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Love [of God]: Love is excited by pleasing qualities of any kind, as by kindness, benevolence, charity, and by the qualities which render social intercourse agreeable. In the latter case, love is ardent friendship, or a strong attachment springing from good will. The love of God is the first duty of man, and this springs from just views of his attributes or excellencies of character, which afford the highest delight to the sanctified heart. Esteem and reverence constitute ingredients in this affection, and a fear of offending him is its inseparably effected will and esteem, and the pleasure derived from the company, civilities and kindness of others.
Greek: Agape [ag-ah’-pay]: love [86], charity [27], dear [1], charitablry+G2596[1], feast of charity [1]. from (agapao); love, i.e. affection or benevolence; specially (plural) a love-feast :- (feast of) charity ([-ably]), dear, love. Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary. In the two statements in 1 John 4:8, 16, "God is love," both are used to enjoin the exercise of "love" on the part of believers. While the former introduces a declaration of the mode in which God's love has been manifested (1 John 4:9, 10), the second introduces a statement of the identification of believers with God in character, and the issue at the Judgment Seat hereafter (1 John 4:17), an identification represented ideally in the sentence "as He is, so are we in this world." Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old Testament and New Testament Words.
God’s love can and has been very confusing at times. I could not number the times I have heard folks talk about God in the realm of the negative. They say things like: if God is love, then why are so many people sick, dying, killed in accidents and there continues the idea of wars and hatred and murder.
They just can’t get their head wrapped around the idea that if God is so powerful and so loving, then all the negative and ugliness would be stopped, and the peace of God would prevail. In other words, there would or should be no more crime, no more disease, no more dying and here is a good one; little children being born with rare diseases and incurable devastation physically and mentally, totally heart breaking.
There is a scripture that sums it all up but does not give an answer to the dilemma. 1 John 4:8 (AMP) He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. 1 John 4:8 (NLT2) But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. The best way that I can describe this whole point of confusion is through the idea of sovereignty and that on the day God created man, He, sovereignty declared a freedom of choice to man and man’s choice set the stage for all the evil we have today. It does not change the love of God and the fact that He is Love. We simply have fallen from grace, and the rest is history.
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