The final presentation of God’s love (as identified by D. A. Carson) is God’s conditional love toward His people.[1] This very much correlates with the love of a parent and a child. It is a love that is conditional in the sense that it expects obedience and can only be fully enjoyed in connection with obedience. Therefore, God disciplines those He loves,[2] and He tells His people to abide in His love by doing what He commands.[3] This distinction is very helpful because sometimes Christians may confuse aspects of God’s love and believe that the Scripture is teaching they must do what God wants in order to be accepted for salvation. However, what the Scripture is truly teaching is that though believers are within the saving love of God even when they fail, they will not experience the full blessings of God’s paternal love unless they abide in that love through obedience. Carson also points out that in order to become mature Christians, we must seek to come to a deeper and deeper understanding of God’s love in this sense.[4] Understanding and experiencing the love of God more fully should be a primary endeavor of all believers in Christ.
Conclusion
In looking at the source, nature, and scope of God’s love, we have seen that the statement “God is love” cannot be taken in a simplistic manner to mean that God relates to all people in the same manner. What has been seen, though, is that God possesses love within His very Being, is completely satisfied within this internal relationship, and this love overflows into love for others. In his divine purposes, He has created a world in which He is able to show forth the various aspects of His glory, including the display of His incredible love. This love is most clearly and most amazingly revealed against the backdrop of a world infested with evil. Though this has brought about situations that are not favorable on one level, it has allowed God to fully and powerfully demonstrate the full scope of His love and mercy to the joy of His people. Augustine brings all of this into perspective when he writes:
A commander triumphs in victory, yet he could not have conquered had he not fought—the greater the danger in battle, the more joyful the triumph. Also, the storm tosses the voyagers, threatens shipwreck, and everyone turns pale in the presence of death. Then the sky and the sea grow calm and they rejoice as much as they had feared. And a loved one is sick and his pulse indicates danger. All who desire his safety are themselves sick at heart, but then he recovers, though still unable to walk with his former strength. However, there is more joy now than there was before when he walked sound and strong.[5]
And so it is with us. Because God has ordained a world in which there would be sin and the great danger of facing God’s eternal punishment, we are able to most deeply experience His amazing love and mercy in saving us. This brings about His greatest glory and our greatest joy, and so it will be for all eternity.
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