The attributes of God are immense and numerous beyond the comprehension of mere creatures like us. We cannot fully grasp them with our finite brains, and our weakness makes it impossible for us to completely understand the excellencies of God to their fullest extent. Yet God has revealed Himself in the Scriptures to some comprehensible extent. God calls on us to believe and endeavor to know this revelation of His person. The attribute that this article will discuss is the Love of God. When we think about the Love of God, we need to make some necessary distinctions.
There are three ways to speak of the Love of God. The first is His intra-Trinitarian Love, the second is His Love for unbelievers, and the third is His Love for the elect.
To understand the Love of God, we need to know that Love is in the character of God. He is Love (1 John 4:8). When He is acting in Love, He is not doing something contrary to His character.
An attribute is who and what God is. God does not make an effort to act lovingly: Love is who He is. God is a Trinity of three persons. Everything that happens in the universe is because of the outpouring of Love between the persons of the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each of the persons have been in perfect unity from eternity, loving each other perfectly, without the need of any other object of affection. “For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing, and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel” (John 5:20).
When He created humanity, God was not in need of fellowship or for objects of His Love. He was already in perfect fellowship with Himself from eternity. All the other kinds of Love of God flow from this Love which God has for His own person.
This divine Love even extends to sinners, which is also known as benevolence. God is kind and loving. He shows benevolence to undeserving sinners, even those who are outside of Christ and therefore remain His enemies. Love is in His character and He acts in Love toward all of humanity.
God gives breath to the sinner who curses His holy name using the very breath that God has granted him. Men drink iniquity like water, giving no regard to God, and yet God is the provider of all that we have. God out of Love for His created order bestows His blessings upon His enemies who rebel against Him and give no regard to His authority and right over them. God on account of all of this deserves our utmost allegiance and worship, but men would rather bow their knees in front of an idol rather than God.
God nevertheless loves His creation, even when in return He receives no love from the unregenerate. Human love requires reciprocity, while God loves without receiving any love from the unsaved. God shows mercy to blasphemers despite the multitude of their sins. He gives countless blessings to His enemies.
God also has a distinct affection for His elect people, which He chose before the making of the world (Eph. 1:5). God is gracious and He loves His own. He is aware of the great multitude of their sins, but still, He loves them. “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says Yahweh, ‘Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool’” (Isaiah 1:18). God says to His elect that He will wipe away their sins. In the Old Testament, the sins of the people were covered by the sacrifice of bulls and oxen. Yet God had a greater plan for the redemption of His elect, which can be seen by the sacrifice of His own begotten Son on the cross for such unclean people like us.
The book of Hebrews reveals this work of redemption through the sacrifice of God the Son. Charles Spurgeon once said to “measure the love by the gift.” We can see the Love of God in the fact that God has granted us the greatest gift, which is His own precious Son.
All of the created order, the vast multitude of stars in the heavens above, and the billions of galaxies together are nothing compared to the preciousness of Christ. He was the gift given to us by God. The Son has meanwhile gifted us His life for our redemption. He bore the wrath that we deserved at the cross. “By this we have known love, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (1 John 3:16). The ultimate portrait of the Love of God can be seen at the cross, where we can see the Son of God laying down His life for His enemies.
If a man says to his wife “I love you” and continuously avoids her every day, and does not care for her or support her, will she believe him? Her rightful response will be to wonder how she can believe his love when he has not provided evidence supporting that confession.
Such is not the case with God and His elect. When He says “for God so loved the world,” He gives the evidence of His Love by noting “that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). The Son then provides us with more evidence of His Love by bearing the wrath that was due for His elect. He drank the cup of judgment which His people deserved to drink.
Human love depends on reciprocity, and we love objects that we perceive to be worthy. God loved His people when they did not love Him and also loves people unworthy of His Love.
Many preachers today say that we are so beautiful and worthy that God cannot help but love us. In other words, they claim that God is prompted by our great worthiness to love us. This is not the case. God loves His people out of His sovereign choice, prompted by no other being from outside to do it. God loves us because He is Love.
I want to plead with you to read this carefully and meditate on this truth of the Love of God. It is very easy to treat these truths trivially, but I entreat you to prayerfully desire to experience the Love of God and resolve to know it deeply.
I pray that we all may encounter, cherish, and seek to know the Love of God as much as this is possible for fallen sinners.
There are three ways to speak of the Love of God. The first is His intra-Trinitarian Love, the second is His Love for unbelievers, and the third is His Love for the elect.
To understand the Love of God, we need to know that Love is in the character of God. He is Love (1 John 4:8). When He is acting in Love, He is not doing something contrary to His character.
An attribute is who and what God is. God does not make an effort to act lovingly: Love is who He is. God is a Trinity of three persons. Everything that happens in the universe is because of the outpouring of Love between the persons of the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each of the persons have been in perfect unity from eternity, loving each other perfectly, without the need of any other object of affection. “For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing, and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel” (John 5:20).
When He created humanity, God was not in need of fellowship or for objects of His Love. He was already in perfect fellowship with Himself from eternity. All the other kinds of Love of God flow from this Love which God has for His own person.
This divine Love even extends to sinners, which is also known as benevolence. God is kind and loving. He shows benevolence to undeserving sinners, even those who are outside of Christ and therefore remain His enemies. Love is in His character and He acts in Love toward all of humanity.
God gives breath to the sinner who curses His holy name using the very breath that God has granted him. Men drink iniquity like water, giving no regard to God, and yet God is the provider of all that we have. God out of Love for His created order bestows His blessings upon His enemies who rebel against Him and give no regard to His authority and right over them. God on account of all of this deserves our utmost allegiance and worship, but men would rather bow their knees in front of an idol rather than God.
God nevertheless loves His creation, even when in return He receives no love from the unregenerate. Human love requires reciprocity, while God loves without receiving any love from the unsaved. God shows mercy to blasphemers despite the multitude of their sins. He gives countless blessings to His enemies.
God also has a distinct affection for His elect people, which He chose before the making of the world (Eph. 1:5). God is gracious and He loves His own. He is aware of the great multitude of their sins, but still, He loves them. “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says Yahweh, ‘Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool’” (Isaiah 1:18). God says to His elect that He will wipe away their sins. In the Old Testament, the sins of the people were covered by the sacrifice of bulls and oxen. Yet God had a greater plan for the redemption of His elect, which can be seen by the sacrifice of His own begotten Son on the cross for such unclean people like us.
The book of Hebrews reveals this work of redemption through the sacrifice of God the Son. Charles Spurgeon once said to “measure the love by the gift.” We can see the Love of God in the fact that God has granted us the greatest gift, which is His own precious Son.
All of the created order, the vast multitude of stars in the heavens above, and the billions of galaxies together are nothing compared to the preciousness of Christ. He was the gift given to us by God. The Son has meanwhile gifted us His life for our redemption. He bore the wrath that we deserved at the cross. “By this we have known love, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (1 John 3:16). The ultimate portrait of the Love of God can be seen at the cross, where we can see the Son of God laying down His life for His enemies.
If a man says to his wife “I love you” and continuously avoids her every day, and does not care for her or support her, will she believe him? Her rightful response will be to wonder how she can believe his love when he has not provided evidence supporting that confession.
Such is not the case with God and His elect. When He says “for God so loved the world,” He gives the evidence of His Love by noting “that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). The Son then provides us with more evidence of His Love by bearing the wrath that was due for His elect. He drank the cup of judgment which His people deserved to drink.
Human love depends on reciprocity, and we love objects that we perceive to be worthy. God loved His people when they did not love Him and also loves people unworthy of His Love.
Many preachers today say that we are so beautiful and worthy that God cannot help but love us. In other words, they claim that God is prompted by our great worthiness to love us. This is not the case. God loves His people out of His sovereign choice, prompted by no other being from outside to do it. God loves us because He is Love.
I want to plead with you to read this carefully and meditate on this truth of the Love of God. It is very easy to treat these truths trivially, but I entreat you to prayerfully desire to experience the Love of God and resolve to know it deeply.
I pray that we all may encounter, cherish, and seek to know the Love of God as much as this is possible for fallen sinners.
About The Author
JOEL RIAZ
1689 Federalism | Amillennialism | General Equity Theonomist
Joel Riaz lives in Abbottabad, Pakistan, with his wife, Irum. Having grown up in a Christian community, Riaz is well-acquainted with the Christian Faith and is the first person in his community to embrace Reformed Baptist Doctrine. He serves as an elder at Jesus The Holy Lamb, a Reformed Baptist Church.
1689 Federalism | Amillennialism | General Equity Theonomist
Joel Riaz lives in Abbottabad, Pakistan, with his wife, Irum. Having grown up in a Christian community, Riaz is well-acquainted with the Christian Faith and is the first person in his community to embrace Reformed Baptist Doctrine. He serves as an elder at Jesus The Holy Lamb, a Reformed Baptist Church.
Posted in Christian Living
Posted in Attributes of God, Knowledge, Understanding, Charles Spurgeon, Love, Elect, Sacrifice, Redemption
Posted in Attributes of God, Knowledge, Understanding, Charles Spurgeon, Love, Elect, Sacrifice, Redemption
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