What Does God Is Love Mean

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Open your Bibles to Romans chapter 5 as we conclude our short series on the love of God. I want to read to you verses 6 through 11 as that will be our study for this morning. Beginning in verse 6, the great apostle Paul writes…
In 1 John 4:8 we read that “God is love.” This is probably one of the most misused and misunderstood bible texts because people take it out of context. I have said and I will say it again that many people think that “God is love” means that they will be saved and ushered into the kingdom of God because they are “not that bad.” They have done enough “good” to appease the wrath of God and enter into His heavenly kingdom.
There are others who simply dismiss the wrath of God and since “God is love” God would never pour out
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Some would even go so far to say that even those who reject God here and now will be given another chance when they die—or that God will just forgive them and take them to heaven.
Scripture rejects this as we read in Hebrews 9:27 that it is appointed for man to die once and after that to face judgment. Jesus said many times that the wicked will be ushered into eternal punishment in hell. Hell is the expression of God’s wrath on the sinner.
We read this in Scripture where it says in Psalm 5:5-6: The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity. You destroy those who speak falsehood; the Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
God has a holy hatred for sin, wickedness, and
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8), enemies (v. 10). Helpless, ungodly, sinners and enemies. God’s love is so immense that He sent His Son to die for those who are completely undeserving of His love.
That brings up a good point. God’s love is not motivated by anything in us. God’s love is not dependent upon us. This means that God’s love never changes. God’s love is permanent and unchanging and it is ours eternally if we are in Christ.
That’s why Paul was so confident of His salvation because He knew that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Listen to Romans 8:35-39 again:
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,
“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;
We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our

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