Q3. God Is Love

[servant for Christ]

It is important because love is dthe very nature of God, which He showed by giving His own Son for us. We share His naturebecause we are born of Him. Because God loved us, we who have experienced His love, forgiveness, and help are under obligation to help others, even at great personal cost. If we love one another, God continus to dwell in us and His love is perfected in us. to have God's love, we have to forgive because He forgave us.

[jacquie7]

The statement God is love is important because it is who God is and everything He does is with love (sending His only Son to die for our sins). The essence of God’s natures affects us by Him being the source our love. He is caring and forgiving towards a sinful humanity. The road to healing in our lives requires repentance and forgiveness; letting go of any ill feelings before we can know and understand God. We must be able to forgive so we can grow spiritually, reflect God’s character, and gain the knowledge and understanding we need to flourish in God’s Kingdom.

[Craig]

Q3. (1 John 4:7-8) Why is the statement, "God is love," so important? What does it say about God's nature? How does love being the essence of God's nature affect us? If we were created in God's image of love, but fell, what does this say about the road to healing in our lives? Why does love demand a willingness to forgive?

If we do not love others then we cannot love or know God because God is love. Paul in defining love in I Cor. 13 really defines God's nature. Everything God does is motivated by love. God's love provided humanity saving grace -- See John 3:16.

Humanity was created to love and reflect God's love. Love forgives.

[Guitar Jim]

Q3. (1 John 4:7-8) Why is the statement, "God is love," so important?

 

Because it defines God's innermost character.

 

 

 

What does it say about God's nature?

 

God's primary nature is love. Everything He has done and is doing is based on His being a God who loves His creation. At times that's very hard to accept, what with wars, famine, disease, etc being so rampant. We have to remember though that for a time . . . unfortunately the time in which we're here on earth . . . sin and Satan have temporary sway over how things happen. Ultimately God will prevail and He will prevail at the right time, the time He set before the creation of the world. God actually knew before He created the Heavens and the Earth that Satan would rebel and sin would ruin everything, but He went ahead and created them anyway. That's something we struggle to grasp. God could have created us sinless, but then we wouldn't be in His image . . . we wouldn't have the free will that He has. So to make us in His own image he had to grant us free will. Now, to bring us back into fellowship with Himself, which was why we were created in the first place, God had to provide a way to appease His own Holy and righteous demands for the atonement for sin. Therefore He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. He did that out of love, no other reason. He loves His creation.

 

 

 

How does love being the essence of God's nature affect us?

 

We have in us the Holy Spirit and we therefore are vessels into which the love of God is poured. We are being conformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ, God the Son!

 

 

 

If we were created in God's image of love, but fell, what does this say about the road to healing in our lives?

 

We have to allow God's love to flow from us. We mustn't harbor unforgiveness and grudges, but let it go. Only when we forgive those who tresspass against us will we be truly blessed with God's forgiveness in our day to day lives.

 

 

 

Why does love demand a willingness to forgive?

 

Simply, if you love someone you forgive them for what they may have done to you or against you. We have to be willing to forgive otherwise God's love is not made manifest in us.

 

 

 

[Old Jerry]

I think that the statement that “God is love” is so important because then we know that He will always look out for us. Since God loves us then we know that He will always be looking out for our interests.

Since we are created in God’s image but fell that means that we need to get back in the grace of God. We can’t stand to be out of his love since we are in his image. If we don’t forgive then how can we love? We can’t love somebody and hate them at the same time therefore we need to forgive them.

[wifee]

3a)To understand God at all,we need understand &know that God is love, one of the most important points revealed to us of who God is and his character.We can reflecting His love by our actions.

 

b)God’s nature is loving,in all his actions.This is essential to knowing &understanding God he acts with love.justice with love, holiness with love, predestination with love.That God is love,is unique among all the world religions.

 

c)God’s sacrifical love for us, shown in Jesus,demonstrates he wants to forgive us&restore our broken relationship with him.He wants us to likewise seek to forgive and love others,God’s love in us,instead of being harsh with them, holding grudges or self-centred.

 

d)Since the fall,humanity is depraved, sinful in thought&deed&fail.But God hears us if we repent&seek his help to start again.He wants to lovingly forgives& restores us. Forgiving&being forgiven is essential for inner healing.

 

e)John wants us to not just know about God’s love but experience it for ourselves in being forgiven, and seek to practice it ourselves forgiving others to truely love them.

 

[wifee]

3a)To understand God at all,we need understand &know that God is love, one of the most important points revealed to us of who God is and his character.We can reflecting His love by our actions.

 

b)God’s nature is loving,in all his actions.This is essential to knowing &understanding God he acts with love.justice with love, holiness with love, predestination with love.That God is love,is unique among all the world religions.

 

c)God’s sacrifical love for us, shown in Jesus,demonstrates he wants to forgive us&restore our broken relationship with him.He wants us to likewise seek to forgive and love others,God’s love in us,instead of being harsh with them, holding grudges or self-centred.

 

d)Since the fall,humanity is depraved, sinful in thought&deed&fail.But God hears us if we repent&seek his help to start again.He wants to lovingly forgives& restores us. Forgiving&being forgiven is essential for inner healing.

 

e)John wants us to not just know about God’s love but experience it for ourselves in being forgiven, and seek to practice it ourselves forgiving others to truely love them.

 

[tgandy]

God is love is so very important because God is love.  He is just, righteous, holy, omniscient and many other things.  But it all means love.  God is patient.  This tells me we are not perfect and He does not expect us to be.  But He does expect us to know what is expected of us and He will be there to help us.  We were created in His image.  But we have all fallen short.  God is there to help us heal.  Hold out your right hand as Isaiah says.  He will grasp it and hold you.  If you love you must forgive.  Love is harmony.  Love is on both sides the same as forgiveness.  One sided forgiveness does not work and neither does one sided love in any relationship.

 

[JSF]

Why is the statement, "God is love," so important? What does it say about God's nature? How does love being the essence of God's nature affect us? If we were created in God's image of love, but fell, what does this say about the road to healing in our lives? Why does love demand a willingness to forgive?

 

Love is the essence of God.   To know Him is to know His love.   If we carry His spirit, then we carry His love.  Because of the fall, we do not love perfectly.   We need constant forgiveness and God must love through us.  To be like Him, we must forgive, or we will be resentful and bitter rather than loving.

[Uncle Dave]

Why is the statement, "God is love," so important?

There is love and there is hate. Love brings together and heals whereas hate divides and wounds. This statement tells us which side of the coin represents God. I’m really at a loss for better words here.

 

 

What does it say about God's nature?

It tells us much about the nature of God. It is the love of God who gives us everything we have. God is the only one who owes us nothing yet gives us so much. God gives out of love but people have much of a tendency to remember.

 

How does love being the essence of God's nature affect us?

It shows how, even though we tend to be the exact opposite of a reflection of love, God loves us. Although we do some of the most non-loving things known to man, God continues to love us.

If we were created in God's image of love, but fell, what does this say about the road to healing in our lives?

God wants us to come out of our broken state and return to being whole, like when He first created us.

 

Why does love demand a willingness to forgive?

Because love does not remember wrongs. How can one say they have forgiven someone when anger and hate toward that person seethes out of him/her?

 

[hanks]

Q3. (1 John 4:7-8) 
Why is the statement, "God is love," so important? 
What does it say about God's nature? 
How does love being the essence of God's nature affect us? 
If we were created in God's image of love, but fell, what does this say about the road to healing in our lives? 
Why does love demand a willingness to forgive?
It is vital for us to know that God is love, knowing that everything He Does He does with love. God’s love does not depend on any worth in us because there is nothing worthy in us for God to love. This reminds me of Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Confirming that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us, not because we were good enough or because of anything we had done, but just because He loved us. Only a truly loving God would even think of saving sinners like us! It is truly frightening what evil we are capable of doing. 
God’s love rests on God’s character, and He unilaterally loves us when we are loveable and He even loves us when we are not loveable. The only way we can share God’s love is to be a part of the family of God. We receive God’s love by accepting God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. This means not only that God loves His creation and His people, or that God is full of love. It means that in His very being God is love. John said that if we do not love we don’t know God; so being true believers we can’t harbour any Unforgiveness, we must forgive all that have hurt us and love all our fellow believers.  
 

[haar]

Q3. (1 John 4:7-8)

Q. Why is the statement, "God is love," so important? What does it say about God's nature? How does love being the essence of God's nature affect us? If we were created in God's image of love, but fell, what does this say about the road to healing in our lives? Why does love demand a willingness to forgive?

A.The statement "God is love" is important beause it explains Who God is- Love, and also implies that we that are created in His image are to  love like He does 

Though created in God's image, we can fall but can receive forgiveness when we confess and repent.

Similarly, because God forgives us when we fall, we should also forgive others who fail us

 

[Reuben]

Q3. (1 John 4:7-8) Why is the statement, "God is love," so important? What does it say about God's nature? How does love being the essence of God's nature affect us? If we were created in God's image of love, but fell, what does this say about the road to healing in our lives? Why does love demand a willingness to forgive?

The love of God is what everything, EVERYTHING , revolves around! As it states God is love, that tells you the nature of God is all about love. Love being the essence of Gods nature , means we are created in Gods image and that means we have love in us. We must apply this love in our lives every day. God gave us the freedom to to choose, and that is the essence of how we live, and apply ourselves. We choose between right and wrong every day, and how we love. Love can not be forced, hence the freedom of choice, but to love builds loving relationships, and that is what we want as humans, and that is what God desires from us. That is the beauty of His creation.

When we fall God picks us up, and he through his unlimited love have sent His Son to pay the ultimate sacrifice for us, and there is no bigger love than this. This allows us to walk in His light and continue to build a loving relationship with God.

We are forgiven because of love and Jesus paying the ultimate price for our forgiveness if we believe in Him. Therefore we must apply the same love and forgiveness to one another to keep healthy relationships, and grow in them, and keep forgiving as the Bible says.

 

[Krissi]

As you wrote, God is also just, pure and sinless, all-powerful and all-knowing, among other attributes. I just don't see how you can elevate Love above His other attributes based on a few passages. It's just as possible to see God's power as His defining characteristic based on other passages. I don't see (or feel) God's love as the "essence of His nature." I wish I did.

But yes, God=love is important. Pastor Ralph writes that if I don't see love as His most defining attribute, then I can't understand Him at all. I hope this is not true.

--

Most of the time, I forgive out of obedience, not love. Hurt and pain slowly dissipates as the Holy Spirit removes it from me. As time passes, the "root of bitterness," is replaced by a neutrality and fear. The person who hurt me is forgiven, but I'm still afraid of him or her.  For me, this is the road to healing.

But it is not love, as perfect love casts out fear.  It is forgiveness.

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What about non-Christians who love each other?  IS theirs mere infatuation or a form of self-love?

--

I wonder if our love-obsessed society emphasizes love over, say, justice. At another time in history, we may have been listening to sermons about sinners in the hands of an angry God. Now, love, sexuality and romance top the list of concerns. I was listening to pop music on the car radio just yesterday and was struck, once again, but how every song was about (mostly bad) love affairs. Perhaps it was always this way. I don't know. But it seems obsessive.

As a thought experiment, assume God's primary characteristic is holiness.  Then we'd have justice with holiness, a holy love, a holy elect or predestined, holy power, etc.  This makes sense, no?

--

Lord, help me see you as love.

 

 

 

[Rob Mc.]

(1 John 4:7-8) Why is the statement, "God is love," so important?  What does it say about God's nature?

It validates that God isn’t a tyrant, directing evil towards sinners, and testing us beyond what we can bear.  According to John, everything that God does for mankind, he does from a basis of love.  When he tests us he does so to an endpoint where we can learn and grow, not to a point where we feel defeated because we fail His tests more than we pass them.

How does love being the essence of God's nature affect us? If we were created in God's image of love, but fell, what does this say about the road to healing in our lives?

Since we strive to be god-like in our lives,  we need to remember that we must look outside ourselves.  We must do for others instead of seeking personal gratification or feeling proud.  The physical act of doing for others, while expecting nothing in return, is the primary definition of the act of Love. 

When we fall (or fail by sinning), knowing that God is Love really helps us get up, dust ourselves off from our failures and try again.  We are forgiven for our present and future sins, so a quick return to our god-like behavior is easier.  We can shed the prior sin baggage and reacquire the Love that heals us.

Why does love demand a willingness to forgive? 

Not forgiving hurts us so much more than it does the person that hurt us.  They have moved on, not realizing (or remembering) the pain they caused.  Meanwhile, we internalize the pain, get angry and seethe about the injustice.  Forgiving the offender releases both them and you, and the bottled up anger quickly dissipates. So staying in a basis of Love at all times (or as much as we can) is the demand that Love asks from us.