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Attribute of God's Love

Discussion in '2005 Archive' started by Ray Berrian, Dec 15, 2004.

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  1. Ray Berrian

    Ray Berrian New Member

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    'God is love -- He is benevolent and good. God's ultimate purpose towards man and all creation is to favor us and draw us into a loving relationship with Him. He makes the ultimate sacrifice to make this love relationship possible. All His actions towards His people are motivated by this love.' Borrowed from Jay Rodgers on the internet [​IMG] under topic: The Attributes of God.
     
    #1 Ray Berrian, Dec 15, 2004
  2. Monergist

    Monergist New Member

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    From Desring God Ministries

     
    #2 Monergist, Dec 15, 2004
  3. Monergist

    Monergist New Member

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    The main problem that I have with this quote is that it comes periously close to putting man at the center of God's universe--
    Rather than God.
     
    #3 Monergist, Dec 15, 2004
  4. Wes Outwest

    Wes Outwest New Member

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    I take issue with "God is Love"! It is not true!
     
    #4 Wes Outwest, Dec 15, 2004
  5. Monergist

    Monergist New Member

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    1Jo 4:8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
     
    #5 Monergist, Dec 15, 2004
  6. Ray Berrian

    Ray Berrian New Member

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    WesOutwest,

    The love of God toward human beings is only one of His attributes. Do you agree? I am trying to understand you first post.

    Ray
     
    #6 Ray Berrian, Dec 15, 2004
  7. Wes Outwest

    Wes Outwest New Member

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    Understood Monergist! However, if God is love, love is God!

    I believe that God LOVES! but I do not believe that God is love!
    I believe that God is Gracious, but I do not believe that Grace is God. I believe that God is Merciful! But I do not belief Mercy is God. For if God is any one of those attributes, then the attribute is God.

    The very premise here is an attribute of God, so it should be addressed as something that is true of God, and not that the attribute is God, as in "God is Love"

    Love is of God...OK!
    God is Love...Not OK!
     
    #7 Wes Outwest, Dec 15, 2004
  8. whatever

    whatever New Member

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    You (again) are contradicting Scripture. "Is" does not mean "equals". God is love, most assuredly. On that Calvinists and Arminians agree without hesitation.
     
    #8 whatever, Dec 15, 2004
  9. Wes Outwest

    Wes Outwest New Member

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    Whatever,

    Do you have trouble understanding what the definition of is is?

    If one is a literalist about scripture then "is" means that's exactly what whatever is means. If something is green, it is not red!
     
    #9 Wes Outwest, Dec 15, 2004
  10. whatever

    whatever New Member

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    No, not at all.
     
    #10 whatever, Dec 15, 2004
  11. Wes Outwest

    Wes Outwest New Member

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    To say that God is Love, means that Love is God!
     
    #11 Wes Outwest, Dec 15, 2004
  12. Wes Outwest

    Wes Outwest New Member

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    Ray, I have no difficulty with anything except the word "IS" placed between God and Love! Because IF God is Love then it follows that Love must be God.

    If one says God loves, or the love of God I am in full agreement However, declaring that God IS love is not correct if you are talking about an attribute of God!
     
    #12 Wes Outwest, Dec 15, 2004
  13. Ray Berrian

    Ray Berrian New Member

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    Archibald Alexander Hodge, D.D. in his book “Outlines Of Theology” Thomas Nelson & Sons, Paternoster Row; Edinburgh and New York, 1883, points out these attributes of God starting on page 135 and concluding on page 163.

    The Unity of God; The Spirituality of God; God’s Relation to Space; The Relation of God to Time; The Immutability of God; the Infinite Intelligence of God; the Infinite Power of God; the Will of God; the Absolute Justice of God; the Absolute Goodness of God; God’s Absolute Truth; the Infinite Sovereignty of God; and the Infinite Holiness of God.

    I have gone through this chapter of the book and cannot find the Attributes of the Love of God, or the mercy of God.

    The thing you have to come to understand is that He is all of these entities plus perhaps others. He always remains these things, but at times relates Himself to all people in unique ways.

    It is safe to say that God loves sinners, but on the day He presides over the Great White Throne Judgment [Revelation 20:11-15] or when a sinner dies he or she will experience the full weight of His attribute of Divine Justice and His wrath.

    God is not just one of these attributes like love. He is all of His attributes together to an exacting perfection.
     
    #13 Ray Berrian, Dec 15, 2004
  14. padredurand

    padredurand Well-Known Member
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    Faith:
    Baptist
    theos - agape - esti: God = brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence = third person singular of "to be".

    Love is not an attribute it is His very substance.
     
    #14 padredurand, Dec 15, 2004
  15. Southern

    Southern New Member

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    Wes,

    The Bible:He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. (I John 4:8)


    Wesoutwest:
    Conclusion: For some reason I do not find this suprising. :(
     
    #15 Southern, Dec 15, 2004
  16. whatever

    whatever New Member

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    To say that my car is red, means that red is my car?
     
    #16 whatever, Dec 15, 2004
  17. Ray Berrian

    Ray Berrian New Member

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    Has anyone else found a theologian or theological commentator who explains the Attribute of God's love toward human beings?
     
    #17 Ray Berrian, Dec 15, 2004
  18. GeneMBridges

    GeneMBridges New Member

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    No, Wes. Apparently, you don't think logically. You are a master of the non-sequitar.

    Comments or information that do not logically follow from a premise or the conclusion.

    For example, Patsy the Elephant is pink.

    Therefore, according your exact same logic, this must also mean that Pink is Patsy the Elephant.

    First, there are no pink elephants. Second, pink can not, by definition, be an animal since pink is not an animal it is a color.


    Thus, "God is love" does not automatically lead to the conclusion that love is God.
     
    #18 GeneMBridges, Dec 16, 2004
  19. GeneMBridges

    GeneMBridges New Member

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    Ray, I recommend The Living God by Thomas C. Oden. It is one of the best Theology Proper texts in print.
     
    #19 GeneMBridges, Dec 16, 2004
  20. David Hethorn

    David Hethorn New Member

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    Dear Brethren,
    I am new to this forum so I hope I'm not butting in. To say God is love is a correct translation of the Scripture and we are to believe it exactly as stated. To say God is love refers to the source of love not that love = God and God=love. We are not using an associtive form of an algebraic equations to edxplain God's love. God is also just, He is a jealous God, He is also a God that hates and He is a Holy God. All of these are attributes of God.
    A debtor to grace
    Dave
     
    #20 David Hethorn, Dec 16, 2004
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