God's Love Agenda

I am always grateful to receive comments following the e-letter/blog, and was especially grateful to receive a generous letter together with a paper challenging the use of the term, “Unconditional Love”, which I had used in the last piece I wrote.  My friend, David, pointed out that this is not a phrase that is used in the Bible and he also quoted various Bible passages that imply that God only loves where certain conditions are satisfied.  It made me think, and I hope will make you think too.

Before I reflect further on this topic I would like to state that while we might want to assert that God’s love is unconditional, his forgiveness is certainly not unconditional, calling for genuine repentance, which ought to include appropriate actions.

Probably, both words, unconditional and love need some unpacking.  Let’s start with love.  The simple definition form the Oxford English Dictionary is “A strong feeling of affection”.  There is further definition but this will suffice for the present.  It is probable that our understanding of what love means is derived from our experience in giving and receiving love.  This might be the experience we have within family or among friends.  In some situations, it might be entangled with sexual attraction, and the concept of being in love.

I recently watched a TV programme that showed various animals acting in a loving way, both towards partners, offspring, and in a situation of tragic death.  It would be impossible to describe the behaviour in any other way than loving.  Many reading this will have benefited from the loving devotion of their mother or another adult who cared for them as new-born babies.  At a time of extreme distress as a child in hospital I felt love from a staff nurse, whose concern for me made that time bearable.

While we rejoice over such expressions of love, we also recognise that this is a love that is the response to something we observe in another.  We also recognise that it can vary in degree and might not endure.  The behaviour of someone we have loved might cause us to no longer feel that deep affection.

While there are biological explanations for the production of love, the theological explanation is that we love because we are created in God’s image.  John tells us that God IS love.

The Bible uses two Greek words for love.  These are philia and agape.  The love of which I have written above is mainly the philia love.  The Greeks in the time of Jesus, used the word agape to describe the highest and purest form of love. This is the word used to describe God’s love towards humankind.  It was used to describe the strong affection that is not evoked by the merit or actions of another.  It is the love that is described by Paul in 1Corinthians 13.  Essentially, this is a love that endures even when the loved one is unresponsive, unkind, unlovable, and unworthy. In this sense, it is unconditional.

You may already be aware of the interplay of these two Greek words in the conversation between Peter and Jesus recorded in John 21.  Jesus asks Peter if he loves him.  After all, at the Last Supper Peter had assured Jesus of his devotion, but had failed to prove it when tested.  The first two occasions, Jesus used the word agapao in his question.  But Peter could only respond using the word phileo.  It is as if Peter knows that his love for Jesus is not as strong as it should be.  The third time that Jesus asks Peter he uses phileo, as if asking Peter if he could be sure of that much love.  No wonder Peter was distressed as it seems he had to face up to the reality of his limited love for his Master.

In the light of the extravagant generous love of Jesus, our love for him will always seem poor.

But what do we mean when we speak of God’s love (always agape) being unconditional.  We need to be clear that God’s amazing love does not cause him to be tolerant about our sin.  If we were to say, “Because God loves me, it does not matter how I live”, we have missed the whole point of love.  God’s love is always intentional.  That is to say it has purpose.  In John 15 Jesus speaks about ”abiding in his love”. This is linked to keeping his commandments. But this does not imply that God ceases to love us or that he loves us less if we fail.  This is about our dwelling in that love which he has for us – making it our home.  It is we who move out of the centre of his love; not that his love becomes less or imperfect.  Keeping his commandments is like moving out of the shadows into the sunshine.

Love is a big theme for John and on several occasions in his first letter, he speaks about love becoming perfect. (See 1John 2:5; 4:12; 4:17).  John, here, uses a wonderful expression in the Greek.  He uses the word, teleioo. In this context, it means the fulfilment of its goal.  Just as a loving parent’s love for their children wants only the best for their, would keep them from harm and do well in life, so God’s love for us embodies his desire that we achieve the best.  So, just as deliberate disobedience moves us out of the fullest experience of God’s love, similarly, living in full obedience places us where his love longs to bring us.  But again, it is not the character of God that changes.

Perhaps we do need to be careful if we use the expression, “God’s unconditional love”.  The gospel reveals for us a God who is not casual about sin, but whose love for sinners is so strong that God the Son freely gave his life for us and our salvation.  I certainly do not believe that this is a love that arbitrarily picks and chooses those who will benefit from it.  But it is a love with intent. By comparison our love for God is weak.  It is a responsive love, evoked by the wonder that God first loved us.  If the love is true it will draw us ever close to God through the glad surrendering of our wills to his, so that his love for us achieves its goal.

And if we are wise we will do all we can to make the fullness of that love our dwelling place.  1 John3:1 says it so well: See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God” Three hundred and fifty years this revelation inspired Samuel Crossman to write my favourite hymn.

My song is love unknown

My Saviour's love to me,

Love to the loveless shown

That they might lovely be.

O who am I that for my sake

my Lord should take frail flesh and die?

From the Diary

Most of the coming week will be used for writing.

Tuesday January 17^th – HMP Gartree

Wednesday 18^th – Churches Together in Harborough

Thursday 19^th – William Booth College, London (teaching on Safeguarding Course)

Saturday 21^st – Mission Support Group, Narborough, Leics.

Sunday 22^nd – Nottingham Congregational Church

Thank you for your fellowship.

Barry