God’s love

Last Wednesday, in our evening Bible study, the subject of God’s love came up and what I’d like to do here today is followup on that for a few moments.  I heard a phrase awhile back referring to the “unconditional” love of God and so my thoughts here will center upon the idea of the “unconditional love” of God.

You know, the Bible uses things of this world to help us see a picture of something we can’t physically see.  A good example of this is the pictures painted in words regarding “heaven” and “hell.”  Using things that we are familiar with we get either a picture of a place more beautiful than we can imagine or, a place that is more dreadful and terrible than we can imagine.

Well, that got me to thinking about something familiar to all of us that I could use to help us better understand “unconditional love.”  What on this earth can suffice to show us a picture or to help illustrate that subject.  Well, I’ve come up with something that I think can be used in this regard that might help us see the picture of “unconditional love.”

You know, the term “unconditional” is hard for us to comprehend.  It’s like “infinity” or “eternity.”  Every thing on or about this world is limited so it’s hard to grasp the idea of something “unlimited,” isn’t it?  And that is basically what “unconditional” means.  Something not bound by limits.  Let me see if my little illustration here helps us see something “unconditional.”

For most of my life, with some breaks in time, I’ve had a dog.  Sometimes dogs, as in more than one at a time.  I’ve had various breeds of dogs.  I’ve had dogs of various sizes, big dogs, little dogs and medium dogs.  And, in keeping with current news related events, I’ve had both “documented” (papered) but mostly “undocumented” dogs.  You know, just good old dogs.

As to “looks,” I’ve had what I considered to be beautiful dogs and once I had one that could have been a contender for the ugliest dog contest.  Possibly could have won it too.  But, you know what?  She was one of the most loving of all the dogs I’ve owned.

There was Queenie, Tinker, Toby, Lexie, Brandy & Sandy (sisters), Tootsie (the lovable ugly one), Chloe and even one Biblically named: Amos Moses.  I have to mention Rufus who had the dubious distinction of being run over by two teenage girls on a Moped.  The current little mopheaded critter sharing our house with us is Murphy.  And there may have been a couple of other ones that have slipped my mind, but that’s enough for our lesson today.

Yes, they came in all colors, sizes and breeds.  The all had different personalities (perhaps I should say “caninealities”) but, they all had one thing in common.  They loved us.  It didn’t matter to them whether we were rich or poor.  They didn’t care whether we were young or old or what gender we were.  And, it didn’t matter to them what the color of our skin was.  They just loved us.

We mentioned earlier about “unconditional” meaning things like “unbound” or “unlimited.”  That’s the description of God’s love for His creation - man.  We often sing the hymn “Love Divine” wherein we find the phrase “pure, unbounded love Thou art.”  That’s the love that God has for us: pure and unbounded.

There’s a passage in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians that fits perfectly with this lesson on how God loves man.  In chapter 2, verses 4-5 we read: “But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved).”

I guess that another way of saying it is this; God doesn’t love us because we love Him.  That would make it “conditional,” wouldn’t it?  No, John tells us that “We love Him, because He first loved us.”  (1John 4:19)   In other words, God set the example of love for us so that we should emulate that love for others.  “Beloved, if God so lived us, we ought to also love one another.”  (1John 4:11)

Probably the best verse in His Word for showing the “unconditional love” that God has for man is probably also the best-known verse of the Bible.  Even non-believers are familiar with it.  Of course, I’m speaking of John 3:16 where it reads: “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.”

Well, as I said earlier, it’s hard to illustrate something that has no limits.  Something that’s “unconditional” because everything we do as humans has limits or conditions.  That’s why I turned to another of God’s creations to help us see “the picture” - the love of a dog for its master/mistress.   And all they want is for that love to be returned. That just seemed to me to be the most appropriate earthly example I could think of.

Let me close today’s thoughts by citing one more passage to you from the 4th chapter of 1 John, verse 16.  Perhaps we need to let this verse be our mantra, so to speak. 

    “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us.  God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”

Respectfully submitted,

Ron Covey