God Is Love

By Will Powell, Guest Author

God is love. We say it so easily. God is love. But what does that mean, and why is that so important—particularly right now?

First, God defines what love is. It is not the other way around: “Love is God.” Our concept of what love might be is not supposed to define who we think God is. Instead, if we want to find out what love is, we first need to discover and explore who God is. But God has not hidden his character from us—he has revealed himself through the Bible.

Second, God demonstrates his love in history. History: it is His story. Both Old and New Testament bear witness to God’s character. In the passage we just read, Deuteronomy tells us that God is great, mighty, and awesome. He is God. But immediately, it also tells us that God is just. He cannot be bribed. It tells us of his concern for orphans and widows, ensuring justice for them. And we see his care and love for the homeless, giving them food and clothes. But because commands, laws, and concepts are difficult for us, the demonstration of God’s love reaches its climax right now: Christmas, the birth of Jesus, God made man, “Emmanuel” – God with us – this is God’s ultimate demonstration of his love. It is the pinnacle of His Story. Jesus’ birth: the light of love streaming out of the crib, touching all who look on.

Third, God disseminates his love—he distributes his love. Jesus, because he is perfect, is able to free us from being trapped by sin. All the things which taint us—which make us fall short from reflecting God’s character. God wants his love also in us, to show himself to the world. That is why he gave us his new commandment: to love one another.

So the next time you look at the nativity scene—remember this is God defining what love is through Jesus’ birth—demonstrating his love in history, and distributing his love to, and through us.

Photo by Michael Niessl on Unsplash