GOD LOVES ALL PEOPLE (I CORINTHIANS 13)
God is loving. God is love. What’s the difference between these two statements? If God is simply loving, then He fits a particular definition of love; however, if God is love, then He Himself is the definition. For God to be loving does not necessitate that He is love, but if God is love, then He most certainly is loving.
Why does this matter? Well, a simple observation of culture demonstrates that there are multiple definitions of love. Some may suggest that love is a feeling or an action. Some may suggest that love is a noun or a verb. But if God is love, then we ought to look no further than Him and His Word to discover what love truly is.
In light of this, where Scripture describes God, we find imagery of what love is. And when Scripture describes love, we discover more of who God is. First Corinthians 13 utilizes a litany of adjectives to describe love, ultimately describing God Himself.
In this text, we find how God loves and, in particular, how He loves us. God loves us with patience, kindness, satisfaction, humility, thoughtfulness, sacrifice, truthfulness, and hope. This description ought to stir our hearts toward the worship of the God of love and move us in the direction of this type of love toward others.
The ultimate example of God’s love is Jesus, who said, “Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another” (John 13:34). First John 4:16 says, “And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.”
God is love and God is loving; therefore, to know God is to know love. As we grow in this understanding, we can begin to demonstrate the type of love that we see in Him. And, Lord willing, others will see Him through our reflection of His love.
