…Rather God IS Love
TL;DR Nope, not today, you need to read the whole thing… LOVE YA!
So, I am listening to Ben Fuller’s “Who I Am” in the background while building in “Minecraft” (still working on the cathedral). It is the day after Valentine’s Day, so love is in the air, so to speak.
I started thinking of God’s (YHWH) love. Like, why does God love us?
No, wait, He is LOVE.
Wait, what is the point of love, if you can’t share it?
So, since God is love and love is supposed to be shared, He wants to share it with as many people as He can! I will show you in His Word, the Bible, and see what He says about His love for us after my thoughts.
I don’t ask much, but, if you know God loves you, I would like for you to share this blog entry to spread God’s love!…Please.
Think of how much we cheer for our sports teams or sing at the top of our lungs for a musician or band at a concert; both we would have spent hundreds of dollars at. (I have been guilty of this.) Both can easily end up to be obsession if we are not careful. (I have been guilty of this.) The majority of us will never know (in person) the sports players, the musicians, etc. They definitely know nothing about us, yet we may know so much about them; however, God knows us so much more. Jesus told us in Matthew 10:39 (ESV), “the hairs of your head are all numbered.”
We need to have that level of obsession and cheer with God, Jesus Christ, and the Good News; more so, than anything else! Easier said then done? We need to try and see God’s love from our Heavenly Father’s perspective.
Think about it. Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Son of the Most High God, defied time and space to look into your eyes, personally, and say, “All I want to do is give you paradise in pure joy, forever. Even though you will hate Me, curse Me, mock Me, cheat on Me, hurt Me, kill Me, deny Me, even with the truth staring at you. But, I am still going to be humiliated with My head held high and die an excruciating, public, capital punishment death that will take hours. Not only that, but spiritually I will be taking My Father’s full wrath for your many sins and disobedience unto Him on your behalf, even though He literally spelled out the Law for you to follow. This is My gift to you, so we can spend eternity in pure joy with no worries. THAT, My child, is how much I love you, <insert your name here>!” *Big hugz* (Note: Red is used for emphasis; Jesus did not say this verbatim.)
Riddle me this, Batman. If your spouse, your child, parent, friend, or ENEMY did all those things to you, would you sacrifice a wink of sleep over them? Let alone sacrifice your dignity and life for the off chance they may change and be kind of nice to you? Would anyone you know, do that for you if you did those cruel things to them?
Guess what? Jesus the Messiah did all those things for you. In hopes that He could share His eternal love with just one (1) more person, you, <insert your name here>.
Did you know that in the Greek language, one of the original languages of the New Testament, there are seven (7) different types of love?
- Philautia – Self Love.
- Storge – Unconditional, Familial Love.
- Philia – Affectionate, Friendly Love.
- Ludus – Playful, Flirtatious Love.
- Eros – Romantic, Passionate Love (Of the Body).
- Pragma – Committed, Long-Lasting Love.
- Agape – Selfless, Universal Love. In the Greek translation of the Bible this is solely referring to God’s Love. Coincidence that it is #7? I think not.
Remember when I said, “we just need to try God’s perspective”? We as humans really can’t fathom eternity, but the ~70 years you are on earth is barely a blip on the timeline, yet, it has such a huge impact on your [eternal] life.
This is my perspective, a lot of times, especially when I was younger, I have cared more about what other humans think about me, rather than how my Heavenly Father does. And the majority of those other humans that I worry about how I look or sound to? Yeah, I have never met them nor will ever meet them, let alone let them into my circle. If you are like me, then basically, we don’t want society to think we are nuts. That is because Lucifer is actively deceiving as many people as possible. We have to shine a light on his darkness and reveal the truth, we are not nuts! How do we do that? Fun fact, a famous quote about truth, “The truth will set you free”, that was Jesus. He said it in John 8:31-32 (ESV), “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
We now have many advantages over the Apostles during that time. We have the whole Bible (the Truth) and because of that knowledge (along with loving, respecting, and striving to obey God) it is truly freeing from the worries (in a baby step fashion because it is not easy) of this world and temporary state of being. We have had and have many platforms to spread God’s love, like books with the invention of The Gutenberg Press, the Pony Express, more social medias than you can count because of the invention of the internet, TV, movies, and the list goes on. So, let’s use them for God’s will.
If there was one verse to sum up God’s love for His children, it is John 3:16.
Book, Chapter, | John 3:16–18, |
ESV Verse | “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” |
Annotation | ‘God so loved the world’, This verse presents a concise summary of the gospel message, tying the events of Jesus’ death to God’s love for the world He created. The statement is remarkable in its depiction of divine care for the entire world—not just His chosen people, Israel. ‘only Son’, The Greek term used here is monogenēs, meaning “one of a kind.” At one time, it was presumed that the term derived from the Greek words monos (“one” or “only”) and gennaō (“to beget”). The translation “only begotten” is based on this assumption. Subsequent manuscript discoveries produced evidence that the term actually comes from monos and the noun genē (“kind” or “type”). The term monogenēs therefore refers to uniqueness and has no inherent reference to chronology or origin. ‘His Son’, John prefers to refer to Jesus as the “Son” and God as the “Father”. Jesus’ reflection and representation of the Father is complete. As one sent by God, Jesus fully represented Him on earth. ‘whoever does not believe’, Rejection of Jesus results in condemnation. The NT ultimately roots all salvation in faith in Christ. There is no other way to achieve right standing with God. |
Verses Cross- | John 3:35; John 6:40; John 17:1 |
We could stop researching there really.
As a father myself, I try to imagine (but can’t fathom) what God the Father was going through, let alone as a son trying to imagine what Jesus was going through while on the cross. God loves us so much, that from the beginning of our time, God planned this to occur, so that we have a chance to be with Him. Not only did He have to watch His innocent Son die on the cross, but He had to pour out His righteousness indignation (anger that is motivated by injustice or other profound moral lapse) for His believers onto Jesus.
God has more righteousness indignation for the non-believers during the end times. Comparing what Jesus went through to Revelation 16 brings up some interesting similarities. In Revelation, God’s wrath is described as the 7 bowls of judgement that are being poured out.
So again, I don’t ask much, but, if you know God loves you, I would like for you to share this blog entry to spread God’s love!…Please. Now let’s take a look at other verses in God’s Word together and learn about God’s love. (Note: This is not an exhausted listed of every example of God’s love in the Bible.)
God bless and thank you for your time,
Monday, February 26, 2024
Volume 15 Issue 07 (69)
Book, Chapter, | John 14:21, 23-24, |
ESV Verse | “Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. Whoever does not love Me, does not keep My words. And the word that you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.” |
Annotation | ‘My commandments’, refers to loving God and others, as Jesus has loved people in the book of “Matthew”. |
Verses Cross- | Matthew 22:37-40 |
Book, Chapter, | Romans 5:5–11, |
ESV Verse | and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. |
Annotation | ‘hope’, Greek word, elpis, refers to the hope that Abraham had: his trust in the creative power of God to do what He promised. ‘put us to shame’, Greek word, kataischynō, comes from the ancient Greek translation of the OT (the Septuagint), where it means “to suffer shame [when judged]”. ‘has been poured into our hearts’, Greek verb, ekcheō, can be translated “to pour out”. Through the presence of the Holy Spirit, every believer experiences God’s love and therefore, can have hope despite sufferings. ‘died’, the greatest demonstration of love. ‘the ungodly’, This term encompasses those who do not have the law (Gentiles) and those who transgress the law (Jews). Paul states that God loves even those who do not deserve His love. ‘it was counted to him as righteousness’ Through this quotation from Genesis 15:6, Paul demonstrates that Abraham received righteousness through faith, not works. ‘Christ died for us’, the proof and revelation of God’s love for His people. Paul occasionally personalizes Christ’s death in other letters. Through Christ’s death, God pardoned the sinner and condemned the sin, thereby demonstrating His care and concern for sinful humanity. ‘by His blood’, Refers to Christ’s death, which put the ungodly in right relationship with God. Atonement through sacrifice required blood. |
Verses Cross- | Psalm 22:5; Isaiah 28:16; Romans 9:33; John 15:13; Romans 8:32; Ephesians 5:2; Galatians 2:20; Genesis 15:6; Romans 8:3 |
Book, Chapter, | Romans 8:35-39, |
ESV Verse | Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. |
Annotation | ‘angels nor rulers’, Greek terms angelos & archē commonly refer to unseen divine beings. |
Book, Chapter, | 1 John 2:5, |
ESV Verse | but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. |
Annotation | ‘love of God is perfected’, the act of God’s love becoming complete in a person—accomplishing its purposes of transforming them. This results in them loving others. |
Book, Chapter, | 1 John 3:1, |
ESV Verse | See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. |
Annotation | ‘love the Father has given to us’, God demonstrates His love by allowing the community (and all true believers) to be known as His children. ‘children of God’, refers to membership in God’s spiritual family. Paul uses similar terminology, including adoption into God’s family. |
Verses Cross- | Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:5 |
Book, Chapter, | 1 John 4:7-10, 16, 19, |
ESV Verse | Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. So, we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. We love because He first loved us. |
Annotation | ‘been born of God’, those whom God has fathered spiritually (believers in Christ) enjoy a relationship with Him; they have been adopted as God’s children. As Father, God provides His children with guidance through the Spirit. John’s use of this language reflects God’s act of making people one with Him and restoring the image that God intended for humanity in the beginning. ‘God is love’, although love is an essential attribute of God, John is not making an abstract statement about God’s character. John’s point is that God can be known only through His demonstration of His love, most profoundly seen in sending His Son in the flesh as a sacrifice for humanity. ‘the love of God’, God demonstrated His love for humanity and creation by sending His only Son to die as a means of atonement for sin. Since the incarnation represents God’s ultimate expression of love, those who deny that Jesus came in the flesh reject God’s love for them. ‘the propitiation’, Refers to the reconciliatory significance of Christ’s death and resurrection. ‘whoever abides in love abides in God’, A person who is truly a Christian and part of the Christian community correctly identifies Jesus as the incarnate Son of God. Christians demonstrate their belief in Jesus by loving others, admitting sin, and letting God transform their life. These actions also define a person as a true child of God and a member of the believing community. ‘first loved us’, God demonstrates this by offering salvation through Jesus. |
Book, Chapter, | 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, |
ESV Verse | For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that One has died for all; therefore, all have died; and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake, died and was raised. |
Book, Chapter, | 2 Corinthians 13:11, 14, |
ESV Verse | Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. |
Annotation | Paul concludes with a benediction that mentions the three members of the Trinity. The terms Paul uses—“grace,” “love,” and “fellowship”—emphasize his concern for reconciliation with God and unity among believers. |
Book, Chapter, | Ephesians 2:4-5, |
ESV Verse | But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— |
Annotation | ‘rich in mercy’, God’s abundant mercy, which characterizes Him throughout the Bible, is epitomized by His willingness not to punish “children of wrath” but instead to save believers through His grace. ‘dead’, being separated from God and under the rule of the evil one. Paul’s use of the metaphor of death is significant, as it allows for no middle ground; a person is either dead or alive. Just as a dead body does not respond to stimuli, the spiritually dead person cannot respond to spiritual stimuli unless enabled to do so. Only God provides this ability. ‘alive together with Christ’, Through union with Christ, believers receive new life that reverses the effects of death. Those who believe in Christ participate in His death and resurrection. Consequently, believers share in Christ’s resurrected life—life that is indestructible, in union with God, and led by the Spirit. |
Book, Chapter, | Ephesians 3:17-19, |
ESV Verse | so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. |
Annotation | ‘being rooted and grounded’, Paul uses these two metaphors as a reminder of the stability that Christ provides. Paul’s ultimate hope is that the indwelling presence of Christ will deepen the believers’ experience of God’s love. ‘in love’, refers to God’s love. |
Verses Cross- | Ephisians 2:4 |
Book, Chapter, | Jude 21-22, |
ESV Verse | keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; |
Annotation | ‘keep yourselves in the love of God’, Believers should make God’s love for them the center of their lives. It is not that God’s love is dependent on their actions, but that their actions are a result of experiencing God’s love enveloping their lives. |
Book, Chapter, | Deuteronomy 4:37-38, |
ESV Verse | And because He loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them and brought you out of Egypt with His own presence, by His great power, driving out before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day, |
Annotation | ‘chose their offspring after them’, YHWH’s love for the patriarchs prompted Him to choose Israel as His own inheritance and redeem them from Egypt. |
Book, Chapter, | Deuteronomy 7:7–11, |
ESV Verse | It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set His love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that He swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations, and repays to their face those who hate Him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates Him. He will repay him to his face. You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today. |
Annotation | ‘the Lord loves you’, YHWH’s decision was entirely voluntary and rooted in His own will; YHWH did not choose to love Israel because of their quality or merit. ‘steadfast love’, Hebrew term, chesed, denotes loving favor and is tied to the covenants YHWH has made with His people. |
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Book, Chapter, |
Hosea 11:1-9, |
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ESV Verse |
When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. Yet, it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as One who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them. They shall not return to the land of Egypt, but Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to Me. The sword shall rage against their cities, consume the bars of their gates, and devour them because of their own counsels. My people are bent on turning away from Me, and though they call out to the Most High, He shall not raise them up at all. How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within Me; My compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute My burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath. |
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Annotation |
This oracle of compassion and restoration highlights YHWH’s love for His people even as they continue to stray and rebel. Though their rebellion requires Him to judge them, His compassion will ultimately overcome His wrath. He will renew His relationship with Israel, restoring its people to their land and their homes. ‘Israel was a child’, the prophet metaphorically depicts the relationship between YHWH and Israel as a Father and child. ‘out of Egypt I called my son’, Refers to the events of the exodus. The “Gospel of Matthew” cites this phrase in connection with Jesus’ return from Egypt. Hosea is alluding to the exodus, but Matthew understands the verse as pointing forward to future messianic fulfillment. He takes the historical events symbolically as a typology where Jesus fulfills the mission to obey and keep the Law in a literal way that Israel could not. ‘Baals’, The Canannite’s storm god. ‘I who taught Ephraim to walk’, Ephraim, is the kingdom of Israel. YHWH was responsible for raising Israel from infancy as a nation, but they failed to acknowledge it. ‘cords of kindness’, the prophet uses imagery of a farmer caring for his livestock. ‘One who eases the yoke’, YHWH used cords, bands, and the yoke for gentle guidance—not oppression. ‘Assyria shall be their king’, Assyria was a city on the Tigris River. After Israel (the northern kingdom) falls in 722 BC, the region becomes a province of Assyria. The Assyrians take the Israelites into exile. ‘How can I give you up, O Ephraim’, YHWH’s compassion overwhelms His wrath. Even though His people have rejected Him, He cannot fully reject them. ‘Admah’, a proverbial image of a city destroyed by divine wrath. Admah is one of the cities of the plain associated with Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis. ‘Zeboiim’, The sister city of Admah; destroyed along with Sodom and Gomorrah. |
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Verses Cross- |
Exodus 1-15; Matthew 2:14–15; Jeremiah 31:20 and Isa 49:15 contain similar expressions of Yahweh’s love for Israel.; Gen 10:19; Genesis 14:2; Genesis 19:29 |
Works Cited
- Holy Bible, New King James Version | Thomas Nelson, 1982.
- NKJV Study Bible 3rd edition, New King James Version | Thomas Nelson, 2018.
- Logos Bible Study. ESV.
- The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Seal, D., & Whitcomb, K. A. (2016). Fasting. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.
- Faithlife Study Bible. Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Jn 4:10). Lexham Press.
