Soteriology (Laity) 2024/2025 Discussion Board 1

[pastorhelen]

What will a true understanding of God’s love do for you, and how is it different from friendship love? In your post state and explain at least three things about God’s love and three ways it differs from friendship love. Support your answer with scriptural backing.

Paste the same submission from the previous step here by clicking on the REPLY link just above. Your submission should be made by Wednesday, the 18th of June 2025.

Then scroll down to see your peer submissions and click reply to comment on their submissions. You MUST comment on at least one post with a minimum of 200 words by 11:59 p.m. (WAT) on Friday, the 20th of June 2025. Your comments will also be graded.
Your post should be a minimum of 400 words, while your reply should be at least 200 words.

[Chibuike Onyeogulu]

A true understanding of God’s love (agape love) transforms not only how we see ourselves but how we live, love, and relate to others. Unlike friendship love, which is beautiful yet limited by human incapability, God’s love is divine, boundless, and redemptive which is the backbone of our salvation.

Three Truths About God’s Love
God’s love is unconditional and sacrificial: God’s love is not based on our merit or behavior. He loved us even when we were undeserving. God’s love is offered to us freely and without prerequisites. It is the love demonstrated when Christ died for us—even while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). This sacrificial, grace-filled love overrides our human tendencies toward conditional affection

God’s love is everlasting and unchanging: Unlike human affection and emotions, which can vary with circumstances and moods, God’s love is everlasting (Jeremiah 31:3). It stands firm through every season of life, offering stability and assurance regardless of our failures or successes. His love is not swayed by time, failure, or distance.

God’s love is transformative and redemptive: When we truly grasp God’s love, it changes us from the inside out. It does more than comfort you, it transforms you. This love has the power to heal wounds, dissolve doubts, and renew your purpose by aligning you with a transcendent mission of compassion and redemption. His love empowers us to love others (1 John 4:19), forgive, and live with purpose.

Three Ways God’s Love Differs from Friendship Love
Origin and Nature: Friendship love is built on mutual attraction, shared experiences, and reciprocity. In contrast, God’s love flows directly from His divine nature. It is not earned but is given freely as a fundamental characteristic of who God is (1 John 4:16). Friendship love can grow or fade, but God’s love is who He is.

Depth and Reach: While friendships are precious, they are naturally subject to the vicissitudes of human behavior, emotions, and circumstances. God’s love, however, endures beyond the limitations of time and change—it is eternal and unbreakable (Romans 8:38–39). No human love can match that kind of permanence and power, God’s love reaches into the depths of your soul and eternity.

Purpose and Effect: Friendship love comforts and supports, but God’s love redeems and restores. Friendship offers support, guidance, and shared joy, but its impact is confined to our earthly relationships. God’s love, on the other hand, is redemptive—it restores our brokenness, redeems our faults, and calls us into a life that mirrors His forgiving, transformative grace. His love doesn’t just walk beside us, it saves us (1 John 4:10).

In conclusion, understanding God’s love is not just theological—it’s deeply personal. It gives us identity, security, and a calling to love others with the same grace we’ve received. Friendship love is a gift, but God’s love is the source from which all true love flows

[Humble oluchi God’s power]

I truly appreciate your work. Thank you for sharing your insights. I can confidently say that.

Your essay eloquently expresses the transformative nature of God’s love. You have effectively emphasized its unconditional, sacrificial, everlasting, and redemptive qualities.

The distinction you draw between God’s love and friendship love is insightful, highlighting the unique attributes of divine love. The citations from Romans 5:8, Jeremiah 31:31, John 4:19, and Romans 8:38–39 enrich your perspective with depth and authenticity.
Your writing radiates passion and conviction, making it both relatable and impactful.

One area that could be further explored is how a believer can experience and embody God’s love in their daily lives. Indeed, reflecting on God’s love each day strengthens our relationship with Him and transforms lives. God’s love is a transformative force that can revolutionize our lives.

One way to deepen our understanding and experience of God’s love is through acts of kindness, compassion and forgiveness. Serving others can be a powerful means of reflecting and experiencing God’s love in action.

Overall, The love of God offers forgiveness, restoration, and salvation, changing lives and relationships. By daily embracing and reflecting on this divine love, we can attain peace, purpose, and fulfillment.

[VictorKachi]

A true understanding of God’s love suggests that there is a false understanding of his love. Having accurate knowledge of something prevents Abuse from taking flight.

If you have a friend and that friend offends you or say something to you that you don’t expect them to say and they are trying to explain to you the mistake they made, you might end that friendship and throw away the years of friendship but what makes you stop and listen is the balance of God’s (agape) love.

Truths about God’s love
A) God’s love (Agape) is the highest form of Love.
1 John 5:4, John 15:13
There are four major words translated as love in Greek. These four kinds of love are: storge, which is family love; phileo, which is friendship love; eros, which is sexual or physical love; and then there is agape, which is God’s kind of love. When we say God is love we ain’t saying God is storge, phileo or Eros. God is love (agape) but love is not God. While friendship, love, and all other types of love are important, they are still human forms of love. They come with their own downsides, limitations, and shortcomings. Friendship love is like a two-legged stool; it requires God’s love to be stable, but God’s love does not rely on friendship love or any other type of love.

B) God’s love is characterized by being unconditional and sacrificial.
Romans 5:6-8 NKJV,MSG
There is no believe system that the founder laid down his life for his friends or followers. In spite of the risks, Christ still died for all. He did not allow the risks involved in love stop him from loving and giving his life

C) God’s love is all-encompassing. John 3:16
“… for God so loved the world…”, not the church.
God’s love is described as all-encompassing. While we were yet sinners, christ died for us. God proved His love for us by acting first. He didn’t make arrangements with us ahead of time, or wait for us to become strong and godly and worthy of being saved. He loved us and took action to save us while we were still helpless to save ourselves because of our sin. Rom 5:6

Three ways in which God’s love is distinct from the love found in friendship
1) The element of risk
1 John 4:18
In friendships, there often exists a fear factor, leading to thoughts like, “What if I reach out to this person and they reject my love? Is this individual truly worth my affection?”. In contrast, God’s love is not hesitant. It is a love that led Him to send His only begotten Son to die a gruesome death on the cross. One might assume that such love is irreparably damaged. However, God’s love repeatedly leaves the ninety-nine to seek out the one; one might wonder, “What if He loses the ninety-nine in the process of finding the one?”. One thing is sure, God’s love cannot be comprehended by our senses, it is a supernatural and revelational love based on a decision to love revealing a clear determination of will.

2) Motivation and Expectations
Friendship love (Phileo) is often motivated by emotion, pity or even a sense of obligation. it typically entails a mutual expectation of reciprocity. This relationship is inherently bilateral, emphasizing the importance of both parties. Most people pull back from love because they have been abused Phil 1:9-10
In contrast, God was motivated by solely by Love. God’s love is not self-centered; it does not prioritize its own interests, nor is it driven by selfish motives. It does not contemplate what it might gain or lose. Instead, God’s love is defined by the act of giving selflessly, without any anticipation of receiving something in return.

3) Duration
God’s love is everlasting, while friendship love is time-limited. Rom 8:38-39, Jer 31:3

In conclusion, God’s love is the highest and most perfect kind of Love. God’s essential nature is Love. He doesn’t oscillate between love and hate. If we consistently dedicate more time to reflecting on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the eyes of our hearts will be continually enlightened, allowing us to witness the most profound demonstration of Love. This revelation will facilitate a continuous manifestation of the supernatural in an individual’s life thus fulfilling the Bible’s command for a healthy love towards one another. John 13:34
 

[Chibuike Onyeogulu]

Your breakdown of true versus false understandings of God’s love is both comprehensive and practically insightful. You’ve captured how agape transcends and stabilizes our human loves, and how a firm grasp of it guards us against relational abuse or disillusionment.
What I love in your outline:
1. You start by naming the very real danger of mis-understanding God’s love—without accurate doctrine, abuse takes flight.
2. Your “Truths about God’s Love” section (A–C) is well-structured: you define agape, show its unconditional/sacrificial nature, and stress its all-encompassing reach. That scaffolding helps any reader see why the Gospel call to love truly is world-changing.
3. Your “Three distinctions from friendship love” bring out fresh angles—risk, motivation, duration—that expose our typical, self-protective instincts and contrast them with God’s fearless, selfless, everlasting devotion.
Beyond your outline—next avenues to explore:
• The Holy Spirit as the Agent of Love: How does the Spirit empower us to receive agape and then pour it out to others (Romans 5:5)?
• Love in Judgment: True agape doesn’t ignore sin. How does God’s love lead Him to discipline lovingly (Hebrews 12) and yet provide restoration?
• Practical outworkings: What does living under agape look like in conflict resolution, in financial generosity, in church discipline?

[VictorKachi]

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your profound insights as it pointed out a very important aspect. I’d love to contribute and delve deeper while maintaining the context of this essay.

Absolutely! As you pointed out, the Holy Spirit is the agent of Love – Not any love though but God’s love poured out by the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5).

The presence of the Holy Spirit in one’s life brings about a comforminty between God’s love and friendship love.
In john 15:15, by calling his disciples friend, Jesus emphasizes that friendship love is embedded in God’s love demonstrating that God’s love is not just a distant, paternal affection but a personal, relational love.

Here’s a story that would shed more light on your insights

As a devoted friend to Sarah, you found out Sarah had a conflict with someone and she firmly believed she was in the right. As her friend, you wanted to stand by her, but you also recognized the importance of being truthful. So, how do you navigate this situation?

To be frank, the love of friendship alone isn’t enough for sound judgment. Without the love of God, which is empowered by the Holy Spirit in our hearts , there’s a risk of being biased or judgmental.
God’s love is pure; it isn’t one-sided and doesn’t depend solely on emotions, sympathy, or mercy.
God balances both Mercy and Judgment.

How does God’s love lead him to discipline lovingly and yet provide restoration?

Hebrews 12:6, Proverbs 3:11-12, Revelation 3:19
God’s discipline is a manifestation of His love, aimed at correcting, refining His children and restoration.

[Humble oluchi God’s power]

A true understanding of God’s love (Agape love) can transform one’s life, providing a multitude of advantages and revelations. Fundamentally, God’s love represents a deep and steadfast commitment that goes beyond human understanding.

God’s love is known as Agape love: Agape love represents a selfless, sacrificial, unconditional, and steadfast type of love that places the welfare of others above all. It is frequently regarded as the supreme form of love—the kind of love that God has for humanity and the type of love that Christians are encouraged to extend to others.

Three Aspects Of God’s Love

1) God’s Love Is Unconditional. (Romans 5:8)
This truth signifies that His love does not depend on conditions or prerequisites. It is not contingent upon performance or behavior; rather, it is a gift of grace.

This love is given freely, without any expectation of reciprocation. God exemplifies love and compassion. His love is unconditional, embracing all of us, irrespective of our actions.

2) God’s Love Is Sacrificial. (John 15:13)
From this scripture, we see that God’s love is sacrificial. This indicates His readiness to relinquish something precious. God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to the cross at Calvary for our benefit—to settle our sin debt. He gave Himself for humanity’s sake. That sacrifice was essential to atone for our sins and to restore our relationship with God.

3) God’s Love Is Everlasting. (Jeremiah 31:3)
God’s love is everlasting; it is eternal. It is something we can experience and cherish now, on earth, and for eternity. God’s love is infinite, reaching out to all.

How God’s Love Differs From Friendship Love

A) God’s love encompasses all aspects of life, but
Friendship love has its limitations; while it is supportive and meaningful, it can be conditional, influenced by shared experiences, and subject to change. Friendships necessitate effort and care to thrive.

B) God’s love remains unwavering, but Friendship love, while precious, can fluctuate, is frequently confined to particular relationships, and may not last indefinitely.

C) God’s love is infinite and eternal, while Friendship love is finite and confined, can be influenced by emotions, circumstances, and conflicts. Mainly in the selfless actions of parents, partners, friends, and even strangers who prioritize others’ needs over their own.

Overall. By understanding the distinct characteristics of God’s love and its differences from friendship love, we can enhance our faith and foster more significant connections with others.This insight facilitates a consistent manifestation of the supernatural in our lives.

[Oziie]

Your essay on God’s agape love is informative and encouraging. It precisely states the transformation and the extent of which a true understanding of God’s love is capable of bringing about. I am especially thankful that it emphasized its unconditional, sacrificial, and eternal character. These are what set divine love apart from all the others, particularly friendship love, which while treasured, remains subject to human weakness and circumstance.
Your use of scriptures including Romans 5:8, John 15:13, and Jeremiah 31:3 strengthens your arguments and allows readers to trace biblical truth to application. It is important that Christians realize God’s love is not earned but something He gives. This truth has the potential to heal and give assurance to other people who have felt inadequate or neglected.
The distinction you made between God’s love and friendship love was also evidently stated. Friendship love is prone to relying on effort and is subject to change or getting hurt. God’s love, however, does not change and is eternal, the same even when we become different.
This is a great reminder of how God’s love helps us love others not out of obligation, but from a place of gratitude and grace. It suggests a greater relationship with God and helps us to reflect God’s character in our interactions. Thank you for sharing.

[Oziie]

A real consciousness of God’s love will completely transform every part of your life (your identity, purpose, and relationship with others). It is different from friendship love, precious as it is and still human, but sacred, immovable, and limitless in strength.
First, God’s love does not waver even when we fall and fail. It states in Lamentations 3:22-23, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” When you truly understand this, you no longer live in fear of rejection and begin to rest in God’s sure grace.
Second, God’s love is initiated by Himself. 1 John 4:10 says that, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” God never waited for you to follow Him or gain His attention; He took the first step, showing mercy. This truth takes pride away and fills your heart with humility and worship.
Third, the love of God is enabling. Romans 5:5 says, “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” That is, His love isn’t just something you receive but something that fills you and enables you to love others even when it is hard.

Friendship love is also distinct in different ways:
Variable or Constant: Friendships can grow or shrink according to circumstances. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times,” but even that is fallible. God’s love alone is constant. Psalm 136 says, “His steadfast love endures forever,” pointing out that it never ends.
Mutual Need or Divine Sufficiency: Love between friends is sometimes founded on mutual need and benefit. God does not need us to be complete; He loves us due to His own sufficiency. Acts 17:25 says, “Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything” This renders His love unconditionally gracious, not transactional.
Natural Affection or Transformational Power: Friendship love is a natural human affection. The love of God does something more, it transforms sinners into saints. Ezekiel 36:26-27 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you…” Only the love of God can grant us a new nature.

Lastly, an actual understanding of the love of God creates deep security, ignites sacrificial devotion, and brings about real change from the inside out. Friendship love is fine, but it is as nothing in comparison to God’s unwavering, initiating, and life inducing love that overflows from His heart to all who place their trust in Him.

[Miriam IfeanyiChukwu]

Thank you, Ozioma, for sharing your thoughts on this subject. I especially appreciate the part where you mentioned that God is the initiator of agape love. This is very true. The Bible is full of examples where God starts the love process. From the Garden after the Fall (Genesis 3:21), even though the first man had committed high treason against Him, He still killed an animal and made clothing to cover their nakedness. The plan for the redemption of man was already laid from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). This is love!
Two parables in the New Testament drive this home for me:
1. The prodigal son (Luke 15:20-22).
The Bible says the boy was still a far distance away when his father sighted him, and ran to meet him. The father didn’t even wait for the younger son to finish his rehearsed confession; instead, he instructed his servants to give him the royal treatment he did not deserve.
2. The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers (Matthew 21:33-46)
The Vine owner in this parable kept sending servants to the vinedressers managing his vine, even though they treated the previous ones he sent badly and even killed some, till he sent his son, who was eventually killed. This is how God, in His love, keeps sending love our way, not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9).

[Miriam IfeanyiChukwu]

Introduction
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines love as a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.
In Greek, however, several words are used to distinguish the concept that English combines under the word “love.” These include agape (unconditional, selfless), Philia (affectionate, brotherly), Eros (romantic, passionate), and Storge (familial) love.
God is love, as 1 John 4:16 tells us. He serves as the foundation for love. No conversation about genuine love can be complete without mentioning God and His love. The type of love associated with God is called agape. A perfect description of God’s love is found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. This love differs from friendship love, called philia.
A true understanding of God’s love has done and still does several things for me. One of which is the permanent cure for all forms of complex and insecurity. As an individual, one of the most liberating truths I have received is that the God who has the highest standard loves me, despite my imperfections. This is freedom! I no longer strive to measure up or please anyone; the love of God has qualified me.
God’s love has several characteristics. These also distinguish it from friendship love (philia), and they are:
1. Sacrificial vs Unsacrificial
The love of God is sacrificial. For something to qualify as a sacrifice, it must be precious to the giver and offered for the sake of the receiver. God sent His precious Son for mankind (John 3:16, John 15:13). Sacrificial love is a key aspect of God’s love. It shows that love is not just a feeling but a commitment to prioritize the needs of others above one’s own (John 15:13). This is different from friendship love, where even when sacrifices are made, they are often done to get something in return.

2. Unconditional vs Conditional
Agape love is unconditional. There is nothing we have done or not done to deserve God’s love. Scriptures tell us that while we were yet God’s enemies-sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). A man may scarcely die for his friend, but no man can die for his enemy. This distinguishes God’s love from friendship love that is based on mutual affection or common interests.
The parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-22 vividly illustrates how unconditional God’s love is for His children. The father didn’t even wait for the younger son to finish his rehearsed confession; instead, he instructed his servants to give him the royal treatment he did not deserve.

3. Everlasting vs Temporal
God’s love is eternal (Psalm 100:5NIV, Psalm 136:1NIV). It does not run out (Lamentations 3:22-24MSG). Some human friendships demonstrate great, lasting love, as seen in David and Jonathan (1 Samuel 18:1,3; 1 Samuel 20:17), but they can never be described as eternal. They are temporal, fleeting, and subject to change once the demand of one party is not met. But Romans 8:38-39 assures us that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.

In conclusion, true friendship, at its best, is temporary, conditional, and involves making sacrifices with the hope and intention that it will be reciprocated. But God’s love is eternal, unconditional, and sacrificial.

[Author]

Posts