Information Related to "God's Nature and Character"
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In any discussion about who and what God is, we must not lose sight of the most important truth about God -- that God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son are Beings of infinite love. John perfectly summarized Their divine character and nature when he wrote that "God is love" (1 John 4:8,16).
The love of God is selfless, outflowing concern for the good of others. When He showed His glory to Moses, God revealed Himself as "the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin" (Exodus 34:6-7, NIV).
Love is the foundation of the character and law of God. It is the basis of everything that God has revealed to mankind in the Holy Scriptures (Matthew 22:35-40). Paul called love the greatest Christian attribute (1 Corinthians 13:13). It is the first aspect of the fruit of God's Spirit that he mentions (Galatians 5:22). Love is the bond of perfection, binding everything together in perfect unity (Colossians 3:14, NIV). It is the fulfilling of God's divine law (Romans 13:10).
This amazing quality of godly love even encompasses love for one's enemies (Matthew 5:44-45; Luke 6:35).
Love is the basis of the commitment between the Father and Christ. Jesus said, "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand" (John 3:35). And He further said, "I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do" (John 14:31).
He told His disciples, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love" (John 15:10). Christ is forever obedient to the Father, and we are to likewise be obedient to the Father and Christ as an expression of our love for Them. (By the way, this contradicts the Trinitarian idea that there can be no relationship of command and obedience within the Godhead, as that implies distinct beings with distinct wills.)
Upon repentance, we can begin to exhibit godly love, which is poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). God wants us to learn to think as He thinks and do as He does.
In exercising this kind of love, we express the image of God (reflecting His character), even though we are still human. Paul encourages us to "let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5), who perfectly personified God's love to the point of giving His own life for us.
One of the Bible's best-known passages tells us that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). God not only wants to grant us the priceless gift of eternal life, but He also wants to share all things with us in His divine family (Hebrews 2:6-8; Romans 8:16-17). Time and time again the Scriptures reveal that God perfectly personifies love.
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Keywords: God, nature of God, character of divine character godly love God's nature God's character
God's love: