Podcast: “Love Is Love” vs. “God Is Love” (Sam Storms)

This text is a part of the The Crossway Podcast sequence.

Why God Is Love, and What That Means for Us

On this episode, Sam Storms explores the central, unshakable reality of God’s steadfast love that’s woven by means of the pages of the Bible and is revealed most profoundly within the life, demise, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He talks about what it actually means when the Bible says that God is love, how we reconcile his love with the brokenness that we see throughout us, and what we should always do after we wrestle to really feel his love—whilst we affirm it by religion.

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Subjects Addressed in This Interview:

• What Is the Love of God?
• Love Is Love?
• “God Is Love”
• How Do I Experience the Love of God?
• What Good Is God’s Love If It Doesn’t Protect Me from Harm?

01:12 – What Is the Love of God?

Matt Tully
Sam, thanks a lot for becoming a member of me on The Crossway Podcast at the moment.

Sam Storms
I’ve been wanting ahead to this. I’m glad to be right here.

Matt Tully
In all probability essentially the most well-known verses in all the Bible, each for these contained in the church and people exterior the church, could be verses that straight relate, in a roundabout way, to the love of God. I consider John 3:16: “For God so liked the world that he gave his solely begotten Son.” I consider 1 John 4, the place we learn that God is love. These ideas associating the Christian God with this concept of affection are so foundational, even within the broader secular tradition. And but you open your new e book speaking about this current story the place you’re feeling such as you got here to grasp and even query or wrestle with the truth of God’s love in a brand new and a recent method. I’m wondering when you may begin there by simply sharing somewhat bit extra about that story.

Sam Storms
Certain. It wasn’t a really nice expertise, to be completely trustworthy. Previous to this time, I’ve by no means—and this was somewhat over a yr in the past—by no means actually struggled with my religion. I by no means doubted God’s goodness and his sovereignty. I nonetheless do clearly consider it very strongly in each, however there have been a few occasions that actually shook me. One was that 7.8 earthquake in Turkey that I feel near 60,000 folks died. After which there have been different occasions and tragedies within the lives of individuals I knew, and instantly I used to be simply confronted with this query of, “God, how are you going to be loving and permit this stuff to occur? I do know you might have stopped it. Why didn’t you?” And up to now, each time that sort of query got here up, I used to be all the time in a position to simply someway tuck it away behind my head and never let it eat away at my coronary heart. As a result of like I stated, I do know that God is sovereign and I do know that he’s good and loving, however I simply felt this cognitive dissonance, this battle between these two realities. And it actually hit residence exhausting. I by no means contemplated leaving the religion. I wasn’t on the trail of deconstruction by any stretch of the creativeness, however I used to be simply befuddled. And I spotted after some time that I had to return to Romans 11:33, the place it says, “How unsearchable are your judgments, how inscrutable your methods,” and understand I’m by no means going to grasp how all this stuff match collectively underneath God’s sovereignty and his love. After which simply questioning the truth of God’s love drove me again into Scripture, identical to you stated, to these texts which might be simply pervasive in God’s phrase. I don’t know what number of tons of of instances within the Psalms alone we learn in regards to the steadfast love of the Lord. Now, some translations render it loyal love, others name it mercy or kindness, but it surely’s the interpretation of the Hebrew phrase hesed. And I simply immersed myself in that. After which additionally simply quite a few incidents within the lifetime of Jesus, like when he touched a leper in Matthew 8, or when he prolonged forgiveness and kindness to that repentant prostitute in Luke’s Gospel. Or the story of John 13, the place, within the midst of the stress and all of the occasions surrounding his betrayal by Judas and finally his crucifixion, he liked his disciples a lot he obtained on his knees and washed their ft within the higher room. The story in Luke’s Gospel the place Peter, by God’s windfall, was current when the rooster crowed in success of the prophecy of Jesus. And at that very second, he noticed Jesus and so they locked eyes. And I assumed, What sort of look did he get from Jesus? Was it like, “I knew you’d fail me simply after I wanted you”? However the truth is, I actually assume it was a glance of affection. It was simply the steadfast love that Jesus had for Peter that restored Peter and introduced him to repentance. So I principally wrote the e book as a technique to preach to my very own soul. I stated, “I don’t have every other choices. I’ve obtained to let the Spirit of God labored powerfully by means of the textual content, by means of these superb assertions about God’s love, and belief that that can deliver therapeutic to my coronary heart, even when I can’t resolve theologically the truth of evil on the earth with God’s goodness and energy”—which no person ever has. We’ll wait till we get to heaven. However it was simply the collective drive of these verses that stored urgent in on my coronary heart and regularly remodeling me into, clearly, a really sturdy advocate, and all of the extra so, of the steadfast love of the Lord. And in order that’s what this e book is about. And it goes into loads of element. I share my very own private frustrations and my very own challenges. And on the identical time, I come out the opposite finish extra assured in God’s goodness and greatness than I ever was earlier than.

Matt Tully
The love of God looks like it’s a kind of matters that’s simply so acquainted to us as Christians. It’s so fundamental to our understanding of God, and it’s so current all through the entire Bible that it may be straightforward, I feel, for us to begin to take it as a right and to assume, I do know what this implies. I do know the implications of this for my life. And it typically looks like it’s solely after we are confronted with trials of some sort, or perhaps we’re confronted with some sort of painful scenario, that we then are sort of pressured to ask ourselves, Properly, wait. What’s the love of God? What does that really imply for me proper now? You spent years as a pastor, ministering to and counseling folks. Have you ever seen that sample play out in folks’s lives through the years?

Sam Storms
Completely. Yeah, very a lot. As you stated, we are likely to take it as a right as a result of it’s so pervasive. We take that assertion in John 4, the place it says God is love, not simply that God does loving issues, but it surely’s his very nature. After which we attempt to reconcile that with all the heartache and the tragedies that we confront day by day. And I feel there’s one other issue. And we’ve seen this within the final, I don’t know, eight to 10 years within the broader tradition. It’s this concept that love is love. And I’ve a complete chapter in my e book on that as a result of I assumed, We have to get straight about what love is and isn’t. For some time, you’d see on the again of the helmets of NFL gamers, “Love is love.” I bear in mind when Amy Grant allowed a same-sex wedding ceremony (so known as) to happen on her ranch. And the entire thing was, “Properly, love is love. We’ve got to like these folks.” And I assumed, There’s been an actual redefinition of affection on the a part of society as an entire.

Matt Tully
What do you assume that phrase, “Love is love,” that’s so widespread and widespread at the moment, what definition of affection is supporting that? How would you describe that definition?

Sam Storms
After all, it’s very redundant, within the first place. Mainly, what’s it’s grow to be is love now could be understood as not solely the tolerance of differing views, not solely the permission to consider what you need and behave as you need so long as you don’t do injury to any person else; it has now grow to be I have to affirm the ethical legitimacy of every thing you consider and do. So now not can you employ the phrase improper or false or deceptive a few non secular perception or an moral conduct or the rest that occurs. So if love is love, then which means I’m required to affirm issues which the Bible says very explicitly put your soul in jeopardy of everlasting damnation. And so I attempt to outline love. Love isn’t recommending or endorsing or affirming sure beliefs and conduct that jeopardize your everlasting welfare. Love is saying or doing no matter I would like to try this will contribute most to your flourishing now and in an eternity future. For instance, the entire thing about homosexuality or abortion or every other difficulty of that nature, we now are being informed that, the truth is, it’s not love; it’s hate. We’ve got this new class known as hate speech. Properly, hate speech is principally saying to somebody, “Your perception is improper, and it has everlasting penalties.” We will’t say that anymore as a result of, in any case, we’re supposed to like that particular person, and love is unequivocal, unconditional affirmation and acceptance of the legitimacy of each view that anyone takes. Properly, in fact, logically, that simply doesn’t make sense. There’s a view that’s proper, and there’s a view that’s improper. However to be loving at the moment, you possibly can’t say that. And in order that’s infiltrated the church to some extent, and I feel it’s affected the selections that some make about whether or not or not they’re going to attend a identical intercourse wedding ceremony or whether or not or not they’re going to allow and even facilitate transgender surgical procedures and different such issues. And actually, it appears to me that what persons are calling love is the truth is hate. When you endorse or affirm one thing that’s going to work to their final demise for eternity, it’s hateful for you to not say so. It’s hateful so that you can say, “Oh properly. Love is love, so that you do what you do, I’ll do what I do, and we’ll simply stay and study collectively.” That’s tragic. However that’s that mindset has overtaken our society, and sadly, it’s influencing the church.

10:22 – Love Is Love?

Matt Tully
So clearly, if love is love and that represents the broader cultural perspective in the direction of love—that love is, as you stated, this unqualified, limitless affirmation and acceptance of what anyone needs to do or say or consider about something—you’ve sort of talked somewhat bit about how which may influence how Christians view different folks round them, how they consider horizontal love with different people. However how may that affect how we view God’s love? Converse somewhat bit to that and the way these cultural assumptions and definitions about love may then lead us to attempt to outline the love of God in a sure method.

Sam Storms
Properly, certain. I feel what folks have carried out is that they have projected onto God this idea or definition of affection. And they also say, “Properly, God would by no means condemn anyone for his or her way of life decisions. God would by no means converse unwell of a selected perception. If any person doesn’t need to consider that Jesus is God incarnate and that there’s salvation solely by means of him and his work on the cross, properly, God will perceive that. He’s not going to impose himself on you. He’s going to endorse your views, as a result of in any case, if he’s love, then he can’t be discovered to denounce one thing as evil. He can’t be in a spot the place he would say that your explicit view is simply merely improper. It’s philosophically, metaphysically, theologically improper.” So it has triggered folks to recast their understanding of who God is and what he’s like. So given this new idea of what love is, when any person says God is love (1 John 4), that implies that God has to simply accept all people on the identical phrases, unconditionally. And that the concept there’s an exclusivity to the Christian claims, that solely by means of religion in Jesus do you attain salvation or the information of God, to their mind-set, that’s unloving.

12:10 – “God Is Love”

Matt Tully
So it could actually’t be true of God then. Let’s discuss that verse. In 1 John 4, there are two verses the place we see this phrase “God is love” present up there. And also you’ve already referenced this somewhat bit, however how ought to we be understanding these verses? As a result of I’ve heard some folks make the case that love is that this distinctive attribute of God the place it’s so true of who he’s in a singular method that Scripture can truly converse of him being love. It’s not simply that he’s loving in the direction of different folks. Is there benefit to that? Is that this revealing one thing uniquely central to God’s identification? After which how ought to we perceive what’s being stated right here by John?

Sam Storms
Such as you stated, it’s not merely saying that God does loving issues, though that’s true, or that God showers his love upon us in Christ. That’s true. However it’s saying that on the very core of God’s nature, the character of his nature (if I can use that language) is love. Now that doesn’t imply he isn’t additionally holy and simply and pure and highly effective and righteous.

Matt Tully
So it’d be a mistake to set love towards a few of these different traits.

Sam Storms
Proper. You’ll be able to’t scale back the character of God to 1 attribute. I feel in all probability we are going to uncover after we get there that there’s nearly an infinity of attributes. We’ve solely touched or scratched the floor that the human thoughts is able to greedy. However I feel what he needs us to grasp is that love all the time drives God’s selections. He by no means does something unloving. And naturally, folks say, “Wait a minute. How can God consign folks to hell if his very nature is love?”

Matt Tully
Proper. Is God loving the individual that he’s sending to hell? How would you reply that query?

Sam Storms
He’s loving within the sense that he has issued an invite for them that they don’t must go to hell. It’s the invitation of John 6: “Whoever involves me, I’ll in no smart solid out.” That’s a common utility. I consider within the indiscriminate, common, honest supply of the gospel. The mere undeniable fact that an individual is alive and respiratory is an expression of God’s love. We name it frequent grace. It says in Matthew’s Gospel that the Lord causes the solar to rise on the great and the evil, and so we’re to specific that in {our relationships} with them. So love is expressed in quite a lot of totally different kinds, and I speak somewhat bit about this within the e book. There’s God’s love for himself, which is the first motivation for the creation and redemption of mankind. There’s God’s love for Israel. There’s God’s love for the elect. There’s God’s love for the non-elect in frequent grace. So God is sort and affected person. His lengthy struggling, the truth that he doesn’t consign each unbeliever to hell proper now, is an expression of affection. It’s known as lengthy struggling, endurance, kindness. So sure, I do assume God’s love is distinctive. I feel there’s an expression of God’s love for the elect that no person else receives. That’s why he calls the elect the beloved of God. Now, that actually upsets some folks as a result of they need to assume that God loves all people equally in the identical method.

Matt Tully
Proper. And the one distinction is our response to that love.

Sam Storms
Sure.

Matt Tully
However you’d say that there’s a distinctive method that God sovereignly loves his chosen folks, these he has ordained to be saved?

Sam Storms
Completely. In reality, there’s a really fascinating passage, and also you simply introduced it to thoughts as you stated that, in one of many seven letters to the seven church buildings in Revelation. Within the letter to Philadelphia in Revelation 3, Jesus says this: “Behold, I’ll make these of the synagogue of Devil who say that they’re Jews and will not be, however lie—behold, I’ll make them come and bow down earlier than your ft, and they’ll study that I’ve liked you.” I imply, so clearly there’s a distinguishing ingredient in God’s love. In Amos, I feel it’s chapter 3, he says, “You, Israel, of all of the nations have I liked.” It’s the identical factor in Deuteronomy 10. So God’s love isn’t monolithic. It’s not universally the identical in all of its expressions or its objects. However that by no means undermines the truth that God’s nature is love. However God’s nature can also be holy and simply, and people are completely appropriate within the nature of God, in order that he can maintain accountable individuals who sin. In reality, all of us are hell-deserving sinners, and but God chooses to bestow his saving mercy on some. Why he does it that method, I don’t know, however evidently it’s what’s going to deliver him the best glory.

16:43 – How Do I Expertise the Love of God?

Matt Tully
And that’s the place we get again to a few of the thriller that you just even began with, the place we will spend a lifetime, as you will have, as a Christian learning God’s phrase, probing the depths of this theology and nonetheless come to the restrict to what we will actually really perceive. That results in one other query I’ve. I’m wondering when you may converse to the particular person listening who would say, “I agree with you in all of this. I really like the theology that you just’ve simply been explaining, and I affirm that wholeheartedly. However how do I truly expertise the love of God? I do know intellectually that I’ve it, however I don’t really feel it in my daily life.” What would you say to any person who’s in that place?

Sam Storms
And I feel lots of people are, and I perceive that. I’ve to return to Scripture, as a result of I feel the solutions are discovered there. For instance, meditating at size on Zephaniah 3:17, not simply studying it and memorizing it however letting the reality of all these statements bathe your soul. The place it says that God’s love for you and his pleasure in you is so deep and so profound that he breaks out singing over you. The imagery there’s so highly effective. And praying as you learn that Don’t simply learn it, however you say, “Spirit of God, you moved Zephaniah to jot down this. I do know it displays the perspective of the Father towards me. It’s thoughts boggling. I don’t really feel it within the depths of my soul, however would you quicken my coronary heart? Would you are taking every of those phrases and press them in upon me in a method that no sermon that I hear can do, no e book that I learn can accomplish?” After which you will have, for instance, Ephesians 3. It’s my favourite prayer within the Bible, the place Paul prays, “That the Spirit would strengthen you in your internal being so that you just may know the love of Christ that surpasses information.” Properly, if it surpasses information, then he’s speaking about one thing different than simply mental grasp of the love of God; he’s speaking about one thing profoundly experiential, that there’s a sensation, a delight within the depths of your coronary heart and soul and your affections in being conscious of God’s love. Romans 5:5: the Holy Spirit has been poured out into our hearts by means of him who liked us. Second Thessalonians 3, the place Paul prays, “Could the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God.” So the way in which it’s occurred, we now have to avail ourselves of the technique of grace: studying Scripture, meditating on it, proclaiming it again to our personal souls, the company gathering of God’s folks, mutual encouragement, the weather of the Lord’s desk, prayer. All of this stuff are technique of grace. They’re methods during which—devices, if I can say it that method—by means of which the sanctifying grace of God involves us. As a result of the underside line is, I may sit right here all day and inform you the reason why it’s best to consider and really feel that God loves you, however in the end I can’t accomplish that. Solely God can allow the human coronary heart to consider and really feel that he’s liked by God. God alone can do this. So we now have to avail ourselves of the numerous methods during which the Scripture units forth. It’s very related, in a way, to that the e book that John Piper wrote as an afterthought—that’s in all probability not honest—to Needing God known as After I Don’t Need God. He requested the query, What occurs if I don’t discover myself passionately wanting and pursuing God? And John lays out all the steps you possibly can take—the belongings you shouldn’t do, the issues it’s best to do—that can facilitate the expertise, the felt actuality of God’s affection.

Matt Tully
As a result of I feel that’s perhaps the hazard on each side, proper? On the one hand, we will solely be serious about these affectional experiences. We will all the time be searching for the subsequent one and assume there’s one thing essentially improper if we don’t, tomorrow when I’ve my Bible research, really feel this overwhelming sense. However however, we will perhaps downplay all of that and simply assume, Properly, I’ve the theology proper, and that’s ok. It sounds such as you’re saying we undoubtedly want each of these issues, and we shouldn’t be happy with both merely one or the opposite.

Sam Storms
I really like the way in which Jonathan Edwards put it in a sermon he did on Music of Solomon. He stated, “We’re accountable to put ourselves in the way in which of allurement.” And what he meant by that’s we’re to posture our souls in these actions and people locations in life the place we usually tend to encounter the ability of God’s love in a life-changing method. I’ve used a foolish illustration to make this level. If any person got here to me and stated, “You realize, I’ve by no means been struck by lightning. I feel I’d like to search out out what that appears like. Sam, are you able to assist me?” I might say, “Properly, yeah, certain. Get your self an extended metal rod. Go up on the highest of a hill. Discover a tree and await a thunderstorm. Climb up in it and maintain that rod up within the air.” Now, that doesn’t assure you’re going to be struck by lightning, but it surely definitely will increase the possibilities. However in fact, we’re speaking about doing these issues that can put us ready, a mind-set and soul, during which we usually tend to expertise the life-changing presence of God’s love. I consider Jude’s assertion: “Preserve yourselves within the love of God.” I feel he’s saying, “Take these steps which might be mandatory so that you can encounter God’s love in a life-changing method.” Now, having stated that, I need to say yet another factor. If you don’t really feel God’s love, that doesn’t imply that you just aren’t liked. In different phrases, the proof that God loves you isn’t in your feelings or your emotions. The proof of God’s love is the cross of Christ. Finally, what it’s essential to do is just return over and again and again to what God did for us in Jesus. Learn Romans 5:6–11 repeatedly, and pray that the Spirit will trigger there to come back alive in your coronary heart a renewed sense of the magnitude of God’s kindness and mercy in giving his Son to die for us. So I don’t need folks to assume that they will’t operate in life or they will’t stay a God-exalting expertise just because they don’t really feel his affection. I feel God needs us to really feel that, but when we don’t, that doesn’t imply he doesn’t love us.

22:42 – What Good Is God’s Love If It Doesn’t Shield Me from Hurt?

Matt Tully
And there are ups and downs in life. We’re not going to all the time really feel it to the identical extent on a regular basis. And perhaps converse to a different sort of particular person. Even the way in which that this query may be posed is intense, however I feel it’s true to generally how we really feel. I’m considering of the one that is within the midst, even proper now, of some deep trials. They simply really feel beat down. Perhaps there’s a damaged relationship, perhaps there’s the demise of a liked one, perhaps there’s illness, and the struggling is intense and deep. And so they may be questioning, What good is God’s like to me if it doesn’t imply he’s going to guard me from this horrible factor that I’m fighting proper now? What does God’s love even imply if he could be prepared to place me by means of this as his beloved little one?

Sam Storms
I get that query on a regular basis through the years. Let me simply provide you with an illustration of 1 technique to reply it, after which I’ll even go deeper. There was a household in a small city in Oklahoma the place I pastored for eight years, and their son, I feel he was in his early teenage years, actually dropped useless on the golf course. He was useless earlier than he hit the bottom. They weren’t a part of my church, however a few month or two had handed and so they known as to make an appointment with me, as a result of I feel they in all probability endorsed with each pastor on the town, on the lookout for solutions. And once they got here in, we talked about it. I talked to them in regards to the love of God, the sovereignty of God. I talked about Romans 8:28, how God works all issues collectively for good to people who love him and are known as in accordance with his function. And on the finish of it, I may see the look on their faces and I stated, “Let me ask you all a query. Let’s simply assume that once you got here in that I completely resolved the thriller in your thoughts about why your son died this manner, and I answered each objection that was raised up, and I gave you a portrayal of God that completely satisfied you that what occurred to your son was in the end for his and your good and the glory of God. In different phrases, I put to relaxation all your objections. Wouldn’t it diminish the ache in your coronary heart?” And so they checked out me and so they each stated, “No.” So generally we have to be cautious that we predict that someway convincing any person of the reality of a Bible verse goes to banish the ache and the misery and the confusion that they’ve gone by means of. I feel God is just too caring and sort to anticipate that of us, as a result of he is aware of it’s not going to occur. So any person who’s going by means of that sort of trial or tragedy and so they can’t make sense of it, I don’t know the place else to go however to the textual content of Scripture that assures me that God causes all issues to work collectively for good to people who love him and are known as in accordance with his function. Now, once more, that’s not a common promise; it’s for many who love God and are known as. However when all different explanations and all different options fall and fail, I’ve to fall again on that reality. So I don’t need Romans 8:28 to be like a pacifier—any person is available in crying, you stick it of their mouth.

Matt Tully
It doesn’t take the ache away, such as you had been saying.

Sam Storms
No, it doesn’t. However it additionally prevents any person from falling into despair. Doubt is one factor. Unresolved questions is one factor. Despair is one thing that the phrase of God is designed to stop ever occurring within the lifetime of a believer. So I feel generally, and this may increasingly sound unusual, I feel generally solutions are method overrated. I don’t assume they do what we predict they’ll do. If I may simply know why and the way God’s utilizing this and what may I would’ve carried out to contribute to it, then I may stay with it with out the ache. No, you couldn’t. No, you couldn’t. So lastly, I fall again on Romans 11:33: “God’s methods are unsearchable. His judgments are inscrutable. Who has recognized the thoughts of the Lord?” Not me! I can guarantee you of that. However I’ve to consider that as Paul closes that out: “From him are all issues, and thru him are all issues, and to him are all issues. To God be glory ceaselessly and ever.” If I don’t relaxation in the end in that, what’s the possibility? What alternate options do I’ve? Deconstruction? Repudiation of my religion? Embracing of atheism? Immersing myself in a lifetime of sin and rise up and immorality and idolatry? Is that actually going to resolve the ache or scale back the anguish of my coronary heart? No. I feel God says, “Maintain on to me, however know that the one cause you do is as a result of I’m holding on to you.”

Matt Tully
It makes me consider that well-known line from Peter. After Jesus has been educating some exhausting issues and loads of the individuals who had been following him left him, after which he turns to his disciples and he says, “Do you need to go away as properly?” And Peter has these well-known phrases. Perhaps you possibly can quote them for us.

Sam Storms
He says, “To whom we could go? You alone have the phrases of everlasting life.” I actually do assume that individuals must problem themselves by saying, “All proper, what are my alternate options? I may stay on this corrosive doubt and despair for the remainder of my life—this fixed worry that the Bible isn’t true and that God is a liar. Or I may fully abandon all of it and go into atheism, or I’ll simply attempt to numb and anesthetize my ache by means of sin, medication, alcohol, immoral intercourse, no matter it’s.” And once you have a look at all of the attainable alternate options, the one one which makes any sense that holds out any hope is that we proceed to cling to God, to the guarantees that he’s made in Scripture, the character of God as revealed in his phrase, after which wait as patiently as we will for the brand new heavens and the brand new earth, when all questions can be answered. In reality, you return to Job, and Job throws all these questions and objections at God. And when God lastly opens his mouth to reply, there are not any apologies. There are not any explanations. He doesn’t say, “Properly, it’s essential to perceive that Devil got here to me and challenged your integrity, and I needed to put up a battle and show him improper.” God offers no account for why what occurred occurred. What does he do? He says, “Job, sit down. I need to ask you some questions. The place had been you after I created the world? The place had been you after I orchestrated the animal kingdom and created such range and sweetness and concord? Are you able to clarify how the celebrities seem and are held in house?” And it’s identical to Job is thrown again on his heels, and he realizes the one reply to the horrible struggling and loss that I’ve endured is that God actually is God and he’s who he says he’s, and he’s my solely hope and he’s my solely resolution to this wrestle that I’m in. And I feel that’s in the end what we now have to rely on.

Matt Tully
That’s all the time been encouraging and a assist to me is the easy recognition that the Bible incorporates so many tales just like the story of Job, the place folks did must face this unexplained, horrible struggling of various sorts. And so God understands that. Scripture understands that that’s a part of our lives as people, and he isn’t afraid to, within the midst of that, name us to religion, name us to confidence in issues not but seen.

Sam Storms
I’ve found through the years, and I feel Scripture would uphold this, that of all of the the reason why we doubt God’s steadfast love, there are two that stand out: struggling and disgrace. Struggling is the best menace to our confidence in God’s goodness. We can’t account for why it occurred to us or to any person we liked, and we query whether or not God is absolutely loving. And the second is disgrace. How may God presumably love any person like me who’s carried out so many horrible issues after which repeated them again and again? And the guilt and the condemnation and the disgrace that weighs in on the human soul simply snuffs out the sunshine of understanding that God is love. And we predict, Properly, perhaps he’s for any person else, however he definitely couldn’t be for me. Look what I’ve carried out.

Matt Tully
That’s an entire different matter and an entire different dialog that we may have about combating to consider that God may truly love us as sinners. Sam, thanks a lot for taking the time at the moment to assist us perceive this, once more, seemingly very fundamental and elementary concept—this doctrine that God is love. And but, as we discuss it, it’s so clear that that is one thing that all of us may develop in our understanding and appreciation for.

Sam Storms
Certain. And I might simply go away them with this thought from Lamentations 3: “The steadfast love of the Lord by no means ceases. It’s new each morning.” And simply taking that and preaching that again to your soul. And when you do, I actually consider the Spirit of God will trigger that to take root in your coronary heart, and it’ll enlighten your thoughts, it can ignite your affections, and it’ll restore no matter pleasure you had in your relationship with the Lord that will have been misplaced.

Matt Tully
Thanks, Sam.

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