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God's love
Saw a clip of a video last night where it was said that there is nothing we can do that will make God love us less. I've also heard that said. Where, exactly, in the bible does it say that? I know there are references throughout regarding God's love for all ....... but where is that one?
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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on
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You seek to understand His love in light of all of His attributes, for they describe to mankind what God is like as best as can be explained to the created regarding the Creator. It is necessary to understand that all of His attributes are always active and in complete harmony with one another.
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Permalink Reply by Amanda on
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So God is angry everyday and loving everyday and merciful everyday, and so forth ... I know parents feel anger with their children and discipline them out of what is sometimes called tough love, but it appears more like angry love to me.
God is a righteous judge,
and a God who feels indignation every day.
12 If a man[d] does not repent, God[e] will whet his sword;
he has bent and readied his bow;
13 he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,
making his arrows fiery shafts.
Psalm 7, ESV
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Anger is not an attribute. Remember that attributes are first a state of being that dictates action and not just a verb.
Thus, yes, God is love and thus demonstrates love continuous and in harmony with His holiness, justice, righteousness, etc ... God is (first) and from what He is action flows, but in unity and harmony to His whole nature.
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I guess I was thinking of God being a God of wrath as well as being merciful and longsuffering, etc ...
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His wrath is an action that flows from His character as a whole based on who He is. Justice and righteousness says that sin cannot go unpunished even if He is also love. That is why Jesus had to die on the cross to satisfy the penalty.
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I was thinking of wrath being part of who God is. You see, I don't really know God as I need to know God. :'(
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Get Tozer's book "Knowledge of the Holy." A must read book IMO. If you have E-Sword you can download it for free. I am currently reading it again.
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My mind is in a zillion places right now and I know I can't read Tozer while in this state. I'm barely grasping elementary stuff right now. I did think wrath was a part of God's character because so many passages of Scripture show God's anger.
I found this article at a link on AAG: http://www.AllAboutGOD.com/angry-god.htm
Angry God – Know God’s Character
Is God an angry God? Many people simply do not know the true character of God, leaving them with deep questions and anxious concerns. Is God angry with me, with humanity? Is He looking to destroy those who cross Him? Does He enjoy punishing people? Questions and concerns like these are legitimate for many Christians and those searching for truth. It is hard to move forward in faith without the right answers.
Learning God’s character and developing an understanding of who He is takes purposeful effort. It takes diligence to find the answers to the questions that are most prevalent about Him. What is His personality? What are His expectations? How does He respond to our mistakes? Does He truly love us?
One of the most known Scriptures is John 3:16. It says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This Scripture provides a deep look into the character of God. His character is not one of hate or anger but of loving sacrifice. He wants to bless not curse. He demonstrates this through the giving of His son to die as a sacrifice for the sins of man; that they would not have to pay the price themselves. This is love. God Himself is the definition of love. “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8).
To know God’s character, people have to desire Him, to seek Him through prayer, worship Him, and study the Bible. They must follow godly teaching and mentorship and quietly listen for His voice as His spirit speaks to theirs. To quote an interlude called “Know Your God” from the Cross Movement album “House of Representatives” one must “…be discontent until you know your God, what He’s like, what He likes, what He doesn’t like, what He said, what He hasn’t said. What kind of things would He say? What kind of things would He definitely not say? Learn Him.”
Angry God – God’s High Standards
Knowing God’s character is also knowing that God is holy. Knowing and understanding what it means to be holy brings an understanding that God has high standards.
Matthew 5:17-19 says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus is telling us that He has solved our greatest problem; fulfilling the requirements of God’s law. What is impossible for humans to do, Jesus has done. However, He also tells us that in following Him we must practice a healthy spiritual lifestyle. Not doing so dishonors God. On the other hand, living in unison with God’s design honors Him and places Him upon the throne of our heart.
At the end of Matthew 5 the Bible says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Again, it is an impossibility. However, God is willing to teach us throughout our lives so that we come closer to Him. It is about striving to be more like Him, and when we do, He leads us forward.
Angry God – A Fathers Discipline
Hebrews 12:4-13 informs us that God is our Father and we are His children. It teaches that just as we discipline our children so our Father disciplines us. Verses 5-7 specifically say, “’My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.”
Children of God need not be scared of the Lord. He is not out to get or destroy them, nor is He waiting for an opportunity to condemn them. God is a good Father who desires the best for His children (Psalm 100). He knows that there are things in this world that can and will hurt His people if they engage in them. These things are attractive to our flesh and become temptations that the enemy (Satan) uses to lure people away from God (1 Corinthians 10:13a). In view of this, “…God disciplines us for our good” and warns us to learn from His discipline “that we may share in his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10).
Understanding the purpose of God’s discipline reveals His character of love and brings strength and peace to the life of a believer. Verse 11 says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Without this understanding, one can think that God is angry when hardships occur. However, His word dispels this idea as we learn that “the Lord disciplines those he loves” (Hebrews 12:6).
Angry God – God’s Grace
God’s discipline is a reality. So is His love. God’s discipline, in the light of His love, is grace. Through His discipline, we learn to avoid spiritual, emotional, relational, and even physical harm. Titus 2:11-13 says, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ”
Jesus has covered and paid the price for our sins through His death and resurrection. He has saved us. Therefore, our disciplines do not fit the crimes that we commit. Realizing this drives a person to their knees in humility. Through His grace, we fall more in love with Him and fall out of love with the world and all its enticements. We end up living a life that conforms more directly to God’s call and design.
God’s grace is His favor on our lives. He is for us and thus, nothing can be against us (Romans 8:31). He is walking with us every day at every moment. He is love. His anger is just and is expressed as discipline in our lives. He will judge all persons for their actions, however, that is for a time after this. Therefore, until then we walk in His love and grace, and learn from His discipline so that our lives bring praise and honor to His name and so that when that day of judgment comes, we hear from His voice of love, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25). -
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Permalink Reply by Mysty on
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The Bible is written by man. There are many translations of the Bible. So this can be confusing. I know and feel God's love in my heart. I don't know everything but I can't deny God's presence in my life. No two people have the same relationship with God. This is impossible. I am full of God from my head to my toe. He loves me and wants me to show kindness to all. That is what God's love is all about. I don't need to read this from the bible to reinforce or prove to others that my relationship with God is real. . I have spirits come to me, they give me messages to pass on to others. God wants all of us to love one another, nurture peace and harmony. Chaos and turmoil prevents us from hearing God. It prevents us from loving one another. The bible is important and I interpret it according to my private relationship with God. I hope this helps you.
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Permalink Reply by RoyW on
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No, no, no, no! Man is only a tool in writing the Bible. Misty, where in the world are you getting these kinds of thoughts? The spirits that are coming to you are telling you things not in accordance with God's Word. You do need the Bible to prove to me that your relationship with God is real - now more than ever.
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Roy,
What I like about what Ravi Zacharias says in the first of these videos is that he brings out the importance of not taking even one single word out of context, and, also, that we have to respect why someone is rejecting a certain worldview, when they are honestly rejecting it. If the deduction they've made can be proven incorrect, then they have to change their view. When a person has adopted a view, the person has rejected something else, and needs to know what both things are. They need to know what they are denying and what they affirming in place of it.
So, I ask Mysty, What is it you're denying? What are you affirming in its place?
You seem to be affirming that a supernatural form of communication exists which you have complete trust in by stating that you "have spirits come to me, they give me messages to pass on to others" but, yet, you are a person, so why do you trust in the messages you are receiving from spirits, as you relay those messages to others, and trust in their origin, but don't trust in the authenticity of the bible which had human authors who were moved by the Holy Spirit, as they wrote, and its origin is God?
2 Peter 1:19-21
English Standard Version (ESV)
19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
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