Three Verses, two attributes, one God (2): The love of God

Scripture reading

John 3:16–18 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Recap & Introduction

Last week we looked at the wrath of God, and we concluded that God is angry at you, for you. The Bible says that God is jealous for you, because you are not only His children, but also the bride of Christ. The serpent deceives us into thinking that God doesn’t love us, just as he deceived Eve into thinking that God didn’t want the best for her. And so sin is really about letting the word of the serpent govern our lives. This makes God furious because both God and Satan know that sin leads to death. Both God and Satan know that if you continue living without God, and without letting God’s Word govern your life, all the curses in the Bible will happen to you. With each day you live apart from God, you’re keeping your finger pressed on that self-destruct button. And in His love for you, God is furious at you. He’s mad because you’re choosing to live for ninety years instead of an eternity.

That’s what we covered last week.

This week, we’re going to build on that foundation. We’re going to examine the love of God, and then we’re going to see how God’s love and anger opened a way for our salvation.

What God’s love is not

God’s love is not selfish

Girls, what kind of qualities do you look for in a guy?

Rich, handsome, fashionable, funny, empathetic, kindhearted, healthy, etc.

Do these things seem shallow to you? What’s more important? Their personality?

Imagine you’ve suddenly been diagnosed with a severe health condition, and you’re given only a short amount of time to live. If you put that on your dating app profile, I don’t think you’re going to get many people to swipe right. No one’s going to say, “Oh, I don’t care about shallow things like health.”

What kind of man wouldn’t care about his wife’s financial status? A man who’s wealthy enough to support the entire family on his own. What kind of woman wouldn’t mind marrying someone with a terminal disease? A woman who has the cure.

God’s love is not selfish because He doesn’t depend on us for anything, nor do we have anything to offer Him. He created the whole universe. We human beings are selfish because our wants and needs aren’t met. We want a comfortable life. We want a beautiful partner. We want to be recognized and celebrated by others. But God

God’s love is not conditional

Instead, He has everything that we need, and He wants to bless us, heal us, and support us. What does He ask for in return? He doesn’t need our money, our sexy body, or our good grades. All He wants is

What does it mean when we talk about a love that is selfish? It means that someone in the relationship is focused on what they can get out of it, instead of on the other person’s benefit. There’s a hidden motive.

A selfish love quickly results in a toxic relationship.

God’s love is not meritocratic.

God’s love is not conditional.

What God’s love is

A father’s love

A brother’s love

A husband’s love

We can read 1 Cor. 13 and replace the word “Love” with “God.”

In the Gospel of John, ‘the world’ often has a moral connotation.

The Doctrine of God God’s Universal Love

John 7:7; 8:23; 12:25, 31; 14:17

John 7:7 ESV

The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.

John 8:23 ESV

He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

John 12:25 ESV

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

John 12:31 ESV

Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

John 14:17 ESV

even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

The Doctrine of God God’s Love

Jack Cottrell offers an excellent definition of God’s love: “his self-giving affection for his image-bearing creatures and his unselfish concern for their well-being, that leads him to act on their behalf and for their happiness and welfare