Red eyes. Runny nose. Itchy skin. Signs of a common allergy known to many as the sweet, loving, four-legged household pet we've all come to call a cat. Visits to the home of my mother and father always warrant a little preventive medicine that rarely works. Both of their cats, even after being locked in the basement for the extent of our vacation, have already left enough of themselves all around the house that ten Claritin pills could never resolve my sniffles and tears. Evidence of their presence is not always visible to the naked eye, but the proof of their footsteps is found in the shedding of dander and fur that sinks into every piece of furniture and ever fabric of the carpet.
A caterpillar may shed its skin. A tree may shed its leaves. A business may shed employees. The Son of God may even shed His own blood as we saw most powerfully in the last section. But there is another form of shedding that is important to our understanding of the King eternal. For in all the glory, all the mercy, and all the grace that we have seen, one most prominent factor of God's magnificent nature has not been addressed.
"For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, [and] hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost: Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior." Titus 3:3-6
"And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Romans 5:5
Easily one of the most overused and misused words in the English language, love is the very nature of God (I John 4:8). Of all the words covered thus far, the nearest to compare is mercy. For if you will recall, mercy was an affection and compassion so deep that it was related to the bowels.
Likewise, love comes from a deep place, but it is not temporary or age-dependent. If God is love, then He is always love. But what exactly does that mean? Surely God is not love in the same sense that one may adore chocolate or quiet walks on the beach. Indeed there is a greater meaning.
In almost every case of God's love directed towards man, the Greek is
agape (noun) or
agapao (verb). The distinction of love as both a noun and a verb is significant for two reasons. First, it is a fixed condition; one that does not change (
agape). Second, it is an action of kindness or charity (
agapao).
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love (agape) wherewith he loved (agapao) us," Ephesians 2:4
Hence, because He is love, He loved. Nothing could be more explicit or evident in the prevailing theme of Scripture. God is love (agape) and therefore… He operates with love (agapao) in all that He does.
The other, much less used word of love in Scripture is
phileo (think
Philadelphia and the "City of Brotherly Love"). At its core, this is the kind of love that still has affection, but sets friendship (
philos) as its mantle (Romans 12:10, I Thessalonians 4:9).
"And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend (philos) of God." James 2:23
"If any man love (phileo) not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha." I Corinthians 16:22
Lest we deceive ourselves into believing that God's love is only shed in the form of agape and not phileo, let us return to the earlier passages.
"For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, [and] hating one another. But after that the kindness and love (philanthropos) of God our Savior toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost: Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior." Titus 3:3-6
"And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love (agape) of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Romans 5:5
Not only does the Lord God of heaven and earth have mercy on you, but He loves you as an act of kindness, an act of goodwill, and an act of friendship. His amazing love took Christ to the cross and paid the highest price with "shed" blood. And in Christ, nothing can separate us from that love (Romans 8:38-39).
Yet, technicalities have left many wrapped up in a false idea that God's love ends at the cross. Be assured, His love was laid on the line at the cross for your salvation, but His love is greater still.
"And to know the love (agape) of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us," Ephesians 3:20
"And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love (agape) one toward another, and toward all [men], even as we [do] toward you:" I Thessalonians 3:12
"And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love (agape) which is in Christ Jesus." I Timothy 1:14
If you've heard or read the gospel, if you've trusted that He is slow to anger, if you've found that He is gracious, then you have found His love and should know it goes deeper still. His blood was shed 2,000 years ago as the price of your life. His love was shed so that you, as His creation, might once again be brought into fellowship with the King.