God's Character as Loving in the Bible

The Bible consistently portrays God's character as fundamentally loving, a truth articulated directly in scripture: "God is love" (1 John 4:8, 16). This love is not merely an attribute but an essential aspect of His being ^{[2, 6, 7]}.

God's love is described with various qualities throughout the Old and New Testaments. It is characterized as sovereign, great, abiding, unfailing, unalienable, constraining, and everlasting ^[2]. The prophet Jeremiah speaks of God's "everlasting love" drawing His people (Jeremiah 31:3) ^[2]. This love is also depicted as "loving-kindness" (Hebrew khesed), which is described as great, excellent, good, marvelous, multitudinous, everlasting, and merciful ^[1]. The Psalms frequently emphasize God's "loving devotion" (or khesed), stating, "The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion" (Psalm 145:8; see also Psalm 103:8) ^{[4, 5]}. Hosea highlights khesed as a key quality God desires from His people, emphasizing faithfulness as part of this love ^[9].

This divine love is manifested in several ways:

Towards Christ: Jesus is the "especial object" of God's love, and He abides in it (John 15:9-10; 17:26) ^[2]. God's love for Christ is also exhibited through His affirmation, as seen in Matthew 17:5 and John 5:20 ^[3].
Towards Humanity, especially Sinners: God's love is shown towards "perishing sinners" (John 3:16; Titus 3:4) and is "irrespective of merit" (Deuteronomy 7:7; Job 7:17) ^[2]. Titus 3:4 explicitly states, "But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love toward mankind appeared" ^[8]. This demonstrates that God's love is not contingent on human worthiness ^[2].
Towards His Saints: God's love is directed towards "His saints" (John 16:27; 17:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; 1 John 4:16) and the destitute (Deuteronomy 10:18) ^[2].
In Redemption: The greatest exhibition of God's love is in the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. John 3:16 states, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." This act of sending Christ is described as the manifestation of God's love, allowing humanity to live through Him ^[11]. Christ's love, in turn, is shown in His self-sacrifice, offering himself as a pleasing aroma to God (Ephesians 5:2) ^[13].
Through Mercy: God is described as "rich in mercy" (Ephesians 2:4) ^[12]. This mercy is a perfection of His divine nature, freely dispensed, and especially exhibited through Christ Jesus ^[12]. The "loving-kindness of God" is specifically stated to be "through Christ" (Ephesians 2:7; Titus 3:4-6) ^[1].

The experience of God's love brings several benefits to believers. Through His loving-kindness, saints are betrothed to God (Hosea 2:19), drawn to Him (Jeremiah 31:3), preserved (Psalm 40:11), quickened (Psalm 119:88), and comforted (Psalm 119:76) ^[1]. Believers are encouraged to look for and receive mercy through His loving-kindness (Psalm 51:1; Isaiah 54:8) ^[1].

The apostle John emphasizes that knowing and believing in God's love is central to Christian experience: "We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (1 John 4:16) ^{[6, 7]}. This abiding in love signifies a deep, intimate relationship with God ^[11]. Matthew Henry notes that God, as the "primum amabile" (the first and chief of all amiable beings), possesses all beauty and excellence, making Him the ultimate object of love ^[10].

Sources

Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Loving-Kindness of God, The — Is through Christ -- Eph 2:7; Tit 3:4-6. Described as Great. -- Ne 9:17. Excellent. -- Ps 36:7. Good. -- Ps 69:16. Marvellous. -- Ps 17:7; 31:21. Multitudinous. -- Isa 63:7. Everlasting. -- Isa 54:8. Merciful. -- Ps 117:2. Better than life. -- Ps 63:3. Consideration of the dealings of God gives a knowledge of -- Ps 107:43. Saints Betrothed in. -- Ho 2:19. Drawn by. -- Jer 31:3. Preserved by. -- Ps 40:11. Quickened after. -- Ps 119:88. Comforted by. -- Ps 119:76. Look for mercy through. -- Ps 51:1. Receive mercy through. -- Isa 54:8. Are ”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Love of God, The — Is a part of his character -- 2Co 13:11; 1Jo 4:8. Christ, the especial object of -- Joh 15:9; 17:26. Christ abides in -- Joh 15:10. Described as Sovereign. -- De 7:8; 10:15. Great. -- Eph 2:4. Abiding. -- Zep 3:17. Unfailing. -- Isa 49:15,16. Unalienable. -- Ro 8:39. Constraining. -- Ho 11:4. Everlasting. -- Jer 31:3. Irrespective of merit -- De 7:7; Job 7:17. Manifested towards Perishing sinners. -- Joh 3:16; Tit 3:4. His saints. -- Joh 16:27; 17:23; 2Th 2:16; 1Jo 4:16. The destitute. -- De 10:18. The cheerful giver. -- 2Co 9:7. Exhibited in The g”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Love to Christ — Exhibited by God -- Mt 17:5; Joh 5:20. Exhibited by saints -- 1Pe 1:8. His personal excellence is deserving of -- Song 5:9-16. His love to us a motive to -- 2Co 5:14. Manifested in Seeking him. -- Song 3:2. Obeying him. -- Joh 14:15,21,23. Ministering to him. -- Mt 27:55; 25:40. Preferring him to all others. -- Mt 10:37. Taking up the cross for Him. -- Mt 10:38. A characteristic of saints -- Song 1:4. An evidence of adoption -- Joh 8:42. Should be Sincere. -- Eph 6:24. With the soul. -- Song 1:7. In proportion to our mercies. -- Lu 7:47. Supreme. -- ”
Psalms “Psalms 145:8 (BSB) — The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion.”
Psalms “Psalms 103:8 (BSB) — The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.”
1 John “1 John 4:16 (NASB) — We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
I John “I John 4:16 (ASV) — And we know and have believed the love which God hath in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him.”
Titus “But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love toward mankind appeared, -- Titus 3:4”
Hosea (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Hosea 6:6: 6:6 In one of Hosea’s key verses, God names the most important qualities that should characterize the Israelites’ covenant lives with him. First, the Lord wants his people to show love more than he wants sacrifices. Love (Hebrew khesed) includes faithfulness (see 4:1; 6:4). God is always faithful (Ps 136), and he requires the same of his people. Second, the Lord wants Israel to know him more than he wants burnt offerings. Knowing God is much more than simply knowing facts about God (see “Knowing God” Theme Note). An intimate personal relationship with God is charact”
1 John (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on 1 John 4:17: The apostle, having thus excited and enforced sacred love from the great pattern and motive of it, the love that is and dwells in God himself, proceeds to recommend it further by other considerations; and he recommends it in both the branches of it, both as love to God, and love to our brother or Christian neighbour. I. As love to God, to the primum amabile - the first and chief of all amiable beings and objects, who has the confluence of all beauty, excellence, and loveliness, in himself, and confers on all other beings whatever renders them good and amiable. Lov”
1 John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 John 4:16: And we have known and believed,.... Or have a full assurance and knowledge of, and faith in, the love that God hath to us; shown as in many instances, so more especially in sending his Son to be the propitiation for our sins, to be the Saviour of us, and that we might live through him. God is love; See Gill on Jo1 4:8, and he that dwelleth in love; who dwells by faith upon the love of God as displayed in Christ, and abides in the exercise of love to God and to the saints: dwelleth in God, and God in him; See Gill on Jo1 4:13; the last clause, "and God in him",”
Ephesians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ephesians 2:4: But God, who is rich in mercy,.... Mercy is a perfection of the divine nature, and is essential to God; and may be considered with respect to the objects of it, either as general, extending to all men in a providential way; or as special, reaching only to some in a way of grace; for though mercy is his nature, yet the display and exertion of it towards any object, is the act of his will; and special mercy, with all the blessings and benefits of it, is only exhibited in Christ Jesus: and God is said to be "rich" in it, because he is free and liberal in dispensing it,”
Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 5:2: 5:2 Christ’s love is shown especially in his offering himself as a sacrifice for us (cp. 5:25; John 15:13; Rom 5:8). Christian love is motivated by and modeled after Christ’s sacrificial love (see Phil 2:5-8). • Paul draws on Old Testament imagery, where the smell of a burning sacrifice was a pleasing aroma to God (see Lev 1:9; 2:2; cp. Rom 12:1).”

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