Welcome to Defenders, the teaching class of Dr. William Lane Craig.

Today, the Doctrine of God, Part 20.

For more information and resources from Dr. Craig, go to reasonable faith.org.

We've been studying the moral attributes of God and have concluded the section on God's holiness. Today we want to turn to the other

facet of God's moral character, and that is God's love. If God were simply a God of justice

and not a God of love, then we would be in deep trouble.

So we're very grateful to be able to study not only the holiness and the justice of God,

but also God's wonderful love. So let's look at some scriptural data concerning God's love. First of all, the scriptures

indicate that God's nature is loving. God is essentially loving. 1 John chapter 4 verses 7 to 21.

1 John chapter 4 verses 7 to 21. 1 John chapter 4 verses 7 to 21. Beloved, let us love one another.

For love is of God. And he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this, the love of God

was made manifest among us, that God sent his only son into the world so that we might live through him.

In this is love. Not that we loved God, but that he

loved us and set his son to be the expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also

ought to love one another. No man has ever seen God. If we love one another, God

abides in us, and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he

in us, because he has given us of his own spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father

has sent his son as the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God,

God abides in Him and He and God. So we know and believe the love God has for us.

God is love, and He who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him.

In this is love perfected within us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment,

because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, for fear has to do with

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