Well Jerry I agree that nobody should attempt to define God.
If somebody wants to define a "god" - that is something else and shame on them if they are inclined toward idolatry.
But as to the statement, from 1 John 4:16, "...God is love;..." if
one understands (allows for the possibility) that it is merely limited by this mongrel/corrupt english language, and that it is not trying to do anything so blasphemous as to limit or "make" God, who is too wonderful for us to ever fully express and also happens to be unchangeable - he changes not -.... then, the thoughts, expressed by the context from which those three words are taken, are praise to God.
One example: "Herein is love, not that we loved God [as if we could ever do an adequate job of loving God as he deserves!}, but that he loved us..." (1 Jn4:10)
God was merciful to Abraham, Lot, ... Moses... David.... In Ex 20:6, God says he shows mercy unto thousands of those that love him and keep his commandments. It is GREAT mercy, because we don't love him perfectly, no matter how hard we try. And we fail to perfectly keep his commandments. He deserves no less than perfection, but he shows mercy anyway; it makes my heart warm to know that he loves us even if we aren't perfect. He sees inside our hearts, no matter what facade we may put up.
So... if someone wants to talk about real love, God outshines the most "saintly" person who was ever created and walked the earth. That's what the context says to me. Kind of like saying, oh... like Adam said, for example, when he first laid eyes on Eve. "Bone of my bone!" "Flesh of my flesh!" What I understand (correct me if I'm wrong) is that Adam was saying that he was amazed to see that something already so good had been refined and improved upon, in his eyes. [Obviously, his hormones were working very well, too? :) ]
In that way of speaking, would you find it acceptable to say, regarding God's love, that, of all love, all kinds of love, all examples of love, the love that God expresses and shows is, so to speak, Love of all loves? Like, compared to the love he shows, there isn't any other love?
In other words, like, "King of kings," "Champion of champions," God's love is the best of all? Most praiseworthy of all that can be praised.
Is there a way to express those thoughts about how excellently God is capable of demonstrating to us his love and mercy, in the english language, using the english words God, love and some other word instead of is?
Once again, please accept my apologies for being so verbose.
John |
