Understanding the Dimensions of God's Love

 

Summary

In today's discussion, we explored the nuanced understanding of God's love, focusing on three distinct types: benevolence, beneficence, and complacency. These distinctions help us grasp the multifaceted nature of divine love and how it operates within the framework of God's character and will. We began by examining God's love of benevolence, which is His good will toward all creation. This is evident in the angelic announcement of Jesus' birth, where peace and good will are proclaimed to humanity. God's benevolence is His basic disposition of kindness and well-being toward His creatures, even those who are rebellious. However, this benevolence does not negate His commitment to justice and righteousness. God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked, yet He remains just in His judgments.

Next, we delved into God's love of beneficence, which is the active expression of His good will. This love is demonstrated through the blessings and provisions God bestows upon all people, regardless of their righteousness. Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount calls us to emulate this love by doing good to our enemies, reflecting God's indiscriminate kindness. This beneficence is part of God's common grace, which provides for the needs of all humanity. However, the lack of gratitude for these blessings can lead to greater judgment, as it reflects a deeper rebellion against God's goodness.

In our next session, we will explore the third type of love, God's love of complacency, which is perhaps the most profound aspect of His love.

Key Takeaways:

1. God's Love of Benevolence: God's benevolence is His good will toward all creation, reflecting His character and disposition of kindness. This love is evident in the angelic proclamation of peace and good will at Jesus' birth. However, God's benevolence does not override His commitment to justice, as He remains righteous in His judgments. [05:45]

2. Justice and Benevolence: While God does not delight in the death of the wicked, His justice requires that He upholds righteousness. This balance between benevolence and justice is crucial, as God's judgments are always rooted in His holy character. [12:38]

3. Love of Beneficence: God's beneficence is the active expression of His good will, seen in the blessings He bestows on all people. Jesus calls us to imitate this love by doing good to our enemies, reflecting God's indiscriminate kindness. [20:37]

4. Common Grace and Gratitude: God's common grace provides for the needs of all humanity, but a lack of gratitude for these blessings can lead to greater judgment. This ingratitude reflects a deeper rebellion against God's goodness and adds to our guilt. [22:26]

5. Imitating Divine Love: As followers of Christ, we are called to emulate God's love by blessing those who curse us and doing good to those who hate us. This transcendent ethic challenges us to reflect God's character in our interactions with others. [21:11]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:37] - Introduction to God's Love
- [01:22] - Three Types of Divine Love
- [02:02] - Understanding Benevolence
- [03:37] - Angelic Announcement of Good Will
- [05:17] - God's Good Will and Justice
- [06:28] - Benevolence in John 3:16
- [07:15] - Benevolent Dictatorship
- [08:33] - God's Disposition Toward Humanity
- [09:24] - Ezekiel's Insight on God's Pleasure
- [12:01] - Misconceptions of Universal Salvation
- [13:17] - Justice and Righteousness
- [15:04] - God's Judgment and Benevolence
- [16:18] - Love of Beneficence Explained
- [17:44] - Jesus' Teaching on Loving Enemies
- [21:11] - Common Grace and Human Response
- [23:54] - Preview of God's Love of Complacency

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Luke 2:8-14
2. Ezekiel 33:10-11
3. Matthew 5:43-48

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Observation Questions:

1. In Luke 2:8-14, what is the significance of the angelic announcement of "peace, good will to men"? How does this relate to God's love of benevolence? [04:36]

2. According to Ezekiel 33:10-11, what is God's disposition towards the wicked, and how does this reflect His benevolence? [09:24]

3. In Matthew 5:43-48, how does Jesus describe the way we should treat our enemies, and what does this reveal about God's love of beneficence? [17:44]

4. How does the sermon explain the difference between God's benevolence and beneficence? [16:18]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the angelic proclamation in Luke 2:8-14 illustrate the concept of God's benevolence, and why is it important to understand this aspect of God's love? [04:36]

2. In Ezekiel 33:10-11, God expresses no pleasure in the death of the wicked. How does this statement challenge or affirm your understanding of divine justice and benevolence? [09:24]

3. Jesus calls us to love our enemies in Matthew 5:43-48. What does this teaching suggest about the nature of God's love and how it should be reflected in our lives? [17:44]

4. The sermon mentions that God's beneficence can lead to greater judgment if met with ingratitude. How does this concept affect our understanding of God's blessings and our response to them? [22:26]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's benevolence in your life. How did it impact your understanding of His character? [05:45]

2. How can you actively express God's love of beneficence in your daily interactions, especially towards those who may not reciprocate? [20:37]

3. Consider the balance between God's benevolence and justice. How can this understanding influence the way you approach conflicts or disagreements with others? [12:38]

4. Jesus calls us to love our enemies. Identify a specific person or group you find challenging to love. What practical steps can you take to show them kindness this week? [19:09]

5. In what ways can you cultivate a heart of gratitude for God's common grace in your life, and how might this change your perspective on daily blessings? [22:26]

6. How can you ensure that your actions reflect God's love, even when faced with hostility or opposition? What specific changes might you need to make in your behavior or mindset? [21:11]

7. Reflect on the idea that ingratitude for God's blessings can lead to greater judgment. How can you develop a habit of thankfulness in your spiritual practice? [23:11]

Devotional

Day 1: God's Benevolence Reflects His Kindness and Justice
God's love of benevolence is His good will toward all creation, a reflection of His character and disposition of kindness. This benevolence is evident in the angelic proclamation of peace and good will at Jesus' birth, signifying God's overarching kindness to humanity. However, this benevolence does not override His commitment to justice, as He remains righteous in His judgments. God's benevolence is a reminder that while He desires good for all, His justice ensures that righteousness is upheld. This balance between benevolence and justice is crucial, as God's judgments are always rooted in His holy character. [05:45]

Ezekiel 18:23 (ESV): "Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?"

Reflection: In what ways can you reflect God's benevolence in your interactions with others, while also upholding justice and righteousness in your own life?


Day 2: Justice and Benevolence in Divine Balance
While God does not delight in the death of the wicked, His justice requires that He upholds righteousness. This balance between benevolence and justice is crucial, as God's judgments are always rooted in His holy character. God's benevolence is His good will toward all creation, reflecting His character and disposition of kindness. However, His commitment to justice ensures that righteousness is upheld, even when it means judgment. This understanding challenges us to trust in God's perfect balance of love and justice, knowing that His ways are higher than ours. [12:38]

Isaiah 30:18 (ESV): "Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him."

Reflection: How can you trust in God's perfect balance of love and justice in a situation you are currently facing?


Day 3: Beneficence as Active Expression of God's Good Will
God's love of beneficence is the active expression of His good will, seen in the blessings He bestows on all people. Jesus calls us to imitate this love by doing good to our enemies, reflecting God's indiscriminate kindness. This beneficence is part of God's common grace, which provides for the needs of all humanity. As followers of Christ, we are called to emulate God's love by blessing those who curse us and doing good to those who hate us. This transcendent ethic challenges us to reflect God's character in our interactions with others, demonstrating His love through our actions. [20:37]

Matthew 5:44-45 (ESV): "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."

Reflection: Who is someone in your life that you find difficult to love? How can you actively express God's beneficence towards them today?


Day 4: Common Grace and the Call to Gratitude
God's common grace provides for the needs of all humanity, but a lack of gratitude for these blessings can lead to greater judgment. This ingratitude reflects a deeper rebellion against God's goodness and adds to our guilt. Recognizing God's beneficence in our lives should lead us to a posture of gratitude, acknowledging His provision and kindness. As we reflect on the blessings we receive, we are reminded of the importance of gratitude and the dangers of taking God's grace for granted. [22:26]

Romans 2:4 (ESV): "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?"

Reflection: What are three specific blessings in your life that you often take for granted? How can you express gratitude to God for these today?


Day 5: Emulating Divine Love in Our Lives
As followers of Christ, we are called to emulate God's love by blessing those who curse us and doing good to those who hate us. This transcendent ethic challenges us to reflect God's character in our interactions with others. By imitating God's love of beneficence, we demonstrate His indiscriminate kindness and reflect His character to the world. This call to love our enemies and do good to those who oppose us is a radical expression of God's love, inviting us to live out our faith in tangible ways. [21:11]

1 Peter 3:9 (ESV): "Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing."

Reflection: How can you intentionally bless someone who has wronged you this week, reflecting God's love and kindness in your actions?

Quotes


And so the benevolence of God has to do with his good will toward people. Let me remind you of the heavenly announcement that is reported by Luke in the Christmas narrative where with the appearance of the angels we read in chapter 2 of Luke in the eighth verse, "Now, there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields keeping watch over their flock by night. [00:03:10]

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were greatly afraid. And then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a savior, who is Christ the Lord. [00:03:48]

And this will be the sign to you, you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger."' Here we have the angelic announcement, the annunciation in this case of the birth of Jesus the savior. And then we read, "Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men.'" [00:04:19]

Now we're all familiar with that verse "on earth peace, good will to men." Other translations render it somewhat differently, and say, "Peace on earth to men of good will" because there is a grammatical ambiguity here which leaves open the question of whether that good will is an expression of God's good will towards us, or whether it is God's promise to people who are extending good will to one another. [00:04:52]

I prefer the classical rendition of this, that it has reference to the good will of God. And of course when we speak of the good will of God, we're being almost redundant. In fact we are being redundant, because God doesn't have any other will except a good will. We can assume that his will always manifests his character and his person, which is good. [00:05:22]

Now, one of the things we've been trying to do throughout this series on the love of God is to see how the attribute of divine love relates to other attributes of God. We've seen how that God's love is a holy love, it's an eternal love, it's a sovereign love, and so on. And now we see that his love is inseparably connected to his goodness. [00:05:55]

In John 3:16, that famous verse, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son" and so on, which describes the will of God in sending his Son into the world. And when God sent the Son into the world this was not merely an expression of his will, but obviously it was an expression of his good will, that he was pleased to send his only begotten Son into the world. [00:06:28]

Now, I may also add to this the idea that when we speak of the benevolent love of God, we are talking again about his will, and that dimension of his will that we call the will of disposition. And this describes God's basic posture or attitude towards his creatures. Let me take a moment to look back into the pages of the Old Testament to a text that I think is important with respect to this issue. [00:08:14]

In Ezekiel 33 beginning at verse 10 we read these words, "Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel, 'Thus you say if our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?' Say to them, as I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. [00:09:12]

Turn away from your evil ways, for why should you die, O house of Israel'." I believe it was from this text that Francis Schaeffer borrowed the title for perhaps his most famous work, "How Shall We Then Live," because Ezekiel mentions that basic question here. But notice that in this particular verse he says that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, because his basic attitude, even to fallen mankind, even those who are exposed to his wrath, is a disposition of kindness, of well-being. [00:09:57]

Now, it's so important that we understand this because some people, based on the principle of God's love of benevolence, have drawn from this idea the whole concept of universal salvation, that is, if God is basically benevolent in his disposition to all mankind, and he loves benevolently all people, then obviously in the final analysis no one will perish, no one will go to hell, because for God to send somebody to hell would be to be in violation of this characteristic of his being, namely his benevolence. [00:11:35]

But here we see in Scripture just the opposite. That in this close conjunction between these two statements, on the one hand he warns the people of the consequences if they don't warn the impenitent wicked about turning from their sins, and then says if they are warned and they do not turn from their sins then they will perish in their iniquity. That despite the added qualification that we get from the book of Ezekiel, that God doesn't take any pleasure in the death of the wicked. [00:12:20]

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Transcript
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