In the 8th verse of the 4th chapter in the Apostle John’s first epistle, it is written “God is Love”. On the surface, this definitive statement should at least offer us a strong measure of certainty regarding one of God’s character traits. It’s a statement of undeniable fact – not unlike a math problem: 1 + 1 is always equal to 2; 2 x 4 is always equal to 8; and God is always equal to love. It’s also important to recognize the type of verb John uses – “is”. John didn’t use “was” or “will be”, he used a present tense and active verb letting us know that God’s love is now, and it is in motion.
I labeled the statement “God is love” as one of God’s character traits, but I did not intend to minimize love as “one of his traits”. On the contrary, I would argue that love is THE trait from which all His other traits are fueled. Consider the following:
- God is righteous. His ways set the standard for what is right (and therefore what is not “right” must be wrong). Without the concept of “right”, what’s left is evil, chaos, and an overwhelming focus on self-fulfillment. Consequently, when our priority is pursuing our own interests, we are by definition placing everyone else in a secondary priority. The Apostle Paul counters in 1 Corinthians 13:4-5, “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.” We can draw from this scripture that by pursuing what is not right, we are not pursuing love. Conversely, what is right, or righteousness, is rooted in love.
- We are His creation, and we are created for His good pleasure. We can interpret this as we our made out of His love and desire for fellowship with us.
- God installed the concept of free will for us. In C.S. Lewis’ great book, Mere Christianity, he makes the statement, “He gave them [us] free will because a world of mere automata could never love and therefore never know infinite happiness.” In other words, free will is God’s creation that was intended to give us the opportunity to achieve the highest form of love available to man.
- Christ on the cross is God’s ultimate gesture of love to us. A holy God cannot commune with sinners, so since Adam’s sin, which we are all unwelcome heirs, we are separated from God. Therefore, the motivation of the sacrifice of His only Son is rooted in His desire to have an eternal, right, and loving relationship with His creation.
- Grace is a creation of God because it comes out of His system of justice where: someone has violated the terms of the system (sin); deserves punishment (death); but, he/she is offered freely a way to be pardoned and restored. Why would He create such an out? Love.
- Since God is sovereign, the motivation and the product of His sovereignty is governed by love.
Today’s world has so diminished and corrupted the word “love” that it is understandable to initially not allow the statement “God is love” to penetrate and saturate our hearts, minds, and souls. By reviewing the above, though, we cannot help but come to the conclusion that whatever God creates – be it humans, moral government, fellowship, or gifts – the foundation is love. Love is the thread that connects, intertwines, and brings into harmony the Bible.
May it be our daily prayer that we be reminded by the Holy Spirit of the truth and depth of the statement “God is love” and ask Him to make that revelation a transforming force in our lives so we can then reflect His love to those around us and bring glory to the One who is love.