God Is Love

"God is love,"
    Jesus tells us.
Jesus never tells us,
    "God is justice."

We may say,
    "God is just,"
but this is, grammatically, 
    not the equivalent of saying,
"God is love."

"God is just" identifies
    one of many characteristics of God.
In this case,
    "just" is an adjective.
We're saying,
    "God is a just God."

"God is love"
    equates God with love,
defines God as love.
    In this case,
"love" is a noun,
    not an adjective.

Significant difference,
    with big implications.

All of God's characteristics--
    God is just.
    God is trustworthy.
    God is endlessly creative.
    God is humorous.
    God is one.
    God is long-suffering.
    God is mysterious.
    God is ultimately unknowable, except in bits and pieces.
must be seen
    through the lens of love.

God's justness,
    like all of God's characteristics,
is subsumed
    in love.

If, with our limited understanding,
    we struggle to reconcile God's justice
with God's defining identity--love--
    love wins, always,

because
    God. Is. Love.

This is Good News.
    This is THE Good News.

Text and image © 2020 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.
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