In the book "The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God" (by Don Carson) we discovered that there are 5 kinds of the love of God found in the Bible. They are:
1) The special love the Father has for the Son, and the Son has for the Father 2) God has a 'common' love 3) God loves everyone and desires that they all be saved 4) God has a special love for His chosen people 5) There is a love from God that comes only through obedience
We have looked at four different kinds of the love of God. This time, we are looking at the fifth kind of the love of God, which is, a love from God that comes only through obedience.
This fifth kind of the love of God deals with those who are already saved and are already children of God.
This fifth kind of the love of God has nothing to do with keeping or losing our salvation. For example, parents may love their child very much, but there are times, when the child disobeys, when the parents are angry with the child and has to discipline him or her. When the child obeys, you can say that the child is "in" the love of the parents (because the child can sense the love). But when the child disobeys, you can say that the child is "out" of the love of the parents (because the child can't sense the love).
Here are some verses from the Bible that show that there is a kind of love that comes from God, to the children of God, when there is obedience:
JUDE 21
...keep yourselves in the love of God...
JOHN 15:9
Remain in My love.
JOHN 15:10
If you keep My commandments you will remain in My love...
EXODUS 20:6
...but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
When the children of God are obedient to God, they can feel and experience the close love of God. However, when the children of God are disobedient to God, they do not feel and experience the close love of God.
When Christians are not in the love of God (in this fifth sense), it does not mean that they will lose their salvation. It does not mean that God is kicking them out of the family of God. Being "in" or "out" of God's love, or "remaining" or "not remaining" in God's love, simply refers to the love that they experience from God.
This fifth kind of the love of God depends God's children being obedient, and therefore, it is different from the other kinds of the love of God.
Okay, we have studied the five different kinds of the love of God. Next time, I will give you a test. I will give you some verses from the Bible that refer to the love of God, and I want you to identify which kind of the love of God it is talking about.
In the book "The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God" (by Don Carson) we discovered that there are 5 kinds of the love of God found in the Bible. They are:
1) The special love the Father has for the Son, and the Son has for the Father 2) God has a 'common' love 3) God loves everyone and desires that they all be saved 4) God has a special love for His chosen people 5) There is a love from God that comes only through obedience
Last time, when we began looking at the third kind of the love of God, I mentioned that there is a lot of disagreement among Christians as to the third and fourth kinds of the love of God. Some agree that the third kind is biblical and not the fourth, while others feel the fourth kind is biblical but not the third. But what I hope to show is that Don Carson is right in saying that both are biblical.
This time we are focusing on the fourth kind of the love of God, which is, that God has a special love for His chosen people.
In order to prove that God does have a special love for His chosen people, I have decided to present it in this way:
First, that God loved Israel in a special way that is different from other nations.
Second, that God loved Jacob in a special way that is different from how He loved Esau.
Third, that God loves some people in a way that is different from how He loves some other people.
Let's begin by looking at verses that show God's special love for Israel:
DEUTERONOMY 7:6
...The Lord your God has chosen you to be His own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.
ISAIAH 45:4
...Israel My chosen one...
I CHRONICLES 16:13
...Jacob's descendants - His chosen ones...
DEUTERONOMY 7:6,8
...The Lord your God has chosen you to be His own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth...because the Lord loved you...
DEUTERONOMY 10:15
Yet the Lord was devoted to your fathers and loved them...He chose you out of all the peoples...
AMOS 3:2
I have known (loved) only you (Israel) out of all the clans of the earth...
As you can see from these verses, God has chosen a people (Israel) for Himself, and He is loving Israel with a special love that all the other nations are not receiving. Does that mean that God does not love the other nations? Let me answer this by giving an example:
A man can love all women, but still have a special love for his wife, that is different from all the other women. In the same way, God's special love for Israel was like a man to his wife. God chose Israel to receive this special love. It was not based on anything that Israel did.
It is important to see that God gave His special love to only Israel whom He had chosen. Once we see how God worked in the Old Testament, it will be easier to accept that He can choose to give His love to whoever He wants in the New Testament too.
Next, let's look at God's love for Jacob and God's love for Esau. We need to see that God chose to love Jacob in a special way that He didn't show to Esau. The best place to study this is Romans 9:10-13.
...when Rebekah became pregnant by Isaac our forefather (for though they had not been born yet or done anything good or bad, that God's purpose according to election [His choosing] might stand, not from works but from the One who calls) she was told: The older will serve the younger. As it is written: Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.
Notice that God loved Jacob and hated Esau before they were born or had done anything good or bad. Why did God love Jacob and not Esau? The answer is because it was God's plan to show a special love to His chosen people, and Jacob was one of them. We see that where it says, "...that God's purpose according to election [His choosing] might stand."
One question that needs to be answered is, why does God 'hate' Esau? Actually, when we translate the way they communicated back then, into todays language, it ends up having a different meaning. That's the difficulty of interpreting languages. Let me give you an example of what I mean.
GENESIS 29:30,31
And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years. And the Lord saw Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barrren.
DEUTERONOMY 21:15,16
If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn.
In both passages I used the KJV because it seems to make the same love/hate comparison that we have in Romans 9. In both passages the husband has two wives, one is loved and the other is hated. But does he really hate the other wife? Actually it's just the way they expressed a special love for one of the two wives back in those days. You show your special love for someone by saying that you hate the other.
We also see this love/hate language is Luke 14:26.
If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
Is Jesus really telling us to hate our father, mother, wife, children, brothers and sisters??? No, not at all. Jesus is expressing that he must be the one that we have a special love for. The love/hate language simply expresses a special love.
Now let's go back to Romans 9. When the Bible says that God loves Jacob but hates Esau, what does it really mean, based on what we just discovered?
I think the answer has to be that God has a special love for Jacob that He doesn't have for Esau. God loves Esau, but Jacob was chosen to receive this special love.
First,we saw that God has a special love for chosen Israel. Second, we saw that God had a special love for chosen Jacob. Now, we want to look into Scripture and see if God has a special love for His chosen people.
As we look at the following verses, can you see that God has a special love for His chosen people?
Note: By the way, the words "election" and "elected" simply mean "chosen by God".
COLOSSIANS 3:12
Therefore, God's chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience...
1 THESSALONIANS 1:4
...knowing your election, brothers loved by God.
2 THESSALONIANS 2:13
But we must always thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
ACTS 13:48
When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the message of the Lord, and all who had been appointed to eternal life believed.
1 PETER 2:9
...you are a chosen race...
2 TIMOTHY 2:10
This is why I endure all things for the elect...
As we can see from these verses, God does have a special love for His chosen people. This fourth kind of the love of God is different from the third kind of the love of God.
We have one more kind of the love of God. It is a love of God that only comes through obedience. We'll look at that next time!
In the book "The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God" (by Don Carson) we discovered that there are 5 kinds of the love of God found in the Bible. They are:
1) The special love the Father has for the Son, and the Son has for the Father 2) God has a 'common' love 3) God loves everyone and desires that they all be saved 4) God has a special love for His chosen people 5) There is a love from God that comes only through obedience
We have finished looking at the first and second kind of the love of God. We can now move on to study the other kinds of the love of God. But before we move on, I need to let you know that there is a lot of disagreement among Christians regarding the third and fourth kinds of the love of God. Let me explain why.
Both the third and fourth kind of the love of God are focused on salvation. The third kind of the love of God states that God loves everyone and desires that they all be saved. However, the fourth kind of the love of God states that God has a special "electing" (or choosing) love, and that only those chosen by God will be saved. Some have said that it's impossible to have both the third and fourth kind of the love of God. Some will say that there is a third kind but the fourth kind is not biblical. While others will say that there is a fourth kind but the third kind is not biblical. I want to show that Don Carson is right, and if you do not accept both the third and fourth kind of the love of God as being biblical, then it is certain that there will be confusion, unbalanced doctrine, and wrong views on the love of God.
Since we are studying the third kind of the love of God this time, my goal is to show that God does love everyone and desires that all be saved.
Let's start by looking at John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
We see in John 3:16 that God loves the world. But who is the world? According to Don Carson, in the writings of John (i.e. Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John), "world" is simply referring to all unbelievers. So when John 3:16 says that God loves the "world", He really does love ALL the "world".
God showed His love for all the world by sending His Son to die for all the world. We know that Christ came to die for all the world by the following verses:
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the WORLD!" (John 1:29 ESV)
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD." (1 John 2:2 ESV)
When we realize that John uses "world" to mean all unbelievers, then it's not difficult to see that God loves all people, that He sent Christ to die for all people, and that He desire the salvation of all people.
As I said earlier, there are some people that do not accept this third kind of the love of God. They see the "world" as meaning God's chosen people, and therefore they believe God only loves them. They do not believe that God sent His Son to die for all, and they do not believe God desires the salvation of all. However, I hope to prove that these people do not hold to the historic Christian position regarding God's love at the cross.
Let me begin by giving you a sample of different men throughout church history who hold to this third kind of the love of God. By the way, all of these men also hold to the fourth kind of the love of God, showing that it's possible to believe both at the same time.
AUGUSTINE (354-430)
The Redeemer came, and gave a price; He poured forth His Blood, and bought the whole world. Ye ask what He bought? Ye see what He hath given; find out then what He bought. The Blood of Christ was the price. What is equal to this? What, but the whole world? What, but all nations?.. He gave what He gave for the whole world. He knew what He bought, because He knew at what price He bought it.“ Augustine, “Exposition of the Psalms,” Ps 96:5, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, vol 8, 309.
PETER LOMBARD (1100-1160)
“He offered himself for all as far as the sufficiency of the price is concerned, but, as far as efficacy is concerned, for the elect only,” Libri Sententiarum Quatuor, in J. Migne (Ed.), Cursus Completus Patrologiae, Paris 1845.
THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
But by suffering out of love and obedience, Christ gave more to God than was required to compensate for the offense of the whole human race...And therefore Christ’s Passion was not only a sufficient but a superabundant atonement for the sins of the human race; according to 1 John 2:2: “He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” Summa Theologica, Part 3, Q 48.2.(Thomas Aquinas 125-1274)
MARTIN LUTHER (1483-1546)
Yes, He assumes not only my sins but also those of the whole world, from Adam down to the very last mortal. Luther, “Sermons on the Gospel of St. John: Chapters 1-4,” in Luther’s Works, 22:161-170.]
HULDRYCH ZWINGLI (1484-1531)
"If then Christ by his death has reconciled all people who are on earth when he poured out his blood on the cross and if we are on earth, then our sins, too, and those of everyone who has ever lived, have been recompensed by the one death and offering." (Zwingli, Exposition and Basis of the Conclusions or Articles Published by Huldrych Zwingli, 29 January 1523, Pickwick Publications, vol 1, p, 97.)
WILLIAM TYNDALE (1494-1536)
For (saith he) there is one God, and one God, and one Mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus, which gave himself a redemption and full satisfaction for all men. [Tyndale, "Exposition of First Epistle of St. John", Works, 2:406]
JOHN CALVIN (1509-1564)
So far as men are concerned, I admit the force of this argument; for it is the will of God that we should seek the salvation of all men without exception, as Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world." [Calvin on Gal. 5:12]
HEIDELBERG CATECHISM (1563)
37 Q. What do you understand by the word "suffered"? A. That during his whole life on earth, but especially at the end, Christ sustained in body and soul the anger of God against the sin of the whole human race...
SYNOD OF DORT & WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY OF DIVINES (1618-1649)
Calamy, who spoke repeatedly in the debate on the Extent of Redemption,avowed that he held, IN THE SAME SENSE AS THE ENGLISH DIVINES AT THE SYNOD OF DORT, 'that CHRIST BY HIS DEATH DID PAY A PRICE FOR ALL , with absolute intention for the elect, with conditional intention for the reprobate incase they do believe; that all men should be salvabiles non obstante lapsu Adami...;that Jesus Christ did not only die sufficiently for all, but God did intend, in giving of Christ, and CHRIST IN GIVING HIMSELF DID INTEND TO PUT ALL MEN IN A STATE OF SALVATION IN CASE THEY DO BELIEVE.' (MINUTES OF THE SESSIONS of the WESTMINISTER ASSEMBLY OF DIVINES (November 1644 to March 1649) from the 1874 edition - Taken from the Introduction - by Dr. Mitchell)
JONATHAN EDWARDS (1703-1758)
He was enabled to do and to suffer the whole will of God; and he obtained the whole of the end of his sufferings — a full atonement for the sins of the whole world [Jonathan Edwards, Christ’s “Agony,” in Works, Banner of Truth, vol, 2, p., 874.]
W.G.T SHEDD (1820-1894)
When Christ died on Calvary, the whole mass, so to speak, human sin was expiated merely by that death ; but the whole mass was not pardoned merely by that death. The claims of law and justice for the sins of the whole world were satisfied by the “offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10); but the sins of every individual man were not forgiven and “blotted out” by this transaction.[Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, 3:418.]
R. L. DABNEY (1820-1898)
It would seem then, that the Apostle’s scope is to console and encourage sinning believers with the thought that since Christ made expiation for every man, there is no danger that He will not be found a propitiation for them who, having already believed, now sincerely turn to him from recent sins. Dabney, Lectures, 525
I know this has been very long, but it is my goal to show that the third kind of the love of God is biblical. But more than that, I hope I have shown, by the many examples that were given, that it is possible for someone to believe the third kind and fourth kind of the love of God without contradiction.
Does God love the whole world and desire for all to be saved? I believe the biblical answer is "yes"!
Next time we'll look at the fourth kind of the love of God. The fourth kind of the love of God states that God has a special saving love for His chosen people. Sound confusing? I hope I can explain it in a way that is clear.
We are now looking at the second kind of the love of God found in the Bible. The second kind of love of God is God's 'common' love. In one sense God shows love to all 'equally' by not discriminating in certain kinds of His blessings.
Where do we see this in the Bible?
Matt. 5:43-45
You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, So that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, And sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Notice that Jesus says to love your enemies 'so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven'. Do you remember what we learned last time about how the father showed the son everything that he did, and the son did everything he saw his father do. Well, we could say that we are to love our enemies because we must do what we see our Father doing. In other words, the Father loves His enemies!
When you continue on in that passage, you see how God loves His enemies. He causes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good. He sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. God, by blessing the 'evil' people and the 'unrighteous' people, is actually showing love to His enemies. So God has a 'common' love that He shows to all (Christian or non-Christian).
Have you thought about some of these examples?
- Our favourite sports heroes, are they Christian or non-Christian? - The most beautiful or handsome people, are they Christian or non- Christian? - The smartest people, are they Christian or non-Christian? - The richest people, are they Christian or non-Christian?
The point is, God doesn't only bless the Christians! If you look around, you will see that God has blessed non-Christian too. In one sense, God seems to have an 'equal' or 'common' love for all.
Again, I want to say that all 5 kinds of the love of God are different. God's 'common' love is different from His other kinds of love. If we get them mixed up, you can have confusion, unbalanced, and wrong understanding of the love of God.
It important that we understand these differences correctly!
Last time, in our introduction of the book "The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God" (by Don Carson) we discovered that there are 5 kinds of the love of God found in the Bible. They are:
1) The special love the Father has for the Son, and the Son has for the Father 2) God has a 'common' love 3) God loves everyone and desires that they all be saved 4) God has a special love for His chosen people 5) There is a love from God that comes only through obedience
We found out that it is important, when we read or study the Bible, to know which kind of the love of God a verse or passage is talking about. If we don't know which kind of the love of God the verse or passage is talking about, it would be very easy to become confused, unbalanced, or wrong in our understanding regarding the love of God.
So let's get started in studying the 5 different kinds of the love of God found in the Bible.
The 'first' kind of the love of God we are going to look at is the special love between God the Father and God the Son. John 5:19,20 helps us to see this special love.
Then Jesus replied, "I assure you: The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing..." John 5:19,20 CSB)
In order to understand this verse, we need to understand a little about the culture in which Jesus grew up in. Because a Father loved his son, he would carefully show his son all that he does so that the family tradition would continue. For example, if the father was a carpenter, the father would show his son everything he knew about carpentry. The son would reveal what his father is like because he would do exactly what his father did.
In the same way, you can see this same idea expressed in the following verses:
"For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing..." "For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way." "The Son is not able to do anything on his own, but only what He sees the Father doing."
When the Son does only what He sees the Father doing, He reveals God perfectly. Since the Father is perfect in every way, and since Jesus is revealing that perfection, the Father loves the Son in a special way. It's the perfect obedience that keeps the Son of God in the love of the Father.
The Father shows His love to the Son by showing Him 'everything He is doing'. The Son shows His love to the Father by doing everything He sees the Father doing.
The love between the Father and the Son is a perfect love. It is not the same as the 4 other kinds of the love of God found in the Bible.
As we study the 5 different kinds of the love of God, try and remember each kind. When we are done studying all 5 of them, I will sign different verses and passages to you, and I want you to try and figure out which kind of the love of God it's related to.
In the book "The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God" (by D.A. Carson), we see 'five' different ways the Bible speaks of the love of God. They are:
1) The special love the Father has for the Son, and the Son has for the Father 2) God has a 'common' love 3) God loves everyone and desires that they all be saved 4) God has a special love for His chosen people 5) There is a love from God that comes only through obedience
When we read a verse or passage about the love of God, we need to make sure which kind of the love of God is being talked about. If we are mistaken about the kind of love of God in the verse or passage, or if we focus on only one kind of love, we can become unbalanced and confused.
Today we begin our video study on "The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God".
Part 1 - "Why do we need to study about the doctrine of the love of God?"
