God is Love (Part 1)

By Clifton Angel   The Apostle John wrote, “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). In the same writing, he continued, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” (4:16). This love, which exists by God and emanates from God can be—and, should be— experienced and exhibited by man. Using the word “love” as an acronym, let us note four characteristics of this great love.    God, Who is Love, is long-suffering. Paul wrote that the exhibition of this love results in the same, “Charity suffereth long … endureth all things” (1 Cor 13:4, 7). Peter wrote, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (1 Pet 3:9). Contextually, Peter wrote of God’s faithfulness to send His Son to return for His people as He promised (cf. John 14:1–6). We do not know when that day will be (cf. 1 Pet 3:10); however we can be confident He will return. Peter notes the time that transpires until then is evidence for his long-suffering and His desire for us to turn to Him.    On the occasion that God gave Moses’ a special law for His special people and had him record it a second time (cf. Ex 19–34), He granted Moses a most magnificent experience combined with an eternal exclamation: “And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering (emphasis mine, CA), and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation (Ex 34:6–7). What an amazingly, loving God we serve, extending His grace and mercy through His long-suffering (cf. Num 14:18; Psa 86:15; et al.)    We can know Him by loving like Him, and we can begin loving like Him by being long-suffering with others (cf. Eph 4:2; Col 3:12; 2 Tim 4:2). Do you know God? Do you love like God?

- Clifton Angel preaches for the Coldwater Church of Christ in Coldwater, MS. He may be contacted through that congregation's website: http://www.coldwatercofc.com/