God is love!

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(James Smith, "Gleams of Grace!" 1860)

"God is love!" 1 John 4:16

God is love in His nature. As God's nature is love--so His love must be like His nature.

Is He INFINITE? Then His love must be infinite love; and so it is, for it not only surpasses expression--but is beyond conception. "The love of God which surpasses knowledge."

Is His nature ETERNAL? Then His love must be eternal, and it is; as He says, "I have loved you, My people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to Myself!"

Is He IMMUTABLE? Then His love must be immutable, and it is from everlasting to everlasting the same. "For I am the Lord, I do not change; that is why you . . . are not consumed!"

Is He WISE? Then His love must be wisely fixed, wisely exercised, and wisely displayed.

Is He JUST? Then His love must be just; and it is, for by loving His redeemed people--He never interferes with the rights of others, or in any way injures them.

Is He FREE in the exercise of His perfections and prerogatives? Then His love must be free, and it is as free . . .
as the shining of the sun,
as the falling of the shower,
as the descent of the dew!
God loves freely, without looking for a cause or reason in man.

Is He OMNIPOTENT? Then His love must be all-powerful; and blessed be His holy name, His sweet and gentle love always goes hand in hand with His omnipotence.

Is He HOLY? Then His love must be holy love, and so it is, for while it is fixed on the sinner--it never, directly, or indirectly, in any manner, or in any measure sanctions sin.

God is love, and the love of God is God Himself loving, in accordance with all the glorious attributes, and sublime perfections of His divine nature.

In Christ we were chosen,
in Christ we were blessed with all spiritual blessings,
in Christ we are preserved,
and in Christ we are loved.

To believers, God is love--pure, unmixed love.
All His thoughts of us are loving thoughts.
All His words to us are loving words.
All He does in us, for us, or to us--He does out of pure love!

"Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her!" Ephesians 5:25

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