Truth Magazine

By Irvin Himmel

In the natural realm there are many remarkable demonstrations of power. A hurricane moves in from the sea and carries tons upon tons of water and packs winds of such force that a wide path of destruction and flooding results. A tornado sweeps down from the sky and turns strong buildings into twisted masses of rubble. Think of the power of an earthquake that shakes structures of concrete and steel, that rattles windows hundreds of miles away, and may send thousands to their deaths in a matter of minutes!

We live in an age of power. Nuclear devices have been produced that are capable of blasts many times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. We have powerful rockets to take astronauts to and from the world of space. People who lived a few generations ago would be awed by our powerful engines, plants for generating electrical power, and all our tools and gadgets that are power operated.

But there is no power in all the realm of nature’s forces, nor in the inventions of human ingenuity, that can compare with the power of God.

Demonstrated In His Works

No greater power is conceivable than the creation of all things out of nothing. Read the first chapter of Genesis and be impressed with the power of God. “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Heb. 11:3).

The crowning act of creation was the formation of man. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Gen. 1:27).

Job reflected on the power of God in these words: “He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them. He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it. He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end . . . He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth the proud. By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent. Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?” (Job. 26:7-14).

God is to be praised for His great power. “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (Psa. 147:4, 5). “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast” (Psa. 33:6-9).

God’s power is exhibited in His providential care for His people. No force was strong enough to prevent the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham. It might have seemed a time that He had forgotten the descendants of Abraham, for they were slaves in a foreign land, but when the time drew near for Israel to become a nation and to receive the law, God remembered His covenant with Abraham. He brought Israel out of Egypt “through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm” (Deut. 5:15). God reminded the people at Mt. Sinai, “I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself” (Ex. 19:4).

“The works of the Lord are great . . . He hath showed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen” (Psa. 111:2-6). “Come and see the works of God . . . He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot . . . He ruleth by his power for ever . . .” (Psa. 66:5-7).

Emphasized In Names And Titles

Some of the names and titles applied to God in the Bible underscore His strength and might. I now give a few examples.

El is a basic name for God in the Old Testament. It is “One of the oldest designations for deity in the ancient world,” and “seems to suggest power and authority.” It “bears not only the connotation of might, but also the idea of transcendence of the Deity” (H.B. Kuhn, Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, II: 761).

El Shaddai is a compound name (“the Almighty God”). It seems to denote “strength, stability, and permanence” (Kuhn). Abraham needed to realize that God could perform what He had promised, even if to men it seemed impossible. for this reason, God said to the ninety-nine year old patriarch, “I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect” (Gen. 17:1).

Elohim is another name for God in the Old Testament. “Though the entymology is obscure, the word may have come from a root meaning strong. “Plural in form, Elohim indicates “a plentitude of power” (Godron H. Clark, Baker’s Dictionary of Theology, p. 239).

Tsur, meaning “Rock,” is applied to God in Isaiah 44:8. Like a strong rock, God is able to provide security for His people. This name for God points to His eternal strength.

Openly Declared In Scripture

The Bible teaches that God is powerful, but more than that, it depicts Him as all-powerful. If there is any limitation of power, it is a restriction which God has willed through His own free choice. “Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places” (Psa. 135:6).

Job humbly acknowledged before God, “I know that thou canst do every thing. . .” (Job 42:2).

Sarah laughed when God said she would bear a son in her old age. God asked Abraham, “Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” (Gen. 18:14).

After Nebuchadnezzar had recovered from a period of insanity, he praised “the most High,” “the King of heaven,” admitting that God “doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Dan. 4:35).

On the island of Patmos, John “heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God.” “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth” (Rev. 19:1,6).

God is infinite in power and might. He is never hindered by lack of strength and ability. “The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea” (Psa. 93:4). He is “strong in power” (Isa. 40:25). The finite mind is too limited to fathom the depth of God’s endless power.

Exhibited in the Gospel

There was a working of “mighty power” wrought in Christ when God raised Him from the dead (Eph. 1:19,20). God works mightily in us when we are “quickened” and raised up together with Christ (Eph. 2:5,6). The spiritual power to change our lives is channeled by means of the gospel. Paul referred to the gospel as “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16).

To preach the gospel is to preach Christ. To some the preaching of the cross is foolishness, “But unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18).

The transforming power of the gospel should never be underestimated. It can save the vilest sinner. All who use human schemes and gimmicks to “make converts” are substituting human power for the power of God to save the lost.

Let us not be like the Sadducees who knew neither the Scriptures, “nor the power of God” (Matt. 22:29). Let us be careful that our faith does not stand in the wisdom of men, “But in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:5).

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 2, pp. 40, 53
January 17, 1985

By Weldon E. Warnock

The word “omnipresent,” is a combination of two words, omni and present. “Omni” is from the Latin word, omnis, meaning “all.” “Present” means “at hand; in attendance, as opposed to absent.” Hence, “omnipresent,” means “at hand, in attendance or present in all places.” The omnipresent God is, therefore, present in all places, everywhere at the same time.

The words, “omnipresent” (adjective) and “omnipresence” (noun) are not found in the Bible, but the idea is taught in the Scriptures in several places.

God Is Everywhere

A heathen philosopher asked, “Where is God?” A Bible believer responded, “Where is He not?” Indeed, where is God not to be found? The Psalmist wrote, “Whither shall I go from they Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and they right hand shall hold me” (Psa. 139:7-10).

There is no escape from God. If I ascend to heaven, He is there. If I journey to the depths of Sheol, God is there. If some way I could latch on to the wings of the morning, the sunbeams that rapidly dispel the darkness of the night, and travel to the unexplored depths of the ocean, He would be there. Yes, God is everywhere!

Jehovah said, “Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord” (Jer. 23:23-24). Paul stated that God is “not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:27-28). He also said, “The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool” (Isa. 66:1). Solomon declared that heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain God (1 Kgs. 8:27).

The Bible speak so God as dwelling between the cherubims of the ark (2 Kgs. 19:15), in the temple at Mt. Zion (1 Kgs. 8:11, 13: Psa. 26:8; Isa. 8:18), in Christ (Jn. 1:14; 2 Cor. 5:19), in the church (2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:20-22) and in individual Christians (1 Jn. 4:12-16).

How God Is Everywhere

God is found in all places by the instrumentality of His creation, laws, works, agents, appointments, manifestations, etc.., while His person is in heaven. Omnipresence does not means that God’s person is everywhere, but rather His presence is everywhere by way of the preceding avenues mentioned.

The Bible does not teach the omniperson of God, but rather it teaches the omnipresence of God. To teach that the person of God is everywhere is to teach a form of pantheism, the belief that the universe ins God and God is the universe. Though Jehovah is both transcendent (separate from and beyond the material universe) and immanent (with us), He is not omniperson.

During World War II, Hitler’s presence was felt throughout Europe by his armies, oppression and influence, but he, personally, was in Germany. A man’s presence may be manifested by his voice on radio or his appearance on TV while his person may be thousands of miles away. In like manner God’s presence is seen, felt and manifested throughout the universe, but His presence is in heaven.

Through the agency of angels, God is said to be present in the Old Testament. The Lord saved Israel from the Egyptians (Ex. 14:30), but He did it through the “angel of his presence” (Isa. 63:9). Notice the word “presence.” God spoke to Moses from a burning bush (Ex. 3:4), but He did it through an angel (Ex. 3:2). God went before Israel in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:21), but He did it through the medium of an angel (Ex. 14:9). All of these things are attributed to God, but He performed them through agency, namely, angels. God’s power portrayed in miracles, revelations and communications, manifestations through such things as lights, voices, lightnings and thunders, all reflect His divine presence.

Jesus promised to be in every gathering where two or three come together in His name (Matt. 18:20), but who believes that Jesus is personally present? Jesus promised to be with His disciples unti the end of the world (Matt. 28:20), but who insists that Jesus is with His disciples in person? Jesus is in heaven (Acts 7:56; Eph. 1:20; 1 Pet. 3:22). Since Jesus is in heaven, He is with us through the means of His word (the Bible), the Lord’s Supper, singing gospel songs, prayer, influence, and of course, omniscience (God’s power to know and see all). The following expresses the omnipresence of God so adequately:

He’s here, and there and everywhere

In all the ways I’ve trod

I’ve never passed beyond the sphere

Of the providence of God.

May Leave God’s Presence

Though God is omnipresent, there is a sense in which we can leave His presence. We read that God may cast us out of His presence. Concerning Israel, when God was chastising His people by the Syrian king Hazael, He preserved them from annihilation, being gracious unto them, “and would not destroy them, neither cast them from his presence as yet” (2 Kgs. 13:23). Ultimately, however, the Assyrians conquered them (2 Kgs. 17:18), and took them captive, removing them from God’s sight. Being “removed from God’s presence” (sight) was rejection by God, separated from Him, losing God’s protection and standing defenseless against their enemies.

Later, God cast Judah out from His presence (2 Kgs. 24:20), allowing the Babylonians to take them captive. This was also called, “removing them out of His sight” (2 Kgs. 24:3). Moses said of Cain, “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord” (Gen. 4:16). Having been rejected by God, Cain went out, or separated himself, from God’s protection and blessings.

On the day of the final judgment, God will punish the disobedient with “everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Thess. 1:9). “Presence” in the passage means “face,” actually denoting the “presence of a person.” H.A. W. Meyer states, “`to see the face of the Lord’ is a well-known biblical expression to denote blessedness whereas distance from it is an expression of misery” (The Second Epistle of the Thessalonians, p. 584).

So, in Thessalonians, banishment from God’s presence is not only separation from His immediate presence in heaven, but a rejection by God of His blessedness, glory and honor in an eternal fellowship. Although the wicked will be everlastingly excluded from the face of the Lord, yet the presence of God will be realized in hell as a place prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41) and through the suffering of God’s divine justice.

Lessons Learned

There are practical and important lessons learned from the omnipresence of God.

(I) Comfort. The saints of God are comforted, encouraged and consoled to know that God is with them to help and succor. We echo the Psalmist’s words of the long ago, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psa. 46:1). “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psa. 23:4). The writer of Hebrews stated, “and be content with such things as ye have; for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5).

Whenever we go as faithful Christians, we know that God is near, that He goes with us. He is never asleep, too busy to listen, or on a journey, but He is always ready to bless and help us.

(2) Communion with God assured. The nearness of God assures that a communion with God may be enjoyed everywhere, even apart from the hallowed places. God’s people could pray to Him, sing to Him and study His word without having to go to the temple in Jerusalem. This by no means excused temple worship, but it did mean that communion with God could be enjoyed outside of a specific location.

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father ….God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (Jn. 4:21,24). From any place on the earth, children of God may worship Him. Paul and Silas worshiped God while in a prison, disciples worshiped at the temple grounds in Jerusalem and saints worshiped in the home of Aquila and Priscilla. (This does not exclude assembling with the church.)

Yes, God is not very far from everyone of us. He dwells not in temples made with hands (Acts 17:24). He is not a local God, just meeting the needs of certain geographical boundaries. He is the omnipresent God!

(3) Cannot escape from God’s presence. Jonah learned this lesson from the belly of the great fish when he attempted to flee from God to Tarshish (Jonah 1:1-17). Adam and Eve, because of guilt, tried to hide themselves from the presence of the Lord, but the trees of the garden could not conceal them (Gen. 3:8). We can never get away from God. “Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee” (Psa. 139:12).

What is strange with many people is that they would not think of doing some things in the presence of other people, like taking a drink or whiskey or cursing, but yet they will do so in the presence of God. It is important, therefore, that we develop the sense of the presence of the Lord, for this will keep us from doing that which is wrong.

(4) Can be excluded from His presence. When we live in sin, walk in disobedience, we are cast out of God’s presence, here and in eternity. Cain went out by disobedience. Israel and Judah, through sin, were cast out (rejected by God and forfeited His blessings). We, too, lose God’s care, protection and fellowship when we are cast out of His presence because of sin.

In conclusion, may be confidently say of our infinite God and Father:

Lord, I believe, Yes, I believe,

I cannot doubt or be deceived;

The eye that sees each sparrow fall,

His unseen hand is in it all.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 2, pp. 43-44
January 17, 1985

By Johnie Edwards

The world’s philosophy tells us that we can worship as we please and whom we desire. This is true legally, but to please God, our worship must be on God’s terms. When Satan tempted Jesus to fall down and worship him, Jesus responded, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Matt. 4:10). God is a jealous God and He made it very clear to Israel of old when He said, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou, shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I am a jealous God. . .” (Exod. 20:3-5).

God – The Object Of Our Worship

In today’s society, men worship about everything but God. They worship men, angels, false gods, and even Satan. When Cornelius fell down at the feet of Peter to worship him, Peter said, “Stand up; I myself ship God! also am a man” (Acts 10:26). He would not allow Cornelius to worship him. Jesus sharply rebuked Satan when he tried to get Jesus to worship him (Matt. 4:8-10). John was told, “See thou do it not” when he fell down to worship an angel, and was quickly told to “worship God” (Rev. 22:8-9). The Samaritan woman told Jesus that “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain (Mt. Gerizim); and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (Jn. 4:20-24). Once and for all Jesus settled the issue that men ought to worship God!

Man’s Response

Man’s response to God’s desire for worship has gone from faithful worship by many to no worship at all. Men have responded sometimes by:

(1) Worshiping God in vain. Jesus accused the scribes and Pharisees, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:9). You see, our teaching can be of such nature that it even renders our worship vain. These people were worshiping God, but it was to no avail. How sad it is when men go through a form of worship and it all be for nought!

(2) Worshiping to please self. Paul referred to “will worship” as he wrote the Colossians (Col. 2:23). Many respond to the plea of worshiping God by doing as they please in worship. Often it is said, “We like it this way” or “it sounds good” and the list goes on. When folks say things like that, it is pretty evident that they have no desire to please God in their worship! It might be well just here to remind you, “For even Christ pleased not himself . . .” (Rom. 15:3).

(3) Mockery. Man have been known to just make fun of the Lord in their worship. In the past, the Jews worshiped in mockery. “And they worship has gone from faithful worship by many to no worship at all. and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshiped him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him” (Mk. 15:18-19). There is no way that worship of this nature could be sincere; but they were merely having a good time – this the Lord will not accept.

(4) In spirit and in truth. The only kind of response that God will accept is the kind of worship Jesus referred to as He talked with the woman at the well. He said, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (Jn. 4:24). Worship is to be of a spiritual nature. To worship in spirit is to worship from the heart. It involves understanding, meaning and feeling. To worship in truth is to worship by the teachings of the truth, the Word of God (Jno. 17:17). The Word of God must be the standard by which we worship. Early Christians followed this rule when “they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). They also sang praises from the heart (Eph. 5:19).

Some Reasons Why We Should Want To Worship God

We should feel a response of love toward God and want to honor Him in our worship. We need to want to worship God, not out of a fear of going to hell if we don’t, but rather from a desire to please God in our worship. Let’s take a look at some reasons why men ought to worship God.

(1) God Made Us. We should worship God for He made us. That which is made needs to adore the maker. In the very beginning God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Gen. 1:26-27). Man is superior to everything God made and God put him in a position of dominion over the rest of His creation.

(2) God Provides For Us. God cares about His creation. From the feeding and watering of Israel of old, Paul told the Athenians, “For in him we live, and move and have our being…” (Acts 17:28). Since it is in God that we even live and move, surely we ought to give Him the praise and adoration of our hearts in worship. Jesus said in the sermon on the mount, “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you. . .”(Matt. 6:30).

(3) God Loves Us. There is no love like the love that God has demonstrated for His creation. The highlight of God’s love can be seen in the golden text of the Bible. “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16). Paul told the Romans, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). When we ponder the fact that God gave His only son to die for our sins, surely we should be motivated to worship Him.

(4) There Is No Other. We ought to worship God for there is no other God to worship. As the people in the Old Testament were told, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else” (Isa. 45:22). If we don’t worship God, it is like Peter said one time about Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life” (Jn. 6:68). There is only “one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph. 4:6). It is either we worship God or we don’t really worship!

(5) Heaven Will Be a Place of Worship. Heaven will be an extension of our worship after our earth life. People who don’t like to worship God while here will be most uncomfortable in heaven! As the book of Revelation closes, God’s people are pictured as they worship God. John reported that “they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints …for all nations shall come and worship before thee” (Rev. 15:3-4).

Have you checked your worship lately?

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 3, pp. 65, 86
February 7, 1985

By Larry Ray Hafley

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 Jn. 4:9,10). “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (1 Jn. 3:16). “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for ‘us” (1 Jn: 3:16). “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us” (1 Jn. 4:16). “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 Jn. 3:1).

The best part of this essay is inscribed above. “And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of” the height, the depth and the width of the love of God which “passeth knowledge.” However, with a trembling hand and a grateful heart, we shall seek to magnify our theme and glorify our Rock and our Redeemer.

“Our theme will lead us as deep into the mystery of God’s nature as man can go, deeper than any of our previous studies have taken us. When we looked at God’s wisdom, we saw something of His mind; when we thought of His power, we saw something of His hand and His arm; when we considered His word, we learned about His mouth; but now, contemplating His love, we are to look into His heart. We shall stand on holy ground; we need the grace of reverence, that we may tread it without sin . . .

“It is staggering that God should love sinners, yet it is true. God loves creatures who have become unlovely and (one would have thought) unlovable. There was nothing whatever in the objects of His love to call it forth; nothing in man could attract or prompt it. Love among men is awakened by something in the beloved, but the love of God is free, spontaneous, unevoked, uncaused” (J.I. Packer, Knowing God, pp. 108, 112).

Expressions Of God’s Love

All men enjoy the tokens and expressions of love a nice gift, a warm smile, a kind word. God has not left us without the evidence of His love.

(1) In The Physical, Material Realm. We take for granted the beauty of our planet. But imagine a world without the aesthetic sounds and shades of nature. Every stream that gurgles and babbles, every bird that coos and calls, every sunrise and sunset’s radiance and light bathes us in the temporal beauty of the love of God. Surely, the canopy of heaven on a night “clear as crystal” is a taste of the artistic talent of nature’s Creator. The shimmering splendor of a silver star enlightens the heart if not the pathway. Have you never been entranced while watching an eagle soar or hearing an ocean roar and spend itself on the sands of an endless shore? All of these are the touches and brushes of the Master’s stroke. The earth is the canvas of His hues and tints and tones from whence we view the handiwork of God.

(2) In The Spiritual Realm. See and review the texts of our introduction. Observe that God’s love is shown in what God did. The sending of Christ and His sinless, selfless sacrifice reveal God’s love for sinful man. Some translations render Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrated his love for us” by having Christ to die in our place. Time and the ravages of life may steal our ability to enjoy the grandeur of our earthly domain, but “I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38, 39). “But though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). The cross of Calvary, above and beyond the manger of Bethlehem, manifests the love of God.

All the signals of love commence with the death of Jesus, but emanating from the cross, like sparkling spokes from a glowing hub, are the attendant provisions of God’s love. (A) “That we could be called the sons of God” (1 Jn. 3:1). Consider the pride one might feel if he could cite some famous and honored person as his parent. (Select your own hero.) Then, cease the idle dream and recognize what an exalted tribute it is to be called a son of God, a child of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (B) The word of God is ours. It can be hidden in the heart (Psa. 119:11). It is a divine communication, a heavenly revelation. Occasionally, an “average citizen” in a local community will receive a personal letter from the President or some other head of state. A newspaper in the city will note the letter and write a story, complete with a photo of the recipient and his letter. All of these events occur because someone received a message from the President of the United States. How more wonderful, then, is the love of God because we have His word, His letter to us, to teach, to correct, to admonish and to comfort (2 Tim. 3:16,17; 1 Thess. 4:18). (C) Prayer. Esther was afraid to petition the king personally and directly (Est. 4:11). Few members of Congress, let alone “John Doe,” are allowed to have a personal conference with the President. Think what a privilege we have to call upon our Creator and Savior and to know that He hears (Heb. 4:16; 1 Pet. 3:12).

Nature Of God’s Love

(1) Active, Not Passive. As alluded to earlier, God’s love is shown in deeds, actions. A woman would not believe a man loved her if his love could not be seen in what he did. “For God so loved that, he gave . . .”

(2) Not Eroded By Time. Time may efface and erase the love of man. Time often dims the luster of man’s ardor and devotion, but time cannot erode or corrode the love of God. It is not subject to the forgetfulness of long separation or to the changes in temper wrought love by age.

(3) Constant. One who loves us may at times appear indifferent or may disappoint us by some thoughtless oversight or “Balance must be maintained, negligence, but God’s love but a superficial for us never has to say, “I am sorry.” It is always sentimentality must there. It is steady. It is constant. It is true.

(4) Personal. The love of God is not some abstract, intangible quality diffused throughout the universe. It is supremely, intensely personal – “the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). No one is a faceless number on some celestial computer. The God who marks the death of a sparrow and who knows the names and number of the stars and of the hairs of our head certainly loves you and me as individuals and not solely as a drop in the sea of humanity.

(5) Has Moral Requirements. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1 Jn. 4:11). “We love him because he first loved us” (1 Jn. 4:19). As God says, “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:17); so, we are to love because He loves. The love of God cannot be passively accepted or appropriated. His love is the basis of our love. “Even so, love, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”

(6) Described And Defined In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. In this passage, Paul was showing the genuine character of Jesus

of true love. Generally, it is applied to the nature of man’s love, but does it not also typify and exemplify the love of God? “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends” (RSV).

God’s Love Does Not Exclude

God is often portrayed as a kindly, doting, indulgent grandfather who benignly excuses the mischief of His children. Assuredly, “God is love,” and He is king, but “God is (also) light, and in him is no darkness at all.” Hence, His love does not exclude:

(1) Hatred of Evil. “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate” (Rev. 2:6). “So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate” (Rev. 2:15). There is a “time to love, and a time to hate” (Eccl. 3:8). “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way” (Psa. 119:104). “Therefore I esteem all they precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Psa. 119:128). Paul said, “Abhor that which is evil” (Rom. 12:9). God commends love but never of hatred for every false way. Balance must be maintained, but a superficial sentimentality must never suppress hatred of evil. A man can be measured by what he loves, and he can be weighed by what he refuses to hate, despise and denounce. There is a time for smiles and the extension of the right hand of fellowship, but it must be tempered by times of stern rebuke and stiff opposition, yes, with hatred of everything that is not in harmony with the truth of the gospel (2 Cor. 10:3-5). God knows how fervently we love truth by how ardently we hate error.

(2) Conditional Blessings. Certain blessings are unconditional, “for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt. 5:45). However, God’s love does not provide benefits unconditionally in all realms or spheres. Religious denominationalism often scoffs at commands or conditions of pardon as though they contradict or make void God’s love. Thus, they hiss and boo at us from the haven of the love of God. They stake claim to God’s love, mercy, grace and blood and mock at “terms of pardon.” They confuse the basis or grounds of salvation with the terms or conditions of forgiveness. It is a fatal error. Even Christians occasionally fall into this trap. Attempting to excuse sin by claiming the merits and benefits of “the perfect doing and dying” of Jesus will not hold. Forgiveness is posited in the blood of the Son of God and granted in the mind of God upon obedience to the word of God (Col. 2:11-13; 1 Jn. 1:7-2:2; Rev. 22:14; Heb. 5:8, 9; 1 Pet. 1:18, 19, 22; Rom. 6;17, 18). He labors in vain who would seek to cite a spiritual blessing provided by God’s love that does not have conditions attached to the reception of it.

(3) Judgment. God loved Adam and Eve, but He drove them from the garden. God loved man in the days of Noah, but he brought the flood “in upon the world of the ungodly.” God loved Israel with an “everlasting love,” yet He brought them out of their favored land and into the chains and shackles of bondage, servitude and death. God loves the world and does not will or desire that “any should perish,” but He will cast all the wicked into hell, into everlasting shame, reproach and contempt, into “tribulation and anguish, indignation and wrath,” into outer darkness, “the blackness of darkness forever.” Yes, God is love, but judgment is not excluded. Therefore, let us serve Him “with reference and godly fear.”

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 2, pp. 36-37, 53
January 17, 1985