"He First Loved Us"- "God Is Love"

The Bible says something about love that it never says about Jehovah's other cardinal attributes.  The Scriptures do not say that God is power or that God is justice or even that God is wisdom.  He possesses those qualities, , is the ultimate source of them, and is beyond comparison in regard to all three.  About the fourth attribute, though, something more profound is said:  "God is love." (1 John 4:8)  What does that mean?

"God is love"is not a simple  equation, as if to say.  "God equals love." We cannot rightly reverse the statement and say that "love is God."  Jehovah is much more than an abstract quality.  He is a person with a wise array of  feelings and characteristics in addition to love.  Yet, love runs very deep in Jehovah.  One reference work thus says regarding this verse:  "God's essence or nature is love." Generally, we might think of it  this way:  Jehovah's power enables him to act.  His justice and his wisdom guide the way he acts.  but Jehovah's love motivates him to act.  And his love is always present in the way he uses his other attributes.  

Next time: "He First Loved Us"- Conclusion of "God Is Love"

From the book: Draw Close to Jehovah