1 John 4:8 He that loves not knows not God; for God is love. God is perfect love, all His affections are pure and clear as the crystal stream. 1. Benevolent affections form the moral beauty of the Divine character. God is love. His independence, almighty power, and unerring wisdom are mere natural perfections; but His benevolent feelings are moral beauties. 2. Men are required to imitate their heavenly Father. Power, wisdom, and all the natural perfections of the Deity are above imitation. There is nothing in the nature of God which any of His creatures can imitate, except His benevolent feelings. 3. The Scriptures ascribe affections to God in the most plain and unequivocal terms. (1) It may be said that the passages which ascribe affections to God are figurative, and ought not to be taken in a literal sense. We are never to depart from the literal sense of Scripture, without some apparent necessity. (2) It may be said that affections are painful, and consequently cannot belong to God, who is perfectly happy. It is true, affections are always painful when they cannot be gratified; and this is often the case among mankind. But since all the affections of the Deity are only different modifications of pure, disinterested benevolence, they admit of a constant and perfect gratification, and always afford him a source of complete and permanent felicity. (3) It may be asked, "How is this notion of Divine affections compatible with that perfect immutability and simplicity which all divines ascribed to the Deity?" We may observe here that there is a plain distinction between such a mutability as does, and such a mutability as does not, imply imperfection. If a man who was a sinner yesterday becomes a saint today, it implies no imperfection in God to change His affections towards that person.Improvement: — 1. This subject may give us some faint conceptions of the strength and ardency of the Divine affections. 2. In the view of this subject we may discover what it was which moved God to the work of creation. 3. It appears from what has been said that God is pleased with the existence of everything which takes place in the universe. His heart is in all His works. 4. This subject suggests matter of great consolation to those who are interested in the Divine favour. 5. This subject warns sinners to flee from the wrath to come. (N. Emmons, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. |
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