Skip to main content

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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more