What Does "God Is Love" Mean?
- Thread starter BarneyFife
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Love is not a quality God possesses, or something that He does. Love is not one side of God, and there is another side. Love is not separate from anything else God is or does.
We cannot say that "God is love, But, God is also Just", for instance. There is no, but, or also. God is Just because God is Love, not somehow in spite of that.
There is no shadow of turning with thee! God is light, and in Him is NO DARKNESS at all! God is love, I YHWH change not!
God is love, and shares Himself with us, because love gives, and the best that God can give is Himself, and created us to share Himself with.
Not just that we will be recipients of God's love, but to become beings who likewise love, and in our fullness, to love as completely as He loves.
Not that we make the decision to love, though if that is where we're at, that's what we should do.
But to remake our character to the point that all we do is to love, with that same depth and consistency that God loves.
Just some thoughts . . .
Much love!
We cannot say that "God is love, But, God is also Just", for instance. There is no, but, or also. God is Just because God is Love, not somehow in spite of that.
There is no shadow of turning with thee! God is light, and in Him is NO DARKNESS at all! God is love, I YHWH change not!
God is love, and shares Himself with us, because love gives, and the best that God can give is Himself, and created us to share Himself with.
Not just that we will be recipients of God's love, but to become beings who likewise love, and in our fullness, to love as completely as He loves.
Not that we make the decision to love, though if that is where we're at, that's what we should do.
But to remake our character to the point that all we do is to love, with that same depth and consistency that God loves.
Just some thoughts . . .
Much love!
Last edited:
This is much like the conversation I'm having over in the "Fudge" thread right now.
It means exactly what is says, and the Greek word is AGAPE -- divine love. "ἀγάπη, (ης, ἡ,) a purely Biblical and ecclesiastical word".
Someone once said love is like glue. It is also said that love is the tie that binds.
First quoting the verses where it says exactly that:
"He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." I John 4:8
"And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him." I John 4:16
Mostly in English I used the KJV, but for the following verses I used the MKJV because it uses the word, "love" rather than "charity" so as not to confuse anyone unnecessarily [Greek word, "agape" is used in the I John verses as well as in these]. Paul penned this description or definition of love:
"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." I Cor 13:4-7
Now I repeated the same 4 verses replacing the word, "love" with "God" and appropriate pronouns to match [words changed are underlined]:
"God suffers long and is kind; God does not envy; God does not parade himself, is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely, does not seek his own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
Is this what God is? Is this what Love is? Have I changed the meaning by changing those few words?
As @marks already said, this Love is not just a quality possessed by God. It is what He is.
How close to being just like Him is it possible for any of us to get?
I don't think so!
Hey, how about a pre-post checklist!
Is my posting patient? Am I being kind? Trying to get one over on someone? Show what a great Christian I am? Am I happy over tripping someone up in their words? Am I hoping for the best? Believing good of you? Enduring everything?
There are delete keys for a reason!
:)
Much love!
"pre-post" :cool:
I'd say as close as we truly desire.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6)
Love is willing to suffer for the sake of the other, that is sure. Was the Father suffering when Jesus was on the cross? I think so. Jesus was feeling abandoned. But knew however that love wins in the end. The suffering is temporary -- the gains are eternal.Someone else said:
God just....is! He is Just, He is Love, He is all in all, and so much more. And IN these characteristic attributes of God, He is HOLY in all of them. God is not "fair" as we see it in human terms but he is still just! I bet the guys working from sun up to sundown did not think it fair that they got paid the same as the ones who came at the last hour. If God were fair, there would be no grace or mercy but, we would be punished for our sins...every one of them!
And, is it fair that God even allows us anything good? Much less saving us sorry, hopeless slobs??
So...God sure IS love IMHO.
:)
And, is it fair that God even allows us anything good? Much less saving us sorry, hopeless slobs??
So...God sure IS love IMHO.
:)
How to even thank Him for what He has done? Well, I can think of a good way.....to obey Him!
I would think that The Father was heartbroken for His Son...but, that is what LOVE does! Amen.
:)
The beautiful thing is . . . when we choose love, we are choosing according to our new nature, and that choosing is our faith, we believe we can love, so we choose love, and find that our choice, our faith, causes us to live according to our new man.
And we love!
Much love!
Prayer Warrior
Well-Known Member
I'm drawing heavily from some really good Bible teachers. Here's one . . .
Much love!
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