

 

[IoanC]

I believe God's infinite love becomes meaningful, if we respond with the same love.

 

[Mark Quayle]

Appreciate any feedback to my Theology

Our concept of God's Love is incomplete and limited. We cannot and have not yet fathom the Love of God. How could we, for He is God and we are not.

The philosophical concept of the Simplicity of God implies that all God's attributes are one, in him. He is not made of parts. Humans must think in packageable concepts, so we separate out the qualities that we call "God's attributes" (that is —what we attribute to him). Thus, God's love is both immanent and transcendent, (ineffable), and includes all the qualities of God: his justice and wrath, his wisdom and patience, etc. Even the fact that he does all things for his own glory is brought to bear, as is his plan (decree) for the ages, as well as his commands.

So is there anyway for us to know the Love of God other than Words that He promised?

Certainly. Pursue Christ with all your being. Learn all you can about him.

 

[IoanC]

"God's love for the worst sinner is greater than God's love for the best saint. (Fr. Arsenie Boca)

 

[fhansen]

Appreciate any feedback to my Theology



Is the Love of God a feeling? Is it a concept that we cannot experience? Do we know what exactly is the Love of God?


1 John 4:7: "God Is Love"

This means that everything he does is Love because He is Love. There will never ever be an action even in His anger that is not out of Love. For God is Love.


Our concept of God's Love is incomplete and limited. We cannot and have not yet fathom the Love of God. How could we, for He is God and we are not.


So is there anyway for us to know the Love of God other than Words that He promised?


John 15: 13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends"

The Love of God moves Him. He feels love just as much as we would.
The reason we could feel Love is because God is Love and we are created in His image.

Now if we are created in His image and we desire something else, we are empty.
Without Love, we are empty.


"This is all amazing and all, but I want to experience this Love, how can I?" You asked

If you could see Christ on Calvary, You will receive what you asked for.

Love is a power that motivates us to act for the good of others out of mercy and compassion. It’s the most important virtue in the universe; it’s a chief attribute of God’s own nature. It’s both a gift from Him, and a choice of ours: to embrace and express or act upon that gift. And it’s meant to grow in us as a we do act upon it.