Teaching Resources International

God’s Love for Sinners … (August 2023 Update) 

The Love of God is amazing! It is obvious that He loves believers, but the greatness and the depth of His love is actually seen in His love for non-believers. Yet, some today believe that God does not love unbelievers. In fact, some will say that, when we are sharing the gospel, we should not even tell a non-believer that God loves them. They will say that God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11). Therefore, it is wrong to tell a non-believer that God loves them until they come to faith in Him. 

Even John 3:16 is often interpreted to show that God only loves believers. While the verse says, “God so loved the world, it is often suggested that this passage shows that God’s love is not only for Jews, but for all kinds of people — But not for non-believers. Even one of my favorite authors, A. W. Pink (The Sovereignty of God), says that the “world” in John 3:16 refers to “the world of believers” and does not include the ungodly. But the Bible seems to indicate otherwise. In fact, to interpret John 3:16 in this way actually seems to minimize and restrict the love of God. But God’s love for the never-repenting non-believer may be one of the greatest examples of how great His love is!  

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The Patience of God … (July 2023 Update) 

Patience is something everyone values but few have. One person said, “I was tested for patience once. The results came out negative!” And we are all grateful whenever someone is patient with us. While we love the patience of others, the patience of God is something that is absolutely essential for all of us! Psalm 130:3-4 puts it best: “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.” When it comes to God’s forgiveness, His patience is the only reason that we are still here today. 

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The Love of God the Father (June 2023 Update) 

A father’s love is absolutely essential for raising children. While single mothers can and do compensate when a father is not at home, nothing gives more stability to a household than having a loving father around. In fact, recent studies have shown that we cannot underestimate the importance of a father in the home. For example, 80% of those in prison grew up in homes where a father was not present. And 71% of all High School dropouts and 90% of homeless and runaway children had absentee fathers.  

Mothers provide the nurture and care that children need. Fathers provide the stability that they need. In fact, children look to their fathers to lay down the rules and enforce them. While children look to their mothers for love and affection, they look to their fathers for strength and stability. And when these characteristics come from a loving father, children have the strength and love they need to navigate life. 

What does the Bible say about God as our Father? The Old Testament says surprisingly little. Though the Old Testament clearly calls God “Father” a few times (for example, Isa. 63:16; 64:8; Jer. 3:19; Mal. 2:10), the writers of the Old Testament lay greater emphasis on our distance from God and the reverence we should feel for Him. God is revealed more as separate from us and beyond us, and He is seen less as intimate and close to us. The Old Testament view of God is a true and important reminder that God is holy and deserves our worship. 

But when we come to the New Testament, the reverse is true. The New Testament refers to God as Father more than any other term.  Jesus used the term “Father” more than any other term whenever he spoke about God. God is described as our Father to show that He is personally, emotionally, and even sacrificially involved with us. In fact, Jesus even used the term “Abba” or “Daddy” to refer to God. This especially offended the Pharisees. And when he was teaching on prayer in Matthew 7:11, Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” In other words, while fathers are not perfect and some are not even good, God as our Father always gives His children what is best for them. 

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The Love of God … (May 2023 Update) 

Nothing compares to a mother’s love. A mother’s love is amazing. Mothers protect their children from harm, nurse them while they are sick, and provide a loving environment to grow up in. While the role of a father is important (mostly in being an example), a mother’s love is one of the most powerful influences on a child’s life. 

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “it is the mother, and the mother only, who is a better citizen than the soldier who fights for his country. The successful mother, the mother who does her part in rearing and training aright the boys and girls who are to be the men and women of the next generation, is of greater use to the community, and occupies, if she would only realize it, a more honorable as well as a more important position than any man in it. The mother is the one supreme asset of the national life. She is more important, by far, than the successful statesman, or businessman, or artist, or scientist.” Certainly nothing compares to a mother’s love – Except the love of God. 

Interestingly, when the Bible speaks about God’s love for His people, it is most frequently in terms of a mother’s love. While God is usually called “Father,” the most intimate expressions of His love for His children are in motherly terms. Here are just a few examples: Many passages speak of God giving us birth: “You have forgotten the Rock who bore you and put out of mind the God who gave you birth” (Deut. 32:18). Also in Deuteronomy 32:11-12, we are told that God cares for us like a mother eagle: “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, the Lord alone guided him.” And in Psalm 57:1, the Psalmist tells us that God protects His children by covering us with His wings: “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, or in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by.” 

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The Timing of God … (April 2023 Update) 

Timing is everything! It matters in sports – timing can be the difference between a touchdown pass and an interception. A split second in baseball can be the difference between a home run and a strike out. This is also true in life. Being in the right place at the right time can be the difference between being a success or being a failure. 

Our timing can be good or bad, but God’s timing is always perfect. Our timing often fails because we can’t see ahead – but God is omniscient. We miss critical events because we cannot control other events – but God is omnipotent and can do whatever He pleases. These are just a few of the reasons why we can trust God’s timing.  

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