5 Ways the Bible Speaks of the Love of God

5 Ways the Bible Speaks of the Love of God According to D.A. Carson:

1. The peculiar love of the Father for the Son, and of the Son for the Father.

Carson goes to the book of John to show us how the Father and Son lovingly relate to one another. This is the wonderful love that God has for God.

2. God's providential love over all He has made.

Carson explains that, though the Bible does not use the word "love" often with respect to the Creator and His creation, there is a loving Creator presented in Scripture. God saw what He created and saw that it was good.

3. God's salvific stance toward His fallen world.

Though God does not save every individual in the world He does look at the world through different lenses than we might think. He loved this bad place so much that He sent the Son whom He loved above anyone or anything else (John 3:16). The fact that a plan of salvation for any sinner even exists reveals to us that God has this kind of love for the world as a whole.

4. God's particular, effective, selecting love toward his elect.

Out of this bad world God chose to save bad people. Not because they were better or worse but for His own glory God chose to save some. This is a love from before the foundation of the world (see Romans 9:10-13 and Malachi 1:2) and it was demonstrated at the cross (Romans 5:8).

5. God's love is sometimes said to be directed toward His own people in a provisional or conditional way - conditioned, that is, on obedience.

This is a more relational love for one who has become a child of God. Though a good picture of this relationship is in Old Testament Israel we also see it in God's dealing with the New Testament church. The good news is that, if God has saved you, your standing with Him is based on what He has already done for you. This has also purchased your sanctification which enables you to remain in His love forever by the Holy Spirit.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen