Entering Into God’s Presence Knowing God Through His Nature & Character

God is Loving 

(A Moral Attribute of God’s Character) 

To Study and Ponder

• It is impossible to contain in the scope of one meditation, the vastness and depth of God’s love! As the

  1917 hymn says:- Could we with ink the ocean fill, /And were the skies of parchment made; /Were every stalk on earth a quill, /And every man a scribe by trade; /To write the love of God above /Would drain the ocean dry; /Nor could the scroll contain the whole, /Though stretched from sky to sky. (The Love of God, Frederick M. Lehman)

• “God is love” (1Jo 4:8,16). God’s love is not just one attribute among many; it is an overarching summary of all of God’s moral attributes. Justice is an attribute of love. Mercy is an attribute of love. The same could be said of God’s holiness, wisdom, generosity and faithfulness. They are all attributes of his love. His love and his goodness is what sets him apart from all other gods. The God of the Bible is the only God that can be described as “infinite, personal and loving” or (similarly) as “infinite, personal and good, ” for his loving character is the greatest good.

• The Hebrew word for lovingkindness is “hesed”. In his book Inexpressible: Hesed & the Mystery of God’s Lovingkindness, Michael Card defines it this way: “When the person from whom I have a right to expect nothing gives me everything”

• The scriptures teach that his love for us is Perfect (IJn4:18), Faithful (Ps 89:24), Everlasting (Jer.31:3), Unfailing (Ps.33:18,22, Ps 13:5), Great (1Jn 3:1,Lam 3:22, Ps 17:7), Enduring (Ps 118:2-4), and that it has height, depth, width and length (Eph 3:16-19).

• Evidence of God’s love can be seen throughout the whole Bible.
  - The writer of Proverbs paints a picture of wisdom (often likened to Jesus) alongside God as He

  created the world, enjoying ... delighting in mankind! Proverbs 8:27-31
  - His love for Israel was shown over and over as He chose, led, watched over, and kept forgiving:-

  For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure. The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors ... Deu 7:6-8a (also Deu 10:14-15)

  - See what an incredible quality of love the Father has given (shown, bestowed on) us, that we should be permitted to be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! 1 Jo 3:1 (Amp Bible)

• That God’s love extends to all peoples, all nations is also evident throughout the Bible, Jesus commissioning the disciples to go to ALL nations:-

  - God sent Jonah to the foreign Assyrian capital, Nineveh, wanting to give the a chance to repent and escape destruction. So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Jonah 4:2

  • -  The Psalmists sing to the nations about God’s love:- I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds Psalm 108: 3-5 (Also Psalm 115:1, 117)

  • -  Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. Mat 28:19-20a

  • -  He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. 1John 2:2 (Also John 3:16)

  • -  God’s love is seen in cultures all over the world that have redemptive pictures built into their history. (Don Richardson’s books - “Peace Child”, “Lords of the Earth”, Eternity in Their Hearts”)

• The love of God is what Paul says we are to be rooted and grounded in (Ephesians 3:17b ESV) Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong (NLT), and he prays that God’s people will understand, ... how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (Ephesians 3:18-19) Understanding and experiencing God’s loving character is what holds us steady in the ups and downs of life.

• Wiley says in “Beholding the Beauty of God”, God is Good– He is totally aware of and considerate of the needs of all his creatures and all that He does is with absolute excellence. ( p.108) God is Love – He cares for us intimately and always does what He know is for own good and the good of all concerned. (p.99)

• Jesus expressed love throughout his life on earth and continues to do so by his death:
- Words Jesus used for ‘love’:- philanthropia(noun) - love towards man; agapao(verb) - to be fond of, to

love dearly; agape(noun)-brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence
- Jesus constantly showed loving kindness to the sick that he healed, downtrodden that he lifted, hungry that

he fed, spiritually empty that he filled and sinners that he forgave and befriended. None deserved his love,

but he was loving and kind because it is his nature.
- He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. Joh 13:1b - His prayer in John 17 expresses His love for the Father, for His disciples, and for us ““I am praying not only

for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.” John 17:20

• -  But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the

  righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. Titus 3:4-5a

• -  Paul says that for all of eternity we will be examples of the incredible wealth of [God’s} grace and

  kindness toward us. (Eph.2:7b) ..... Wow!
  - Paul also tells us that nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God

  that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:39

• When there is revelation and understanding of God’s love our hearts are stirred to respond. Obedience and loving others as God loves us demonstrate that we love him:-

  • -  All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home

    with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. Joh 14:23,24a (Also Joh 15:9-10)

  • -  So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should

    love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. John 13:34

  • -  Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with

    love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a

    pleasing aroma to God. Eph 5:1-2

  • -  Mostimportantofall,continuetoshowdeeploveforeachother,forlovecoversamultitudeofsins.1Pe4:8

  • -  God loved the ‘aliens’ (foreigners, temporary inhabitants), He told Israel to love them and we please

    Him when we love the nations: He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. Deu 10:18-19

  • -  We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. ... Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 1Jo.3:16,18

• Take time to meditate and let God bring fresh revelation of the depth of his love to your heart as you prepare to teach. Father’s love verses. (Appendix #1)

  Meditation/Memory:
  Lower Grades: For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens

  above the earth. Psalm 103:11 (NLT)
  Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.1Pe 4:8 (NLT)

  Middle Grades: 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. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 1 John 4:9 (NLT)

  So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. John 13:34 (NLT)

  Upper Grades: And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)

  Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Ephesians 5:1-2 (NLT)