What is “the love of God”?

When you ask people to define who God is, often the first thing they will say is “God is love.”  D.A. Carson says that “occasionally you will hear somebody saying something like this: ‘It’s Christians I don’t like.  I mean, God is love, and if everybody were just like Jesus, it would be wonderful.  Jesus said, ‘Judge not that you be not judged.’  You know, if we could all just be nonjudgmental and loving the way Jesus was loving, then the world would be a better place.’ 

There is an assumption there about the nature of love, isn’t there?  People wrongly assume that love is nonjudgmental.  It does not condemn anyone.  It lets everybody do whatever they want.  Now, it is true that Jesus does condemn the kind of judgment that is self-righteous or hypocritical.  But God’s love is no some sort of spongy sentimentalism that just winks at sin.

It is true that God is love, but it is also true that God is holy, just, righteous, and glorious. 

We will never understand God’s love and mercy without first understanding the seriousness of our sin and the justice of God’s wrath against us.  Jesus had a purpose in going to the cross; namely, to save people from condemnation that is already hanging over them (John 3:18, 36). 

One author writes: “if God were not just then there would be no demand for his Son to suffer and die; if he were not loving there would be no willingness for his Son to suffer and die.”  In his love, God meets the demands of his justice in the sacrificial work of His Son on the cross (John 3:16-18).  1 John 4:10 says “this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation (wrath-absorbing sacrifice) for our sins.”

If you are interested in talking more about “the love of God,” you are warmly invited to come and join us for our next Bible study, which takes place tomorrow night (Thursday, June 23) from 6:30 to 8 PM.  We meet at 9257 Amsden Way in Eden Prairie.  Our study will focus on John 3:16-21. 

What do you need?

As you think about that question, perhaps a number of things come to your mind—from the urgent to the mundane and everything in between.  You may think of your need for things like food, shelter, clothing, sleep, and relationships.  You may need your brakes fixed on your car or your air conditioner to be repaired.  You may need to visit the doctor because your child has an ear infection and is unable to sleep through the night.  The list goes on and on.

Physical needs such as food and shelter are of course very important.  While not neglecting those things, the Bible takes us further and talks about our greatest needs.  In my previous post, I mentioned that the Bible teaches that the God who is there has come to earth as the God-man, who is Jesus Christ.  How, precisely, does his coming help us?  D.A. Carson says that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection addresses our three greatest needs:

1. We are sinners and we need to be reconciled to a holy and just God.
2. We need to be morally transformed.
3. We need all the effects of sin to be reversed and overcome.  This includes not only our relationships with one another but also death itself.

Jesus directly confronts all of these things.  Carson says “biblical Christianity is much more than simply making a decision for Jesus so that we can live happy lives.  We must be genuinely reconciled to the holy God who is there.  We ourselves must be transformed—in measure right now, and for the rest of our lives, and ultimately with the kind of thorough transformation that leaves no hint of self-centeredness.”  We need our greatest enemy to be destroyed, which is death itself.  And when this happens, we will be “swamped in sheer delight at the glory and centrality of God.”

How does Jesus address our three greatest needs?  At least in part, he does so by granting us new birth (John 3:1-21; 1 Peter 1:23-25).

If you are interested in talking more about “the new birth,” you are warmly invited to come and join us for our next Bible study, which takes place tomorrow night (Wednesday, June 8) from 6:30 to 8 PM.  We meet at 9257 Amsden Way in Eden Prairie.  Our study will focus on John 3:1-15.