The love of God.
I don't think we truly understand the weight of that phrase. The world's depictions and the Church's conceptions dilute the mercies, the story, the meaning behind that four letter word, "love."
I would like to take a moment and define "love" in three contexts: the world, the Church, and the Bible.
I humbly ask for your open mind, as someone who also forgets the meaning behind the love of God.
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Love in the world
Take one look at social media – everyone is looking for some form of love. Most people look for approval through their posts and comments, others look to the internet for compatibility.
Love, to the world, is an object to be obtained in another person. If they want me, if they have sex with me, if they give me nice things, if they flirt with me – that's love. And to get love, I must open myself up. I must sacrifice my time and my heart to a makeup palette or a barbell. I must make my pictures look like the person I want to be. I must chase each and every opportunity to be loved.
Most of all, I know love from this person won't last forever so I must always be ready to move to something else that gives me that feeling of love.
To the world, love is the feeling and drive one has within themselves to pursue a deep desire; a desire which is conditional based upon how much love and appreciation is gained in return for its efforts.
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Love in the Church
Surely the Church would understand the love of God, right? Not always. The Church selects a few things within God's love – blessings, convenience, and acceptance, and holds to these as the only form of God's love.
If God loves us, the Church says, surely He will bless us in all that we ask of Him.
If God is love, He will seek to make our lives easy and give us plenty of wealth. He would never let His people suffer; not even a little bit.
God's love means that we can't call out people's sin – if we did that, no one would come back to our Church! We have to show God's love by accepting every person and never speak of their sins.
God's love, by the Church's definition, is this: Love is something God gives to us; we can take from it as we please because it is infinite and always seeks for our perception of what is good for us.
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The love of God
Since God is love, (1 John 4:8,) Understanding the character of God is key in understanding what the term "love" truly means.
God is the Creator of all things. He created love by creating the world in the first place. In the Garden, God set man apart and said humanity was good, then provided woman to represent the image of love – open, honest, and unashamed. If He created love and is love, then anything God does, He does with some form of love.
God is also infinite. As the timeless God, He not only loves presently, but loves in the past and future. Therefore, any love He exhibits for anything – or anyone – had no beginning and will have no end.
Let me repeat that. His love for you has no beginning and no end – there was not a moment in which God did not love you!
Holiness and perfection also define God. Whatever He does, He does perfectly and without mistake. This makes Himself and His love perfect.
God is also alive (Newsboys!) and active. His love doesn't sit there and wait for us to act, it works all things for our good and His glory, even if they are hard. Instead of allowing us to fall away and do what pleases us, He draws us to Himself and removes negative things in our lives which Satan disguises as good things (Proverbs 3:12a.)
Scripture defines the love of God in this way: The love of God is God and His every action.
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So, what is the weight of the love of God?
The weight is a cross, gallons of His blood, and the full extent of the wrath of an infinite God.
The weight is the realization that His death was for unworthy sinners.
The weight of the love of God is Him holding the world in place, practicing restraining grace, allowing His name to be publically worshipped in most countries, blessing most of us with consistent food and water, and filling our lungs with oxygen even as we breathe our complaints and our blasphemy and our doubts about His love when even the smallest circumstance does not fall into the realm of what we deem comfortable and necessary for easy living.
The love of God is eternal, unconditional, and distinct in its utter power.
Stop comparing His love to the world and the Church's love.
It's the best kind of different.
May God speak through these words.
With love and prayers,
Sarah Matherly
