The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum God is love, God is love, God is love...

TomF,
I REALLY like that quote. And, if I may add my .

1. Although love is undeniably one of God's major and indispensable attributes and although it would doubtless be risky to set one attribute above another, it seems to me that God's inexorable holiness is the one attribute which seems to predominate in Scripture. ALL that God does is holy, i.e., it is perfect in every way. God's love is holy but it is nowhere said that God's holiness is lovely or love. God's justice is holy, His wrath is holy, etc.

2. Re: "light", my view is that this word "light" is often synonymous with "holiness", e.g.,

1 John 1:5-7 (ASV) "And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

It seems clear enough to me that the contrast between light and darkness is a contrast between perfect holiness and sinfulness. (cp. Ps 36:9; 84:11; Jh 8:12; 12:35,36; 1Tim 6:16; Jam 1:17; Heb 1:3)

3: Re: Jonathan Edwards' sermon "The Justice of God in the Damnation of Sinners" is definitely one of my favorites as well because it exalts the justice of the thrice holy God and at the same time magnifies beyond comprehension the love of God for the elect extended to them by His infinite mercy and grace. Another sermon of Edwards' which perhaps Robin was referring to is this one: The End of the Wicked Contemplated ...ccasion of Grief to the Saints in Heaven. This is another incredible sermon that shows just how holy (transcendent, aka: set apart) God is compared to us mortal men.

4. Lastly, today's "gospel" is no Gospel at all, IMHO. There are several articles on The Highway that deal with this subject in great detail, which you can find in THIS SECTION. And then there is this one, Another Gospel.