Attributes of God:
Love (part 2)
Pastor Jerry Koller

Review: Foundational Characteristics of Love
· Love cannot exist outside relationships.
· Love always has an object.
· Love is an expression of giving.

A fourth foundational truth regarding this attribute of God is that Love takes pleasure in its object.

Our issue with love is that we have a tendency to relegate love to an emotion or a feeling.

Does God have emotions or feelings? Some scholars say no.

There is an attribute of God called Impassability. The idea of impassibility is that God does not possess passions or emotions like you and I do.
· Emotions and feelings can affect our thinking as well as our actions.
· Feelings and emotions can change based on circumstances.
· God does not change. He is immutable. Therefore, He cannot possess them for those very reasons.

In the Scriptures, God displays Compassion, Grief, Hate, Jealousy, Joy, and Love.

Explanation:
· Scripture uses anthropomorphic language to describe God in ways we can relate to or understand to some degree.
· These are very different from those emotions and feelings we possess.
· These feelings and emotions cannot affect God’s thinking, plans, or actions in any way because God does not change.

Unlike us, God does not fall in love. God does not fall out of love.
· He does not fall in or out of love because God is love.

We have the capacity to fall in and out of love. Both are based on circumstances.
· God is not affected by circumstances. He never changes.

Another issue we have with love has to do with those to whom we express love.
· We develop love.
· Through a relationship, we see in someone things that appeal to us, things that are attractive to us.
· We place value on them.
· The more we value them, the easier it is to express love.

The love of God cannot be influenced.
· God loves those He chooses to love based on His own sovereign will. · The cause of His love is Himself.
· He loves whom He pleases.

God loves the sinner as well as the saint.

There is also a love that God gives to those He chooses to be in Him. It is a love that is expressed to those who have a saving relationship with Him (see Romans 5).

· The Holy Spirit is not given to all mankind (just to those who have been justified).
· This love is not poured into the hearts of all men (but only to those to whom the Spirit has been given).

Some would say that this is not fair. However, if God is fair, He should give everyone exactly what they deserve.
· The love of God is poured into those whom He has chosen.

Love in 1 Corinthians 13:
There are 7 characteristics that address love from a positive perspective. The 7 characteristics address what love is.
Love is patient,
love is kind.
It always protects,
It always trusts,
It always hopes,
It always perseveres.
Love never fails.

There are also 7 characteristics of love that are addressed from a negative perspective. These 7 characteristics address what love is not.
It does not envy,
It does not boast,
It is not proud.
It is not rude,
It is not self-seeking,
It is not easily angered,
It keeps no record of wrongs

There is 1 characteristic of love that is addressed from both a negative and positive perspective. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

· These are not characteristics of God’s love.
· These characteristics do not describe the love we are to have toward God.
· These are characteristics of the love we should have for one another.

· May we be thankful for God’s love.
· May we love God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
· May we love one another like Jesus loves us.

· Pastor Jephthe Lucien, his family, his ministry, the children in his orphanages, and the people of Haiti as the country is under extreme duress due to violence and unrest.
· Terry Buckley successfully had fluid removed from around his heart and is doing much better.
· Bruce Ferguson had his medications adjusted and is continuing with his doctors for further treatment.
· Lennon McKamey (son of Kyle & Sarah McKamey) hasn’t had any more blackouts and has completed testing; he has a follow up appointment in June.
· Rhonda Dobberstein is receiving radiation treatments for breast cancer that will continue through the end of April.
· Nolan Marshall was approved to receive services for another year. Praise God for answered prayers!
· Vincent Bryant (son of Miriam Bryant) is dealing with multiple health issues: blood clots which are interfering with his dialysis treatments; continues to recover from a 2nd surgery on his left hand which resulted in one finger being amputated; issues with an ankle that prevents him from driving.
· Miriam Bryant has begun therapy for hip issues.
· Anna Bocock’s has Epstein Barr in addition to one strain of Lyme. She is waiting for next month’s treatment to be done, will then take another blood test to see how the treatment performed, and once the tests come back, she will hopefully be able to move forward with the Lyme disease treatments.
· Caroline Bocock is having some symptoms resurface so she will need to have more treatments. They are waiting for her most recent test results to come back so they can determine which strain of Lyme’s needs to be treated next.
· Joyce Bocock continues to do well. Prayers for continued improvement and relief from pain are appreciated.
· Check out our monthly prayer card on-line at southhavenfbc.com under “Weekly Bulletins” for a list of those with on-going needs.

First Baptist Church
1635 76th Street
South Haven, MI 49090
269-637-1291
southhavenfbc@gmail.com