The Love of God

What Shall We Say to These Things (Verse 31)

Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made, Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade, To write the love of God above, Would drain the ocean dry. Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.

1 John 4:8 “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

The essence of agape love is goodwill, benevolence, and willful delight in the object of love. God’s agape love is unmerited, gracious, and constantly seeking the benefit of the ones He loves. Agape love as modeled by Christ is not based on a feeling; rather, it is a determined act of the will, a joyful resolve to put the welfare of others above our own.

Give brief recap of Romans up to this point.

The Death and Intercession of Christ (Verses 32-34)

Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

1 John 3:1 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

Hebrews 7:25 “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

We are More than Conquerors (Verses 35-37)

Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Romans 5:3-5 “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Nothing Will Separate Us (Verses 38-39)

John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

John 6:37 “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”

Romans 5:8-10 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”

John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

John 6:28-29 “Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.””