Soteriology (Laity) Discussion Board 1

[pastorderrick]

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 11th of September 2024.

Then scroll down to see your peer submission 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 13th of September 2024. Your comments will also be graded

[prettyruth]

God’s love is a supernatural love; one’s mind cannot fathom it. This love is not selfish, is not looking for what he will get, he gives. This love is called Agape in Greek meaning God’s kind of love, divine love, this love is perfect, is sacrificial (1John 4:8) While friendship love is a platonic love. It’s typically a love that means you have a strong bond with someone, they are important to you and you are emotionally connected to them, but you usually do not have romantic feeling for them. I can say a biblical example of friendship love is Jesus and Apostle Peter – Following his resurrection, Jesus asked the apostle Peter if he loved him (agape). Peter replied three times that he did, but the word he used was phileo or brotherly love (John 21:15–19). Peter had not yet received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; he was incapable of agape love.

A true understanding of God’s love will totally cause my eyes to see through His love eyes and cause my heart to embrace and reach out to others and myself. “others” here will definitely include God, who ultimately and continuously should be first in my list.

A true understanding of God’s love will cause my heart to insatiably think about the Lord, what he has accomplished for me and his feelings. I will be concerned about how he feels about things and will want to honor that (Mark 12:30).

Secondly, God’s love will cause me to think of myself – to see my worth and value, and stirs me into becoming fuller who God wants me to be as a person, to become better and better (Proverbs 4:18, Mark 12:31). Then, this will effortlessly and naturally flow to others as one fixes his or her eyes on the Lord to see what He is doing (John 5:19, Hebrews 12:2, Psalms 105:4). The objective is to care for the other with the God-kind of love. But there is a step further: understanding God’s love in a true sense will cause me to think of others more than myself (John 13:34, Romans12:10, Philippians 2:3). The eagerness of going out to proclaim the good news will be overwhelming because God’s Love is action (John 3:16).

1, First Corinthians 13:5AMP – God’s Love takes no account of evil done to it – pays no attention of suffered wrong; God’s nature is love so all he knows to do is to love and to protect. A typical example for me here is King David and Saul in the book of 1Samuel “with all the non-hidden attempts from Saul to kill David, David still walked in love towards Saul even when David had the opportunity to speak against him and to kill him David refused instead he honored God by protecting Saul, this is an expression of God’s love”. Friendship love cannot endure this long, friendship love will want to fight back at some point.

2, First Corinthians 13:7&8AMP – God’s love is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances and it endures everything without weakening. God’s Love bears up under anything and everything that comes (John 13: 34-35, 1John 3:14-15).This love is always positive minded and focuses on the promises of God upon ones life and always sees the God nature in you which is good.

3, God’s love is a Peace maker (1Peter4:8) – The Love of God Constraineth us (2Cor 5:14) we have no will of our own but to choose to walk in love like our heavenly Father no matter what may come our way, we communicate with a loving attitude. Every step out of love is a step into sin (Matthew 5:45). Love is the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

4, God’s Love is unconditional, is perfect, is sacrificial and pure (John 3:16). Friendship love is not perfect is not sacrificial. God’s Love puts others first and is interested in what he can give and not what he can get.

In conclusion; Love is the action that motivates faith, Love gives faith power and Love is the tuests test of genuine faith.

[Soton Iselobhor]

Replying to prettyruth.
Indeed the love of God is supernatural. It is agape love and no one has the ability to express God’s kind of love except he or she is born again and knows God. 1 John 4 tells us that he that does not love, does not know God. I quite appreciate the perspective you bring to this discussion, especially with regard to the relationship between Peter and Jesus Christ.
Interesting for you to state that at the time when Peter and Jesus had that conversation in John 21: 15 -19, Peter did not have the ability to express agape love because he was yet to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. This begs the question; at what point did Peter get born again? At the resurrection or at Pentecost? Another question that comes to my mind as I ponder on this is whether it is possible for a human being to express God’s kind of love to another human being in the same intensity and nature as God expresses it simply because they are born again.
The example of Hosea and Gomer the harlot seems to paint a picture that portrays this possibility but in my opinion, while the ability to express the God kind of love is embedded in us as believers, we still have to continually renew our minds experientially to be able to scratch the surface when it comes to being able to fully express this unconditional and eternal love of God.

[Soton Iselobhor]

A true understanding of God’s love can profoundly impact a person’s life, offering a sense of purpose, security, and assurance. John 3:16 summarizes the intensity and purpose of God’s love without which, no one would be saved. Despite the varying expressions of God’s love as shown in the scriptures, there is still a tendency for people to lack true understanding of God’s love. I strongly believe that one main cause of this misunderstanding is that some people have not renewed their minds to accept what they cannot understand. They therefore equate God’s love with the love they express with friends.
Friendship love on the other hand is the love shared among friends. The Greek word “Phileo” is used to describe this kind of love in scripture.
Below are three key aspects of God’s love and how it differs from friendship love.
1. God’s love is unconditional.
God’s love is absolutely free. What this means is that there were no conditions God saw in us when he set his love upon us. God’s love is not based on our actions or worthiness. It is given freely and consistently, regardless of our failures or shortcomings.
Friendship love on the other hand is not free. As the name implies, it is love by friends for friends. It is not love between two parties in enmity. This presupposes that in friendship love, the parties must be doing something to qualify for that love. There must be an attraction or condition upon which that love is being expressed.
Romans 5:8 Tells us that God demonstrated His love in the sacrifice of Jesus while we were still sinners. Or worse still, while we were enemies of God.
Friendship love often depends on mutual interests and support. If one party fails to reciprocate, the relationship may suffer. In contrast, God’s love remains steadfast regardless of our actions.

2. God’s love is Sacrificial
God’s love is characterized by sacrifice. John 3:16 tells us that he sacrificed His only Son for the salvation of humanity, illustrating the depth of His commitment. The demonstration of God’s love came with a high price such that no man can ever express.
Friendship love might have some element of sacrifice in its expression, but none can compare to that of God’s love. No wonder John 13:15 declares boldly that no man has a greater love than that of Jesus, in that he laid his own life for us.
3. God’s love is eternal and infinite.
In Psalm 136, the psalmist invites us to give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. The Bible also tells us that God is love. 1 John 4:8. It is therefore logical to conclude that if God is eternal and is forever then His love is also eternal and infinite.
On the other hand, human friendships are limited by time and circumstances. They can change or fade. Human beings are subject to time and therefore love expressed by man ceases to exist once that man dies. God’s love, however, is eternal and unchanging.
Secondly, while friendship love can only be expressed on an intimate and personal level, God’s love is universal, encompassing all of humanity. It invites everyone into a relationship with Him, transcending personal connections.
In conclusion, understanding God’s love can reshape our identity, provide hope, and foster resilience. While friendship love is valuable and enriching, God’s love stands apart in its unconditional, sacrificial, transformative and eternal nature. This deeper understanding can lead to a more fulfilling and purpose-driven life.

[prettyruth]

Awesome Sister! Let me comment on your second point, God’s love is Sacrificial.

I keep meditating of God’s sacrificial love to us. Trying to understand how could this be; this love is so deep, so wide, so large, so high that one can’t place it, it keeps getting larger as you continue to meditate. God’s action of love to mankind cannot be comprehend, no amount of expression or explanation will speak of the depth of God’s love. You must have a revelation of God’s love for you to even scratch the surface of it. How do you explain it, What will make God sacrifice his only son for sinners who may accept him or who may not (John 3:16). This love is patience, this love is pain, this love is long-suffering, this love is death, this love is gain and many more which he bore for us. Look at the story of the prodigal son….no condemnation (Luke 15:11-32, John 3:17), look at the story of the lost sheep, he didn’t say I have 99 already what use will I make of 1. But he went a far to look for that one and sheltered that one with love. He’s so mindful of me and puts me first and called me his heir. His sacrifice for mankind has no limit.

While friendship love is beautiful but must be mutual that is the fact, it can never be one sided. One can sacrifice time and tangible things but with conditions attached. This kind of love cannot surfer long, its patience span is limited.

But God loves us unconditionally that He died for me to live and have my peace. Glory be to God.

[Author]

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