God Is Love

under_believer

A meditation on love, using only scriptures. From the NWT, for easy readability for any Witness readers out there.

1 John 4:8 - He that does not love has not come to know God, because God is love.

1 Cor 13:4a - Love is long-suffering and kind.

Numbers 32:10-13 - Consequently Jehovah’s anger blazed on that day so that he swore, saying, "The men who came up out of Egypt from twenty years old upward will not see the soil of which I have sworn to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because they have not followed me wholly, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, because they have followed Jehovah wholly." So Jehovah’s anger blazed against Israel and he made them wander about in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that was doing evil in the eyes of Jehovah came to their end.

1 Cor 13:4b - Love is not jealous,

Exodus 34:14 - For you must not prostrate yourself to another god, because Jehovah, whose name is Jealous, he is a jealous God;

1 Cor 13:4c - it does not brag, does not get puffed up,

Exodus 34:6 - And Jehovah went passing by before his face and declaring: "Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth,"

Job 38:4-7 (Jehovah speaking) - Where did you happen to be when I founded the earth? Tell [me], if you do know understanding. Who set its measurements, in case you know, Or who stretched out upon it the measuring line? Into what have its socket pedestals been sunk down, Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars joyfully cried out together, And all the sons of God began shouting in applause?

1 Cor 13:5a - does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked.

Exodus 32:9-11 - And Jehovah went on to say to Moses: "I have looked at this people and here it is a stiff-necked people. So now let me be, that my anger may blaze against them and I may exterminate them, and let me make you into a great nation." And Moses proceeded to soften the face of Jehovah his God and to say: "Why, O Jehovah, should your anger blaze against your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand?"

Deut. 6:15 - (for Jehovah your God in your midst is a God exacting exclusive devotion,) for fear the anger of Jehovah your God may blaze against you and he must annihilate you from off the surface of the ground.

1 Cor 13:5d - It does not keep account of the injury.

Exodus 34:7b (about Jehovah) - "bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons and upon grandsons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation."

Deut 6:16 "YOU must not put Jehovah YOUR God to the test, the way YOU put him to the test at Mas´sah."

Deut 23:2 - "No illegitimate son may come into the congregation of Jehovah. Even to the tenth generation none of his may come into the congregation of Jehovah."

1 Cor 13:6,7 - It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Genesis 6:6,7 - And Jehovah felt regrets that he had made men in the earth, and he felt hurt at his heart. So Jehovah said: "I am going to wipe men whom I have created off the surface of the ground, from man to domestic animal, to moving animal and to flying creature of the heavens, because I do regret that I have made them."

1 Cor 13:8 - Love never fails.

Zeph 1:18 - Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the day of Jehovah’s fury; but by the fire of his zeal the whole earth will be devoured, because he will make an extermination, indeed a terrible one, of all the inhabitants of the earth.

AND YET...

1 John 4:8 - He that does not love has not come to know God, because God is love.

The Bible refines gross contradiction to a fine art. Fortunately, most of us find in our hearts a far more beautiful definition of love than that found within the madness called: The Bible; as you so clearly presented here.

j

free2beme

LOVE is only acheived when you no longer worship a God of ANGER.

JamesThomas

LOVE is only acheived when you no longer worship a God of ANGER

So true. Great agony to the soul upon placing as "The Most High", a god of war, murder, and anger. Desert tribal gods may have had a valid use at one time, but not today. Not today. j

frankiespeakin

The uncritical acceptence of the New Testiment writen statement that "God is Love" and other statements that say he is loving, ignores the fact that in the Old Testiment he had the israelites kill men, women, and children when they entered the promised land, and got really pissed off when they didn't carry out his commands of genoside. They also push in out of their consciouness statements that say about him:"Vengence is mine", or that he will put to death all that do not worship him, or beleive in his son. One has to push any thought out of his consciousness, that questions the validity of the biblical claims about God being Love. Usually this is done with the thought that God's Love is so much more greater than human can comprehend, or that God is fully justified in his expressed anger for the simple fact that he is the creator of every thing and can do what he wants to his creation, and that nobody can rightly question him.

Many choose to turn a blind eye to such glaring contridictions, because of the indoctrinated fear of displeasing this so called loving God, for repeatedly the bible warns its readers that faith in god leads to rewards of everlasting life, and questioning god, or not beleiving what is written about him will mean permanent loss of his favor, and retribution of the severest kind. Usually to break this type of indoctrinaion and open one's mind,, requires great effort or that he stop submitting himself to the indoctrination long enough to think more clearly.

avidbiblereader

Who are we to check the hand of the Most High, we are so finite and dont understand hardly anything in the end, very small minds. I still believe that we don't understand everything but I understand enough not to question the Almighty and when all the dust settles, there will be an explanation. That is what my faith says, I still believe he is a God of love, waking up tomorrow to an earth still rotating and food and a hope proves that to me. I trust the Bible and my God through Christ.

abr

JamesThomas

Who are we to check the hand of the Most High, we are so finite and dont understand hardly anything in the end, very small minds.

Speaking of "small minds", why can you not see that we are not questioning the true Source of an infinite universe, but rather the extremely small and moronic deity presented within the pages of the Bible. WHO ARE YOU to belittle and shrink God to a foolish little anthropomorphic dirty??????? WHO ARE YOU to unquestionably accept and worship such a retarded concept???? Wake the hell up!!!

No offence meant.

j

frankiespeakin

avid,

I know where you're coming from because I was once like you. When I finally was able to look at what the facts in a less unbiased manner, it was like a great big light, that flashed in my head, I guess you can call it a "Aha" moment. But as the name you choose to go by,"avidbiblereader" says,, you are most likely still indoctrinating yourself, if that name is meant to imply what you are.

ringo5

Who are we to check the hand of the Most High, we are so finite and dont understand hardly anything in the end, very small minds. I still believe that we don't understand everything but I understand enough not to question the Almighty and when all the dust settles, there will be an explanation. That is what my faith says, I still believe he is a God of love, waking up tomorrow to an earth still rotating and food and a hope proves that to me. I trust the Bible and my God through Christ.
abr

I am sure I am not alone in remembering castigating the priests of the Catholic Church, and their equals in other institutions, for answering difficult biblical or doctrinal questions with the standard "God is a mystery" or "He works in mysterious ways". Even as witnesses, we recognized these statements for what they were, cop outs, betraying a lack of a cohesive and logical argument with these conversation stoppers.

And yet, all believers in the bible have to use this uncomfortable excuse at times, to deal with the obvious contradictions found within it's pages, especially when dealing with aspects God's personality as the above shows. The one lone believer on this thread so far, is testament to that fact.

Thanks UB

under_believer

avid, good thing you live in the West. A billion people wake up every morning to no food and no hope. Where is their Almighty? Why does He love you but not them?

God Is Love

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