Informing Our Understanding of God's Love and Redemption

Understanding God's Love and Redemption

The concept of God's love and redemption is central to Christian theology, rooted in biblical teachings and developed through the interpretations of various Christian traditions. The biblical anchor for this concept is found in several key passages that highlight God's love and the redemption achieved through Christ.

The apostle Paul's writings emphasize the depth of God's love and Christ's role in redemption. In Ephesians 3:19, Paul prays that believers may "know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge" ^[2]. This paradoxical expression underscores the idea that while God's love is beyond human comprehension, it can be experienced and understood through faith. Similarly, in Colossians 2:2, Paul speaks of being "instructed in charity and unto all riches of fulness of understanding, unto the knowledge of the mystery of God the Father and of Christ Jesus" ^[1]. This passage links the understanding of God's love with the mystery of Christ.

The concept of redemption is closely tied to God's love. According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, redemption refers to "the purchase back of something that had been lost, by the payment of a ransom" ^[5]. The Greek word for redemption, "apolutrosis," is used in the New Testament to describe Christ's redemptive work, emphasizing the idea of a price paid for liberation from sin and its consequences.

Different Christian traditions have interpreted God's love and redemption in various ways. The Reformed tradition, represented by John Calvin, emphasizes that God's love is mediated through Christ, and that Christ has always been the Mediator by whose intercession blessings are obtained from God the Father ^[8]. In contrast, the Eastern Orthodox tradition, as represented by John Chrysostom, highlights the difficulty of understanding the extent of God's love, suggesting that it requires the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to grasp ^[7].

The Methodist/Wesleyan tradition, as seen in Adam Clarke's commentary on Ephesians, interprets the love of Christ as the measure of God's love, with Christ's death being the ultimate expression of this love ^[6]. The Baptist/Reformed tradition, represented by John Gill's commentary on 1 John, emphasizes that knowing God involves a personal, experiential knowledge that is accompanied by love for God and for others ^[9].

The biblical basis for understanding God's love and redemption is further reinforced by passages such as 1 John 4:16, which states, "We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" ^[3]. This passage underscores the reciprocal nature of God's love, emphasizing that abiding in love is equivalent to abiding in God.

The concept of redemption is also closely linked to the idea of God's love being manifested towards sinners. Torrey's Topical Textbook notes that God's love is "irrespective of merit" and is "manifested towards perishing sinners" ^[4]. This understanding is supported by biblical passages such as John 3:16, which highlights God's love for the world.

Sources

Colossians “Colossians 2:2 (DRC) — That their hearts may be comforted, being instructed in charity and unto all riches of fulness of understanding, unto the knowledge of the mystery of God the Father and of Christ Jesus:”
Ephesians “Ephesians 3:19 (Rotherham) — To get to know, also, the knowledge-surpassing, love of the Christ,—in order that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God:”
1 John “1 John 4:16 (NASB) — We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Love of God, The — Is a part of his character -- 2Co 13:11; 1Jo 4:8. Christ, the especial object of -- Joh 15:9; 17:26. Christ abides in -- Joh 15:10. Described as Sovereign. -- De 7:8; 10:15. Great. -- Eph 2:4. Abiding. -- Zep 3:17. Unfailing. -- Isa 49:15,16. Unalienable. -- Ro 8:39. Constraining. -- Ho 11:4. Everlasting. -- Jer 31:3. Irrespective of merit -- De 7:7; Job 7:17. Manifested towards Perishing sinners. -- Joh 3:16; Tit 3:4. His saints. -- Joh 16:27; 17:23; 2Th 2:16; 1Jo 4:16. The destitute. -- De 10:18. The cheerful giver. -- 2Co 9:7. Exhibited in The g”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Redemption — The purchase back of something that had been lost, by the payment of a ransom. The Greek word so rendered is apolutrosis, a word occurring nine times in Scripture, and always with the idea of a ransom or price paid, i.e., redemption by a lutron (see Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45). There are instances in the LXX. Version of the Old Testament of the use of lutron in man's relation to man (Lev. 19:20; 25:51; Ex. 21:30; Num. 35:31, 32; Isa. 45:13; Prov. 6:35), and in the same sense of man's relation to God (Num. 3:49; 18:15). There are many passages in the New Tes”
Ephesians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Ephesians 3:19: To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge - It is only by the love of Christ that we can know the love of God: the love of God to man induced him to give Christ for his redemption; Christ's love to man induced him to give his life's blood for his salvation. The gift of Christ to man is the measure of God's love; the death of Christ for man is the measure of Christ's love. God so loved the world, etc. Christ loved us, and gave himself for us. But how can the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, be known? Many have labored to reconcile this seeming co”
CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Galatians–Colossians–Thessalonians: the love of God, it was necessary for Paul to pray, and there was need of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who by following mere reasonings shall understand the nature of Christ? And why is it a difficult thing to learn that God loveth us? Beloved, it is extremely difficult. For some know not even this; wherefore, they even say, numberless evils come to be in the world; and others know not the extent of this love. Nor, indeed, is Paul seeking to know its extent, nor with any view to measure it; for how could he? but only to und”
CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Isaiah, Vol. 2, section 7.33: words, we ought to draw from them a profitable doctrine, that God assists us through Christ, by whose agency he gave deliverance to his own people from the beginning. He has always been the Mediator, by whose intercession all blessings were obtained from God the Father; and now that he has been revealed, let us learn that nothing can be obtained from God but through him. 46 46 {Bogus footnote} 21. And the Lord shall be known by the Egyptians. Isaiah now adds what was most important; for we cannot worship the Lord, or call upon him, till we ha”
1 John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 John 2:3: And hereby we do know that we know him,.... Either the Father, with whom Christ is an advocate; not as the God of nature, and by the light of it, nor as the lawgiver and Judge of the whole earth, and by the law of Moses; but as the God of all grace, as a God pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin, as the Father of Christ, and as in him by the Gospel; and this not in a mere notional and speculative way, but with love and affection; not with fear and trembling, as devils know him, nor in theory, as formal professors and hypocrites, but with a knowledge, joined with h”

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