God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. … We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:16, 19.)
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God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. … We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:16, 19.)
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You’ve said this so well, Tim, and I appreciate it. I don’t think truth and love are separable either. God never withholds love so that he can deal truthfully with us (I don’t think it’s even possible for us to do so), and his love for us is not blind to the truth about our condition or about our status as his loved sons and daughters. Maybe our tendency to want to separate the two is because we just can’t comprehend the magnitude of his love or his truth – we think they must have limits or can’t possibly coexist in their fullness.
I mean *possible for HIM to do so*
Coexist in their fullness – that’s exactly what I wanted to say, Jeannie, but you said it better!
Have you read Rob Bell’s LOVE WINS? This strongly reminded me of what he says in the chapter on heaven, about how love involves truth, and truth often judges us when we first encounter it. That chapter gave me a new (much more positive!) perspective on what Jesus means when he talks about judgment, and helped me reconcile that with Christ’s love. 🙂
In Bible College we heard this:
Truth and love must coexist in the right balance.
Love without truth is wishy-washy (almost useless)
Truth without love is brutal.
We need them both in proper balance.