God is Love
How do you measure love? Most think of love as “feelings” or by actions. So, we fall in and out of love based on how we feel and how we act.
In English we have one word “love” to express a wide variety of meaning for this concept. We love mom and apple pie, or we love Thanksgiving, or we love our friend, and we love our spouse. Obviously, these are not the same.
The Greek language used several words to express a variety of concepts about love. But the New Testament uses three of these words, with nouns and verbs. The primary word that expresses God’s love is “agape” (noun). This is described as a deeper kind of love that expesses a concern for the well-being of the other person.
1 John 4:10 says, “Herein is Love, not that we love God, but that HE first loved us; HE sent His Son to be a propitiation for our sins.” God’s love is boundless, it never fails, it is deep, long and wide. It is BEYOND MEASURE!
John wanted us to understand God’s love in it’s greatness, which he described in Revelation 21:15-16. He saw the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God and the supreme thing about the glory of God is the LOVE of God. The size of city is beyond description. Its beauty is indescribable. For those who do not accept God’s love they will be outside the City and cast into eternal damnation.
The greatness of God’s love is so vast and deep that it will take all eternity to comprehend! We have been told that “God is love.” So, take 1 Corinthians 13, the “Love Chapter” and look at it. The
So, take 1 Corinthians 13, the “Love Chapter” and look at it. The King James uses the word “charity” but it is the word “love.” Now an interesting look at this chapter is to substitute the word “love” with the word “God.” Verses 4-8a reads, “God is patient, God is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered, it does not keep record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil doings, but rejoices in the truth. God always protects, always trusts, always hopes and perseveres. God never fails.
Paul’s conclusion: these ...
