The Nature of God's Love in Redemption Theology

The nature of God's love in redemption theology is fundamentally characterized by its sovereign, great, abiding, unfailing, and everlasting qualities, often described as unalienable and irrespective of human merit ^[1]. This divine love is not merely an attribute but is intrinsic to God's very being, as articulated in the statement, "God is love" ^{[6, 13]}.

Redemption itself is understood as the purchase back of something lost through the payment of a ransom ^[8]. In the context of Christian theology, this refers to humanity's salvation from sin. The love of God is the ultimate moving cause for this redemption ^[11]. It is manifested supremely in the sending of His Son, Jesus Christ, as the atoning sacrifice for sins ^{[3, 5]}. This act demonstrates that God's love initiated redemption, rather than being a response to human love or merit ^{[3, 5, 12]}. As 1 John 4:10 states, "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins" ^[3].

The love of God is particularly directed towards perishing sinners, His saints, and the destitute ^[1]. It is a love that constrains and is evident in the giving of Christ for humanity's redemption ^{[1, 10]}. Adam Clarke, a Methodist commentator, emphasizes that "God has glorified his grace by giving us redemption by the blood of his Son," and this redemption includes forgiveness and deliverance from sins ^[10]. The measure of God's love is seen in the gift of Christ, and Christ's love is measured by His willingness to give His life's blood for salvation ^[14].

The concept of God's love is closely intertwined with His justice. God's justice is an unchangeable principle of His nature, requiring conformity to the moral law and dealing righteously with His creatures ^[4]. While God's justice demands accountability, His love provides the means for reconciliation through Christ. The new birth, which is essential for entering heaven, is effected by God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, often through the word of God and the resurrection of Christ ^[7]. This new birth is described as a new creation and newness of life, stemming from the mercy and will of God ^[7].

The love of God is also described as "honourable wisdom" ^[2]. It is the fountain from which all love flows, particularly the love that believers are called to show one another ^{[9, 12]}. Matthew Henry, a Nonconformist commentator, notes that love is "of God," indicating its divine origin ^[12]. The apostle John frequently returns to the theme of love, asserting that it is the test of being "born of God" and flows from an understanding of God's love for humanity ^[9].

Adam Clarke further elaborates on the nature of God's love, stating that "God is love" signifies an "infinite fountain of benevolence and beneficence to every human being" ^[13]. one tradition argues that God "hates no thing that he has made" and has not predestined any human being for perdition, making it possible for all fallen souls to find mercy ^[13]. This perspective highlights the universal scope of God's benevolent love, even as redemption is specifically applied to those who believe.

Sources

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”
Sirach “Sirach 1:14 (DRC) — The love of God is honourable wisdom.”
1 John “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. -- 1 John 4:10”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Justice of God — That perfection of his nature whereby he is infinitely righteous in himself and in all he does, the righteousness of the divine nature exercised in his moral government. At first God imposes righteous laws on his creatures and executes them righteously. Justice is not an optional product of his will, but an unchangeable principle of his very nature. His legislative justice is his requiring of his rational creatures conformity in all respects to the moral law. His rectoral or distributive justice is his dealing with his accountable creatures according”
I John “I John 4:10 (BSB) — And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
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.”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: New Birth, The — The corruption of human nature requires -- Joh 3:6; Ro 8:7,8. None can enter heaven without -- Joh 3:3. Effected by God. -- Joh 1:13; 1Pe 1:3. Christ. -- 1Jo 2:29. The Holy Spirit. -- Joh 3:6; Tit 3:5. Through the instrumentality of The word of God. -- Jas 1:18; 1Pe 1:23. The resurrection of Christ. -- 1Pe 1:3. The ministry of the gospel. -- 1Co 4:15. Is of the will of God -- Jas 1:18. Is of the mercy of God -- Tit 3:5. Is for the glory of God -- Isa 43:7. Described as A new creation. -- 2Co 5:17; Ga 6:15; Eph 2:10. Newness of life. -- Ro 6:4. A spir”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Redemption — The purchase back of something that had been lost, by the payment of a ransom. The Greek word so rendered is apolutrosis, a word occurring nine times in Scripture, and always with the idea of a ransom or price paid, i.e., redemption by a lutron (see Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45). There are instances in the LXX. Version of the Old Testament of the use of lutron in man's relation to man (Lev. 19:20; 25:51; Ex. 21:30; Num. 35:31, 32; Isa. 45:13; Prov. 6:35), and in the same sense of man's relation to God (Num. 3:49; 18:15). There are many passages in the New Tes”
1 John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 John 4:7: Resumption of the main theme (Jo1 2:29). Love, the sum of righteousness, is the test of our being born of God. Love flows from a sense of God's love to us: compare Jo1 4:9 with Jo1 3:16, which Jo1 4:9 resumes; and Jo1 4:13 with Jo1 3:24, which similarly Jo1 4:13 resumes. At the same time, Jo1 4:7-21 is connected with the immediately preceding context, Jo1 4:2 setting forth Christ's incarnation, the great proof of God's love (Jo1 4:10). Beloved--an address appropriate to his subject, "love." love--All love is from God as its fountain: especially that”
Ephesians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Ephesians 1:7: In whom we have redemption - God has glorified his grace by giving us redemption by the blood of his Son, and this redemption consists in forgiving and delivering us from our sins; so then Christ's blood was the redemption price paid down for our salvation: and this was according to the riches of his grace; as his grace is rich or abundant in benevolence, so it was manifested in beneficence to mankind, in their redemption by the sacrifice of Christ, the measure of redeeming grace being the measure of God's own eternal goodness. It may not be useless to remark that”
Romans (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Romans 3:20: Being justified freely by his grace,.... The matter of justification is before expressed, and the persons that share in this blessing are described; here the several causes of it are mentioned. The moving cause of it is the free grace of God; for by "the grace of God" here, is not meant the Gospel, or what some men call the terms of the Gospel, and the constitution of it; nor the grace of God infused into the heart; but the free love and favour of God, as it is in his heart; which is wonderfully displayed in the business of a sinner's justification before him: it appe”
1 John (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on 1 John 4:7: As the Spirit of truth is known by doctrine (thus spirits are to be tried), it is known by love likewise; and so here follows a strong fervent exhortation to holy Christian love: Beloved, let us love one another, Jo1 4:7. The apostle would unite them in his love, that he might unite them in love to each other: "Beloved, I beseech you, by the love I bear to you, that you put on unfeigned mutual love." This exhortation is pressed and urged with variety of argument: as, I. From the high and heavenly descent of love: For love is of God. He is the fountain, author, pare”
1 John (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 1 John 4:8: He that loveth not - As already described, knoweth not God - has no experimental knowledge of him. God is love - An infinite fountain of benevolence and beneficence to every human being. He hates no thing that he has made. He cannot hate, because he is love. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends his rain on the just and the unjust. He has made no human being for perdition, nor ever rendered it impossible, by any necessitating decree, for any fallen soul to find mercy. He has given the fullest proof of his love to the whole human race by the in”
Ephesians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Ephesians 3:19: To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge - It is only by the love of Christ that we can know the love of God: the love of God to man induced him to give Christ for his redemption; Christ's love to man induced him to give his life's blood for his salvation. The gift of Christ to man is the measure of God's love; the death of Christ for man is the measure of Christ's love. God so loved the world, etc. Christ loved us, and gave himself for us. But how can the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, be known? Many have labored to reconcile this seeming co”

Ask Your Own Question