R. C. SPROUL

GOD’S LOVE

HOW THE INFINITE GOD CARES FOR HIS CHILDREN

transforming lives together

GOD’S LOVE

Published by David C Cook

4050 Lee Vance View

Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.

David C Cook Distribution Canada 55 Woodslee Avenue, Paris, Ontario, Canada N3L 3E5

David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

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All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the publisher.

The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of David C Cook, nor do we vouch for their content.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Isaiah 45:7 quote is taken from the King James Version of the Bible. (Public Domain.) The author has added italics to Scripture quotations for emphasis.

LCCN 2012941798

ISBN 978-1-4347-0422-1

eISBN 978-0-7814-0852-3

© 2012 R. C. Sproul

Published in association with the literary agency of Wolgemuth & Associates, Inc.

First edition published as Loved by God by Word Publishing in 2001 © R. C. Sproul, ISBN 978-0-8499-1648-9

The Team: Alex Field, Nick Lee, Renada Arens, Karen Athen

Cover Design: Amy Konyndyk

Second Edition 2012

To Vesta

CONTENTS

Preface

1 God Is Love

2 Eternal Love

3 The Loyal Love of God

4 The Loving-Kindness of God

5 The Electing Love of God

6 Love and Hate in God

7 The Threefold Love of God

8 Agape Love

9 The Greatest of These …

Conclusion: Of the Father’s Love Begotten

PREFACE

I cannot imagine many tasks more daunting than attempting to set forth an exposition of the love of God. It is a matter so majestic, so transcendent, and so sweet in its implications that I lack the ability to do it justice. My passion for many years has been to focus attention on the character and nature of God, particularly of God the Father. I have endeavored to set forth something of His holiness, His sovereignty, His grace, and His justice. But these subjects, though weighty, are vastly less difficult than the love of God.

Rather than providing an exhaustive study of the love of God, I am restricting myself in this work to vignettes of that love. I will stress how God’s love relates to His other attributes and how His inherent love serves as the standard by which human love is to operate. I also will look at some of the problematic questions that arise with respect to the love of God, such as how His love relates to divine “hate” and how His love relates to the doctrine of election.

I am indebted to the work of D. A. Carson on the love of God and also to that of the English Puritans. I am especially indebted to Jonathan Edwards for the insights into divine love that he set ...