God is Love – Understanding the Heart of God

1 John 4:15-16 tells us, “15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has [d]for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

How do we abide in God? By believing, this Scripture tells us that “whoever confesses that Jesus is Lord, God abides in him.” Some tend to think that it is our obedience that keeps us in Christ. Yet this clearly tells us that it is about our faith. God is love. What an amazing truth and a wonderful summary of God. Of all of the descriptions to attach to God, He is described as love.

Throughout the Old Testament, God is seen as having wrath and punishing sin. Yet the Bible never says, “God is wrath.” He is always portrayed as a God with a heart of love. Micah 6:8 tells us, “…To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (NIV). This verse speaks to us because it tells us God’s true motives.

Imagine the scene of a court room, God is the judge, and as a judge he has to execute justice all of our sin. We are the guilty ones. We are the defendants. Yet although God must do justice, He loves mercy. Sin has a very heavy payment, so He cannot simply brush it under the rug. What is He to do? He has a heart of mercy and love. He steps in to pay fully all of the debt we owed. Through the Cross, He has fully paid for our sins and the sins of the world! All we must do is believe and receive it. He stood in our place and took the wrath we deserved.

Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. To understand these three things is to understand the heart of God. The Lord’s wrath was poured out on the Cross. All of our punishment and wrath that we deserved has been fully paid. Now we can abide in God and God can live in us. When we stand now, we can stand humbly because of the finished work of Christ. Now we can see God’s heart. His true nature is now revealed. God is love.