RUSHWAVE: Establishing Believers in the Christian Faith

Chapter 18: God is Love

God is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

The New Testament makes a profound statement.

God is love. 1 John 4:8

Love may be considered by way of definition, and also by examples of its demonstration. The quintessential example of God’s love is the message in John 3:16:

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

How this message demonstrates God’s love will be fully revealed as this Good News in John 3:16 book series unfolds, so we will not expand on this quintessential demonstration here. However there are many other ways in scripture and in life that God shows His love, and we will consider these later on in this chapter.

As respects definition, how “God is love” is clearly defined in a revelation God gave of Himself early on in the Bible. In keeping with His perfect knowledge, He details five of His own character traits.

The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth. Exodus 34:6

The first four of these five traits can be considered different aspects of love. In other words, to say “God is love” is the same as saying “God is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness.” This verse is frequently referenced in Old Testament history, and it perfectly encapsulates what is meant in the New Testament phrase “God is love.”

These four traits of God’s love are all related and overlap. A loving act of God may equally be considered an instance of His being compassionate, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. It is best not to be too strict in considering Old Testament examples, as if we can form some sort of classification and say “Here are examples of compassion,” “Here are examples graciousness,” and so on. On the contrary, any of the examples we consider lend themselves to one as well as the other.

God is compassionate. He empathizes with the suffering of the afflicted and heartbroken, and is moved to take steps to deliver them from their plight.

The story of God’s deliverance of Israel from slavery through Moses is a classic example of God’s compassion. In the midst of their brutal oppression God said:

I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians. Exodus 3:7–8

In these verses God repeatedly references His understanding of the misery of the Israelites, and His simultaneous determination to end their suffering. God said He had not just “seen” but He had “surely seen” their affliction. He had “given heed” to their cry, was “aware of their suffering,” and had “come down to deliver them.” All these phrases reveal God not as a casual observer of the Israelites, viewing their plight in a clinical, dispassionate, analytical way. He pitied their condition and suffered with them, being fully aware of their fears, abuse and oppression. And it was in the context of that understanding that He determined to free them from bondage.

God is gracious. He is merciful and forgiving, granting pardon to the unjust and favor to the undeserving. This grace works in conjunction with His compassion. He is sympathetic of the plight sinners have placed themselves in by being liable to God’s judgment, and He desires their deliverance from the judgment He Himself is obligated in justice to impose.

God forgiving those who were completely undeserving of any such favor occurs numerous times throughout Old Testament history. Over and over again individuals, people groups or nations are not only pardoned for their wrongdoing, but shown favor above and beyond that which they should have received in light of their works.

David committed adultery with Bathsheba, and then had her husband killed so as to take her as wife and cover it up. But God spared David the death penalty and granted Solomon be born through her. 2 Samuel 11:1-12:24.
Ten times the Israelites murmured against God even though He had miraculously delivered them from bondage in Egypt, and He set His mind to destroy them. But through the intercession of Moses He spared the entire nation the death penalty and led them in the wilderness for forty years with a cloud by day, a pillar of fire by night, and manna from heaven. Numbers 14.
The Israelites became ensnared with worshiping false gods in the land of Canaan, and for this God delivered them into slavery through other nations. But in the midst of their oppression when they cried out to the Lord, He raised up a deliverer who delivered them from bondage and under whom Israel prospered. Judges 2.
Through the prophet Jonah God warned the exceedingly cruel people of Ninevah of their impending judgment. But when they repented, God relented and spared everyone. Jonah 1-4

This quality in God to kindly pardon can be put this way:

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. Psalm 103:10

It is God’s nature and disposition to forgive, not judge; to show mercy, not coldheartedness.

God is slow to anger. We have previously considered this trait in noting God can be provoked, but it bears repeating. God is patient and shows great restraint when witnessing the injustices man commits against his fellow man and against God Himself. Instead of immediately becoming angry and judging those who rightly deserve punishment, He patiently endures.

God’s being slow to anger is rooted in His displeasure in judging sinners. This is something God Himself declares, and He even prefaced the statement with a solemn oath (“as I live”) to reinforce the truthfulness of it.

Say to them, “As I live!” declares the Lord God, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?” Ezekiel 33:11

In the history of Israel and even foreign nations, God exercised great forbearance. Though abominations were committed time and time again, it was years before judgment would finally fall. And it came only after those nations failed to heed the warnings of impending doom God made through His prophets.

God abounds in lovingkindness. It is expressed in His tender care and goodness towards His creation. God is a God of goodwill; a God who desires to impart joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment. His desire has always been for man’s wellbeing, and His lovingkindness “abounds” both in the depth and frequency of its display. There are numerous examples in the Old Testament.

helping Abraham find his son a suitable bride through his servant. Genesis 24:12-16
giving Joseph who had been unjustly imprisoned favor before the chief jailer. Genesis 39:21-23
granting pardon to the Israelites and sparing them death by pestilence through Moses’ petition. Numbers 11:17-20
providing the Israelites food and water during their wanderings in the wilderness. Psalm 107:1-9

It is not an overstatement to say there are literally thousands of examples where God shows His lovingkindness. The sun providing light so we can see; the streams and springs providing water so we may drink; or the plants and animals providing food so we may eat. The companionship of a friend; the kiss of a spouse; or the closeness of a family gathering. An occupation so we can earn a living, or a home so we can have shelter. These can all be deemed examples of God’s lovingkindness — displays of His tender and benevolent concern and affection.

God loves you. He understands your suffering and is moved by your plight. He seeks to deliver you and bring you into a life of fullness, goodness, and well-being. Though you have rebelled against Him, He is slow to anger. His desire is for you to be forgiven. Every day in hundreds of ways that you are not even aware, He displays His lovingkindness towards you.

from The Nature and Character of God

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