This is a series on the attributes of God.
Session 40: The Love of God Part 3: God’s Love within the Trinity
Purpose: In this session we shall explore the attribute of the love of God within the Trinity members themselves as taught in the New Testament and also draw implication for the Christian life as a result of our study.
The Dilemma about God’s love and God’s Aseity
- Remember God’s aseity. That is, God is independent from needs of his creation and creatures.
- “10 “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. 11 “I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. 12 “If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains.” (Psalm 50:10-12)
- Note the allusion that God own His creation and creatures in verses 10-11.
- The implication is stated in verse 12: Because all things are His, He does not need to depend u
- pon us human creatures.
- Even the Jewish religious sacrifices is not something God ultimately needs for Himself in verses 8-9.
- “Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.” (Job 41:11)
- This is God speaking, answering Job.
- God owns everything and owes no one anything!
- “10 “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. 11 “I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. 12 “If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains.” (Psalm 50:10-12)
- Yet the nature of love is that it is focused upon others as we have seen in the previous two sessions.
- Can God truly be independent of creatures and still be a God of love? Yes! If we understand the love of God within the members of the Trinity for the other member of the Trinity!
The Father’s Love for the Son
- “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.” (John 3:35)
- Note here the statement “The Father loves the Son.”
- This verse also tells us that what the Father’s love for the Son means the Father “has given all things into His hand.”
- “and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.’” (Matthew 3:17)
- In the context this is the baptism of Jesus.
- Who is the one speaking behind the voice?
- Note the voice said “This is My beloved Son”
- The Son here is in reference to Jesus.
- So this is God the Father speaking.
- The Father calls Jesus “My beloved Son.”
- What does the love of the Son means? The second half of the verse quotes the Father saying “in whom I am well-pleased.” God the Father is pleased with the Son Jesus Christ.
- “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”.” (Matthew 17:5)
- In the context this is the transfiguration of Jesus.
- Again who is the one speaking behind the voice?
- Note the voice said “This is My beloved Son”
- The Son here is in reference to Jesus.
- So this is God the Father speaking.
- Again the Father calls Jesus “My beloved Son.”
- Again the Father goes on to say “with whom I am well-pleased”
- However the Father says something new in light of this truth: “listen to Him!”
- Notice there response was one of fear in verse 6.
- “Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen; My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him,” (Matthew 12:18)
- Matthew 12:18 is a quotation from Isaiah 42:1.
- In context the Jews have been resisting Jesus and this verse is cited to explain the Messianic “Servant” going with the good news to the Gentiles.
- Notice the “Servant” here is being applied to Jesus.
- Yet in speaking of the “Servant,” or Jesus, God call Him “My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased;”
- This explains why Jesus is called “My Beloved” in the previous Matthew verses we have seen.
- Since Jesus is beloved by the Father, the verse has God saying “I will put My Spirit upon Him”
- The fact the Spirit empowered Jesus during His ministry is evidence that God the Father loves Him.
- “He had one more to send, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’” (Mark 12:6)
- This is a parable Jesus told illustrating the Jewish’ rebellion against God’s prophets in the Old Testament and now the Messiah.
- Since the Son refers to Jesus, we see that the “beloved son” is Jesus and therefore the owner represents God the Father.
- “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.” (John 15:9)
- Here Jesus says that “the Father has loved Me…”
- Jesus here describes that this love of the Father makes the Son Himself love the disciples.
- Therefore Jesus gives this command: “abide in My love.”
The Son’s Love for the Father
- “but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.” (John 14:31)
- The context is this is the last night before Christ’s death.
- Here Jesus said “so that the world may know that I love the Father” which presupposes that Jesus loves the Father.
- How did Jesus show His love for the Father in a way that the world knows? “I do exactly as the Father commanded Me.”
- So all the Son’s obedience shows His love for the Father!
- “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:10)
- Jesus here wants the disciples to abide in His love.
- He compares the disciples abiding in His love with “; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”
Closer look at John 5:16-20[1]
- The context is Jesus healing a man by a pool in Jerusalem by saying to him “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk” (v.8) and this happened on the Sabbath (v.9) which was the pretense for the Jewish religious leaders persecuting Jesus (v.16)
- Jesus’ response to the Jews is curious: “But He answered them, ‘My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.’” (John 5:17)
- Jesus says His Father is working even during the Sabbath, this clearly isn’t just a human father that Jesus had in mind.
- Jesus says that because His Father is working, He too must work.
- Jesus actually is saying He’s a Unique Son, because for most Jewish and Gentile believers, its not that we are like God the Father exactly….
- Jewish response? “For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.” (John 5:18)
- The Jews response was murderous: “For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him”
- Two reasons:
- “because He not only was breaking the Sabbath”
- “but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.”
- The Jews understood Jesus was making Himself divine in His claim.
- Jesus’ response maintains the same line of defense: “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.’” (John 5:19)
- Jesus is saying that His work on the Sabbath follows that of God the Father who also work on the Sabbath.
- Notice also Jesus saying that He must do things exactly “in like manner” as the Father.
- Jesus’ response also assert that the Father would approve of what Jesus is doing because He loves the Son: “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.” (John 5:20)
- Clearly “the Father loves the Son.”
- Since the Father loves the Son the Father “shows Him all things that He Himself is doing;”
- It’s an incident of “Father like Son.” The Father wants the Son to imitate Him.
Implication
- Appreciate the rational coherence of the Biblical worldview:
- Did God have to create the World to be a God of love and not be lonely? In light of the Trinity God didn’t have to create the world to be a God of love (the Members of the Trinity always love one another!) and didn’t have to create the world since God is lonely.
- Should God love others more than Himself? If He does then there’s the dilemma God can commit idolatry (loving something more than God); if God is Unitarian and God love Himself greatest then some might wonder if God is selfish; but the Triune Member loving each other shows God doesn’t have to be idolatrous nor selfish!
- Be humbled: Know that God didn’t have to love us in order for Him to be loving. His love for us is undeserved!
- If we understand how much God the Father loves the Son, only then do we understand the extent of God’s love for the world in John 3:16; have you thank God for loving us that much by providing salvation?
- As we have seen in the transfiguration in Matthew 17:5, if we know God the Father loves the Son, do you listen to the Son Jesus Christ and obey Him?
- The love of God the Father for the Son is a love that must be in us in how we love Jesus too! Note the following: “and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:26)
- The love of God the Father for the Son is a love that must be in us as a way of making unity possible! Note the following: “I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected [a]in unity, so that the world may [b]know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.” (John 17:23)
[1] This section on John 5:16-20 is based upon Don Carson, The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1999), 30-36.
[…] https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/03/24/gods-attribute-the-omnipotence-of-god-part-1/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/03/26/gods-attribute-the-omnipotence-of-god-part-2/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/03/31/gods-attribute-the-omnipotence-of-god-part-3/Sovereignty: God’s sovereignty is His self-control and His control over all things. All controlling.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/04/07/gods-attribute-the-sovereignty-of-god-part-1/#more-28084https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/04/14/gods-attribute-the-sovereignty-of-god-part-2/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/04/21/gods-attribute-the-sovereignty-of-god-part-3/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/04/28/gods-attribute-the-sovereignty-of-god-part-4/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/05/05/gods-attribute-the-sovereignty-of-god-part-5/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/05/12/gods-attribute-the-sovereignty-of-god-part-6/God’s Glory:The glory of God is the infinite beauty and greatness of God’s manifold perfection.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/05/19/gods-attribute-the-glory-of-god-part-1/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/05/26/gods-attribute-the-glory-of-god-part-2/God’s Immutability:God is unvarying, reliable, constant, and perpetual. God never adds or subtracts from His character and emotions. They are constant and unchanging.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/06/02/gods-attribute-the-immutability-of-god-part-1/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/06/09/gods-attribute-the-immutability-of-god-part-2/God’s Holiness:God’s holiness is His defining characteristic. The holiness of God is a term used in the Bible to describe both His goodness and His power. It is completely unique, and utterly all-powerful, radiating out from God like an energy. In fact, in our current physical state, God’s holiness is so overwhelming, that it can actually be dangerous to approach.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/06/16/gods-attribute-the-holiness-of-god-part-1/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/06/23/gods-attribute-the-holiness-of-god-part-2/God’s Righteousness:God’s righteousness is the form or structure of his goodness, and his goodness is the concrete, active embodiment of his righteousness.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/07/07/gods-attribute-the-righteousness-of-god-part-1/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/07/14/gods-attribute-the-righteousness-of-god-part-2/God’s Wrath:The wrath of God is an attribute of God as much a part of God as any other attribute, an attribute without which God would be less than God.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/07/21/gods-attribute-the-wrath-of-god/God’s Mercy:God’s physical deliverance of people is the result of His mercy, where He shows unmerited favor “specifically to those whose condition is miserable and one of great need”.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/07/28/gods-attribute-the-mercy-of-god/God’s Longsuffering:God’s ability to patiently endure lasting offense.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/08/04/gods-attribute-the-longsuffering-of-god/God’s Grace:When we talk about God’s grace we are talking about God as one who gives favour even when people do not deserve it.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/08/11/gods-attribute-the-grace-of-god-part-1/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/08/18/gods-attribute-the-grace-of-god-part-2/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/08/25/gods-attribute-the-grace-of-god-part-3/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/09/01/gods-attribute-the-grace-of-god-part-4/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/09/08/gods-attribute-the-grace-of-god-part-5/God’s Goodness:When we look at the biblical concept of divine goodness, one major idea stands out. It is that God is concerned about the well-being of his creatures and does things to promote it.https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/09/22/gods-attribute-the-goodness-of-god-part-1/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/09/29/gods-attribute-the-goodness-of-god-part-2/The Love of God:Defined as “His self-giving affection for His image-bearing creatures and His unselfish concern for their well-being, that leads Him to act on their behalf and for their happiness and welfare.”https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/10/06/gods-attribute-the-love-of-god-part-1/https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/10/13/gods-attribute-the-love-of-god-part-2/#more-29625https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2021/10/20/gods-attribute-the-love-of-god-part-3/More to follow!Thank you Pastor Jim!Worthy is the Lamb! Blessings! […]
Thankyou for explaining so well the loving relationship within the Trinity. It certainly highlights the amazing privilege we have as loved children of God, we can never put a value on it in human terms.
Thanks for reading this and noticing how I bring the doctrine of the Trinity to bear with the subject of God’s love! Hope you are staying warm as the weather gets colder Alan!!
Scotland is expected to get snow this week
Thanks for the great insight this morning. I really appreciate this whole series.
Recently I have come to this verse: “But He answered them, ‘My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.’” Love your take on it.
Blessings for a stunning day in paradise.
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Great lesson! Forgive me if this is a rabbit hole! Love is absolutely in the Trinity. It pains me when people want to take out the lyrics “the Wrath of God was satisfied” from the hymn “In Christ Alone.” The Father loves the Son, the Son loves the Father this is a love we will NEVER understand even in our resurrected and glorified bodies. Love would exist in the Trinity even if He never created the heavens, earth, man etc. Jesus loved the Father obeying Him unto death, so that by His death, burial and resurrection Jesus may bring/reconcile the elect/called/whomsoever into a saving relationship with Him. I know this is a rabbit hole, but the love the Trinity has for each other which is given to believers is absolutely humbling and convicts me to love better because of His Love.
I say amen to this: “the love the Trinity has for each other which is given to believers is absolutely humbling and convicts me to love better because of His Love.” There is so much richness to the love of God, and the Triune nature of the love of God is simply beautiful Mandy. Simply amazing! How are you doing sister? Hope you are recovering post-Trip! Did it rain the whole trip?
I am much better now, thank you for your care and prayers!!! It rained half of Saturday and the. got really cold and windy late Saturday and all day Sunday. I am waiting to hear back from WTS, I have no idea how long this will take 😬😬😬😬😬😬. How are you doing? What’s ministry like for you today?!
Thanks for another lesson outline on God’s love and the thought-provoking implications/exhortations at the end! I always appreciate your positive exhortations. I still remember being under pastoral teaching which motivated by guilt and shame, hardly a reflection of a loving God.
Amen! The love and grace of God are powerful motivation for right applications! I’m struck how many of the epistles use Gospel doctrines to motivate obedience! It goes so much further and also more enduring! How is your to do list today????
RE: to-do list
Thanks! Today was day #2 for my wife and I cleaning out the garage. I’m done but my wife still has some sorting out to do. In thirty minutes we’re taking a lot of old paint cans to the recycle/ hazardous waste center on the other side of town.
How does your Wednesday look?
Good point about humility: “Know that God didn’t have to love us in order for Him to be loving. His love for us is undeserved!”
Amen! A biblical understanding of God’s love should cultivate in us not only love but humility! Man the Love of God is so amazing!!!
What a blessed Intra-Trinitarian love! Thanks for this!
Was a busy Wednesday with ministry; I’ll look order the books sometime this week and keep you posted!
No worries brother. Thank you.
The love of God for God!
Thank you for this reminder of The Purity of God’s Love, Jim!
INdeed His love his pure and amazing! Also thanks for commenting on my Bible contradiction post! I think it definitely looks like the skeptic is trying to cause unneeded and unnecessary solutions. Indeed! How are you?
Much better than back in May! Not up to making animation, but writing and drawing regularly. Hope you and all those around you are doing well!
Bless you and thanks for this reminder of God’s amazing love!
This is not a shallow dive
You’ve proven not only God is love but the Trinity
God is so awesome