Knowing God Study - Lesson 14 Ý
Copyright 2004-5 by William Meisheid

Chapter 12: The Love Of God

Today’s theme: God’s greatest mystery, His unending love of man.

Scriptural background: 1 John 4:7-9 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”

Quotes for the week

"One unquestioned text we read, all doubt beyond, all fear above; nor crackling pile nor cursing creed can burn or blot it—God is love." Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809–1894). What we all think.

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." Mother Teresa MC. News summaries, 1 September 1982.

"Thou canst not pray to God without praying to Love, but mayest pray to Love without praying to God." Richard Garnett (1835–1906). De Flagello myrteo. xiii.

“I have learned that human existence is essentially tragic. It is only the love of God, disclosed and enacted in Christ, that redeems the human tragedy and makes it tolerable. No, more than tolerable. Wonderful.” Angus Dun, former Episcopal Bishop of Washington DC. Recalled on his death, 12 August 1971.

Concern: Will we seek God’s “luv”, avoiding the “tough love” of God?

"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11

1   Why is this passage so important to our understanding of how God’s love should grow and mature within us?

“A Song of God's Majesty and Love: I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever.” Psalm 145:1

2   What is the significance of the psalmist linking majesty and love together? How does that inform our understanding of the nature of God’s love and how His love transforms whatever it touches?

Interacting With The Text

Goal: To love with the love of God, both God and our neighbor. (see Luke 10:27)

We live in a time when love has been reduced to mere sentiment (luv) at best or more often lust at its worst. Love is used to justify all sorts of evil, at least evil as defined by God in His Word. It is bandied about as the universal panacea, the balm for every ill, as if love, by itself, is “the redemption that draweth nigh.” We need to firmly ground ourselves in what love really is from God’s perspective and how God’s love should inform our understanding and expression of love in this world.

1   Why is St. John's famous utterance one of the most misunderstood and misused scriptures in the New Testament? How has your opinion of the passage changed due to this chapter?

2   What three points does Packer make about Paul's statement in Romans 5:5? Why are those three observations important to you today?

3   Why does St. John's statement in 1 John 4:8 not give us the complete truth about God's love as expressed with the bible? What is missing?

4   Why, according to Packer, would St. John's words be considered an adequate revelation of God's love for the Christian? (Note: not the world in general but specifically the Christian.)

5   Examine Packer’s definitions of God's love and its six parts. Explain how does each part of the definition relate to you personally?

6   How do the questions that Packer asks in the last paragraph affect your view of God's love? Think of applying the reality check of chapter 10 (God’s wisdom vs. our wisdom) to these questions. What effect does it have?

What To Do Next

Read Chapter Thirteen: The Grace Of God. Throughout the history of the Christian Church, men have tried to use their actions instead of God’s grace to find justification and eternal worth in themselves. Can grace be grace if you could earn it? Think about that this week.

Goal: Do one act of Godly love a day this week.

Great changes often come about by the accumulation of many small changes until a tipping point is reached. Begin tipping your life toward God’s loving kindness by doing at least one small act of Godly love each day this week.