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God Is Love 22


             Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (I John 4:8) 


God’s perfection means that God completely possesses all excellent qualities and lacks no part of any quality that would be desirable for him…. God’s blessedness means that God delights fully in himself and in all that reflects his character…. God’s beauty is that attribute of God whereby he is the sum of all desirable qualities… God’s glory is the created brightness that surrounds God’s revelation of himself. (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, pp. 218-220)
 
          These last four characteristics are what Mr. Grudem calls God’s “Summary” Attributes. I don’t think it’s hard to see how the characteristics discussed over the last three weeks would add up to a being that is perfect, blessed, beautiful and glorious were we no so convinced in our minds that we have those characteristics or at least know better what they should be. Equally, love done right, real love completely possesses and is the sum of all excellent qualities and lack not part of any quality that would be desirable for it, it delights in love and all that reflects love. Love has a shining brightness that surrounds its revelation of itself that we may not see with the eyes, but which we see with our souls and regularly celebrate. 
        This concludes our camping on the question of God being love, but it’s insufficient in its consideration of some of them, as any thinking about God, or love, must be. I need to go back and consider some of them further. I need to reconsider them when I find myself frustrated with either. I need to keep these things in mind when I am interacting with others. For our lives to be characterized by love, I suspect we will have to live much deeper, much stronger lives than we have.

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