I have preached on God is light, but now we will see that God is love. (I John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.) (I John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.) God has many attributes and he is many things. It is because God is light that God is also love. God showed this ultimate love when he sent his only begotten Son Jesus Christ to earth to be born as the God-man so that he could bear the sins of the world for all time and shed his precious blood for us as he was crucified on that cross at Calvary so that we might have everlasting life if we choose Jesus as our Saviour. God the Father sent his only begotten Son to die for us so that we could have the opportunity to spend eternity with him. (John 3:16-17 16 ¶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.) It takes a tremendous amount of love for a father to be willing to let his only begotten son die for someone else through no fault of their own. Most earthly fathers would not do this and especially for an enemy of theirs yet God the Father who is love did just this when he sent his only begotten Son Jesus to take the place on the cross for every person that has ever lived or ever will live and bore their sins and died for them. Jesus suffered greatly not only on the cross, but with his scourging before going to that cross. He then suffered by bearing the world’s sins. None of us can imagine the pain that was. The worst pain of all was not that he was rejected by the very men he created and was dying for, but when he was rejected by God the Father who could not look upon sin, even if it was his own Son. Jesus who knew no sin became sin for us. That is love. (II Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.) I said most earthly fathers would not be willing to sacrifice their son for a friend, let alone an enemy, yet Jesus died for his enemies. (Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.) Jesus said no greater love hath a man than to die for a friend yet Jesus died for his enemies, even those who were crucifying him. (John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.) Scripture says we love God because he first loved us. (I John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.) Love comes from God. It is true that God is love, but one lady changed the King James Bible to her own version God’s Name is Love King James Bible. She replaced LORD with Love. God is love, but he is more than that. He is also LORD and commands us not to alter his word. If she truly loves the Lord as I believe she thinks she does then she will leave God’s word alone. Remember we saw God is also light and God is a Spirit and he is many things so we cannot change his word and limit who God is.
The apostle John was called the disciple that Jesus loved and so I do not believe that it is a coincidence that John speaks often of love in his writings. (John 13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.) As the disciple whom Jesus loved, God showed this great love by allowing John to be the only apostle who was not martyred. John uses the word love a total of 62 times out of the 310 times it is found in scripture in his five writings. John uses love 22 times in John, 33 times in I John, four times in II John, one time in III John, and two times in Revelation. We see significant meanings with the number of times that the word love is found in John’s writings. The number 22 in John means light as we saw in our study God is Light. This shows the connection between light and love as God is both light and love. It is also in the gospel of John that we see Jesus is the light of the world again showing you the connection. It is not a coincidence that the facts that God is light and God is love are both found in I John. The 33 times love is found in I John shows the promise of God to save us for those who call upon Jesus as their Saviour. The number 33 is 3 times 11 with three representing the Godhead. Those 33 times love is found in I John is more than in any other book of the Holy Bible. We next see love found four times in II John with four meaning the gospel. It is because God is love that we have the gospel which is the death, burial, and resurrection of his only begotten Son Jesus. Love is found one time in III John showing the unity of not only the Godhead of one God in three persons as we saw in God is Light, but also shows the unity that God’s love brings when he unites believers back into fellowship with him. When a person is saved their spiritual body is united or reconnected once again with God. In John’s final book of Revelation then we see love is used twice. It is only used in speaking about the church. Either Jesus loves the church or they do not love him. This two in Revelation shows the union we have as believers with Jesus and also the division that we now have with the world. Just as we as Christians will show forth some of the light of God since he dwells within us, then we will also show at least some of God’s love towards others even if it is only a small amount, because God who is love lives in us. God even tells us that one of the ways to know if a person is truly saved and one of his children is because they love one another. (I John 4:20-21 20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.) We show we love God by obeying God’s commandments and that includes loving your brother in Christ. (I John 5:1-3 1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.)
We are told twice in scripture that God is love as we saw earlier. The first time is in I John 4:8. We saw the number four means gospel and it is because God is love that we can be saved even when we do not deserve it. The number eight means new beginning which everyone who is born again gets when they receive the light of God. The second verse showing God is love is found in I John 4:16. I just showed four is the gospel and the number 16 means love so it is not a coincidence that the very verse that says God is love is found in verse 16. The number 16 is 2 times 8. We saw eight means new beginning and two new beginnings brings born again salvation and the love for others who are born again. (I John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.) I John 4:7 also shows love comes from God. This makes sense since God is love then only he can give love. Satan is hate and will never bring love. I Corinthians 13 speaks of charity nine times. Charity is a special Christian love that only a Christian can have and it is found nine times in this chapter with nine meaning the fruit of the Spirit. It is only because of the Spirit who as God is love and lives within us that we can show this special love to another Christian. This number 16 showing God’s love is seen in no better verse than in John 3:16 which we read earlier. I preached on the 3:16 verses throughout scripture and you will see that love throughout. Besides John 3:16, John also shows in I John 3:16 how we need to follow the example of Jesus and be willing to die for our brothers and sisters in Christ. (I John 3:16-17 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?)
We are commanded to love God with all of our heart. (Deuteronomy 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.) This should not be hard for a Christian if they truly understand the love God has for us in sending his only begotten Son to die in our place on the cross. We can never love God back enough for what Jesus did for us. God not only commands us to love him and fellow Christians as we saw earlier, but also we are commanded to love our neighbor. God did not say to love only good neighbors, but all neighbors. (Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.) It is by this love that we can maybe win the lost to the Lord. We are commanded to love one another because God loves us. (John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.) Jesus said if we love him then God the Father will love us. (John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.) Jesus said over and over to love one another. (I John 4:10-12 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.) Verse 10 shows God loved us, not that we loved God, yet he still sent his Son to pay the penalty for our sins. There is no greater love than that. We should thank God every day for that love.
God has shown throughout history that he is love in the fact that he not only keeps his promises, but also in how he has preserved Israel despite all of her many sins and rebellion against him. Satan has tried throughout history to destroy Israel, but God’s love toward Israel even despite her rejection of her has supernaturally protected her. God has shown his great love in other ways as well by always protecting his children even wayward children such as Lot from his wrath. God protected Noah and his family on the ark from the global flood, protected Lot and his family from the destruction he brought upon Sodom by getting them out of the city before he destroyed it, and he will keep his children from his wrath in the great tribulation when he raptures them home. Because God is love, not only did he send Jesus to die for us, but he will never force anyone to accept his Son as their Saviour. God gives every person the free will to reject him if they so choose. God also allowed angels to reject him of which one third did. Because he loves us he does not want puppets that he can control, but rather someone who will love him back. God showed he is love from the very beginning when Adam and Eve sinned then he sacrificed an animal to make clothes for them to cover their shame and he promised that a seed of the woman would come and redeem mankind one day to reunite them with God. That seed of course was Jesus who will redeem anyone who calls upon him. God shows his love everyday by delaying his second coming not wishing that any should perish. (II Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.) Because God is love then he disciplines his children just as any good dad does. (Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.) Both God the Father and Jesus Christ send their love by giving grace, mercy, and peace. (II John 3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.) God the Father showed love to his only begotten Son in many ways including resurrecting him from the grave so that he might be the firstfruits for those of us who are saved. (John 3:35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.)
God is love as we have seen, but people often forget he is also a God of wrath. God does not like being a God of wrath, but rather a God of love, but because he is a God of love sometimes he must bring wrath. This is also due to his righteousness and so for those who reject his Son Jesus then he will send them to hell. Those who go to hell have chosen hell by rejecting Jesus as their Saviour. As a loving God, he will not make people go to heaven and spend eternity with him so he allows them to go to hell even though it was originally created for the devil and his angels. Heaven would be hell for someone who hated God and rejected his love yet was forced to spend eternity with him. God is love and he wishes that all would call upon his Son and be saved. For those who are not saved, please call upon Jesus today and receive the free love of God. Many people today have no one who loves them, yet God is love and will love you with no conditions attached as long as you call upon his Son to save you and even if you do not he will still love you by allowing you to not spend eternity with him. It is much better to take the free love that is offered, so call upon Jesus now. You will never be offered any greater love than the love of God in his Son Jesus. Remember God offers this love to everyone regardless of their wealth, social status, gender, where they live, free or bond, color of one’s skin, how bad a person they think they are, or any other category we make so there is no excuse not to receive this free gift today. You will never regret receiving the love of God.
