Is God All Loving and Accepting? - MSQ
Part of True North
August 20, 2023

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Is God All Loving and Accepting? - Message Study Questions

Message Summary

Some people think that God is all loving and, therefore, all accepting. God does accept people as they are, but he does not affirm behaviors, thoughts, and actions contrary to who He is. Others think that God is unloving because he judges people. They don’t understand how God can be both loving and judging. But love includes justice, they work together in harmony.
God does not merely love; He is love. He loves the unlovable and the unlovely, not because we deserve anything, but because He loves by nature.
God is also holy and perfect. “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing” (Hab 1:13a). Justice is the outworking of God’s holiness toward His creation.
Human justice is flawed, but God’s justice is perfect and true. Justice is part of God’s nature and therefore, every wrong will be accounted for and made right.
To not act justly is to not be loving; conversely, to be loving you must be just. Love and justice work together in God’s dealing with humanity. God’s love desires that people be restored to a right relationship with Him. God’s justice requires that there be payment for the penalty of sin. God’s solution is Jesus to be our substitutionary atonement. Jesus is truly the only answer.
Therefore, because God is love, believers should love others. Because God is just, believers should act and respond justly toward others. Affirming behaviors that are harmful is unloving and unjust if you understand that God wants what’s best for us.

  1. The NT uses four words for love. Can you explain the difference between “agape,” “phileo,” “storge,” and “eros” love?

  2. How do you usually show your love for other people?

Consider This

God is holy and God is love. These two attributes cannot be separated, but work together for good. When Moses delivered the Ten Commandments, he concluded with the statement, “And you must always obey the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good” (Deuteronomy 10:13). God isn’t a killjoy. He prescribes justice and right living for our good—because He loves us.

  1. Why are rules and absolute truth important principles to live by personally? What happens to individuals and society when you have no rules and truth is relative?

  2. Human justice is almost always flawed. But God’s justice is perfect. His judgment is already in operation, but when will this perfect justice prevail according to 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9?

  3. Why is perfect justice delayed according to 2 Peter 3:9? (see also Romans 2:2-4)

  4. What does God know that we can’t fully know about another person? (1 Corinthians 4:5) How should that affect your attitude toward others when in your eyes they are offending?

  5. Read Ephesians 2:4-5. What is wrong with people? What does God do about it? What does this mean to you?

  6. How do you know God loves you according to John 3:16 and 1 John 4:10? Does everybody receive this love, this forgiveness? Explain. (see also John 1:12 and 1 John 1:9)

  7. Read Romans 8:31-34. How can we be sure that in God’s court of law, our verdict will be “not guilty”?

  8. Read Romans 8:28-29. How can all things work together for good for Christians? To what purpose (v 29)?

Moving Forward – Application

  1. Whenever you feel like God doesn’t love you this week, don’t look at circumstances; look at the cross where God proved His love for you (see Romans 5:8).

  2. Read Matthew 7:12 and write down some ways you can show love to others this week.

  3. According to Galatians 6:1 and James 5:19-20, if a brother or sister is erring, should you warn them? And if so, how?

  4. Is there someone you should warn this week? Will you pray about it, especially for wisdom (Colossians 4:2, 5-6)?

  5. Think of some ways you can treat others justly this week. Write down your ideas and try to put at least one of them into practice.

  6. Is there someone doing something you should stop affirming this week? Will you?

Note ‘ “Agape” love is unconditional love. No matter what one does or says, it does not change God’s “agape” love for that person. They are loved unconditionally. The Greek word for sexual love is “eros.” Eros is love expressed through sexual intimacy. Agape love isn’t brotherly love either. The Greek word for brotherly love is “philia” meaning a close friendship or brotherly love. Another Greek word for love is “Storge” which refers to love between a parent and child.”