The Love Giver ∙∙
God is love. – 1 John 4:8
1 John 4:18-19
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
19 We love, because He first loved us.
Many individuals grapple with the question, “Does God exist?” This inquiry often leads to a follow-up question: “If God does exist, is He a loving God?”
These are some of the most significant and profound questions people can ever ask. They naturally lead to another query: “Where does love come from?”
We know that matter and energy exist. Over the centuries, we have discovered various laws that govern their behavior. If we were to assume the absence of a divine creator, then we are left with the premise that everything in existence sprang from nothing, without any guiding force or intelligence behind it.
The formula is simple and straightforward: Nothing + No one = Everything.
I find this logically untenable.
I utterly reject the notion that there is no God. The Scriptures address this very question, providing insight and guidance on the matter.
Psalms 53:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
As to the second question, is God loving? The Scriptures speak plainly.
1 John 4:8 God is love.
In my heart of hearts, I know what I am truly like. God is good, righteous, and holy. He is perfect in all of His purity. I fall short of His magnificent, omnipotent splendor and majesty. Can I ever be lovable enough to deserve the Father’s love? How could He ever really love me? If He does love me, why does He love me?
The Scriptures provide an unequivocal answer: God is love. The Father doesn’t just love; He embodies love itself. Love defines the very core of the Father’s being. Love is not merely an attribute of the Father; it is the essence of His being, saturating every aspect of who He is. Love, agape love, emanates from Him. The Father lavishes His love on undeserving people just like us. His love is unconditional and sacrificial.
Romans 5:8 God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
1 John 4:9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.
Even with our fallen human limitations, most of us have experienced the joy of loving and being loved. So, where does this ability to love originate?
1 John 4:7 Love comes from God.
Is the source and ultimate cause of all human feelings and actions of love. “Human love is a reflection of something in the divine nature itself” (A. E. Brooke).
The Father is the primary and supreme Source of Love, from whom all forms of love flow.
REFLECT & PRAY
All fear fades away when we understand that the Father loves us unconditionally.
Father thank You for loving me without reservation. It is so incredible that I can hardly take it in.
INSIGHT
1 John 4:18-19
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
19 We love, because He first loved us.
Agape love is unconditional love. This profound sense of assurance does not depend on anything we do or don’t do. Something amazing happens when we reflect upon this and allow it to penetrate the deepest recesses of our souls. All fear is removed because there is no fear in love.
The Father is not “out to get us.” He is not seeking to punish us. Because we are His children, He is always at work to bring us to maturity. Because He loves us, He disciplines us.
Hebrews 12:7 As you endure divine discipline, remember that God treats you as his own children. Whoever heard of a child whom its father never disciplines?
The Greek word translated discipline is paideia. Paideia comes from the Greek verb paideuo, which means to rear or guide a child toward maturity, train, instruct, or correct. Pediatrics comes from this word.
Discipline and punishment are not synonyms. It’s crucial to distinguish discipline from punishment. Discipline is forward-looking, focusing on personal growth and development. In contrast, punishment is backward-looking. It is all about receiving a just penalty for previous wrong actions.
Because of the Father’s unconditional love for us, fear and dread should not be part of our vocabulary. Love and fear cannot coexist; they are mutually exclusive. Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).
If we continue to experience fear and dread, we do not fully comprehend and realize the Father’s magnificent and more than abounding love for us. We have not fully experienced His perfect love (1 John 4:18).
Because of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done, the Father fully accepts us unconditionally. We are the Father’s beloved children. He cherishes us, and we are precious to Him. We should have absolutely no doubt regarding His commitment toward us. We are now part of His “Forever Family.”
Consider the incredible love that the Father has shown us in allowing us to be called “children of God” – and that is not just what we are called, but what we are. – 1 John 3:1 [Phillips translation]
The Father’s love is personal. He knows each of us individually and loves us personally. His love has no beginning and no end. Making it possible for children of the King to experience the Father’s love distinguishes Christianity from all other religions.
Why does Father love us? It is because of who He is: “God is love.”
But there is more.
1 John 4:19 We love because He first loved us.
The Father not only loves us but allows us to experience his love. Because we have received the Father’s agape love, we are capable of loving Him back.
His agape love empowers us to love other fallen people, even the unlovely.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 2-14-2
© Dr. H 2024
Dr H Reflections 