God's Love and Justice

The Bible states in 1 John 4:8, 16 that God is love, a central theme of the Christian faith. Love is fundamental to God's character and should influence our beliefs and actions. Misunderstanding God's love can lead to misconceptions, such as believing it must be earned. This impacts how we interact with God and others. Defining love can vary among people and even Christians hold differing views, prompting questions about the nature of divine love, its reciprocity, and its connection with justice. The Bible presents God's love as profound and intertwined with justice, depicting God as caring deeply about injustice and suffering. God suffers alongside creation, with His love and grief evident in Jesus' lament over Jerusalem (Matt. 23:37). This quarter's lessons will explore the true nature of God's love and its implications for faith and practice.