Description

I. Core Concepts of God's Nature

• God as "Abba Father":
• Meaning of "Abba": A Hebrew word meaning "daddy," signifying an intimate and close relationship.
• Biblical Basis: Romans 8:14-16 and Galatians.
• Implications for Relationship: God does not withhold good things or do evil against His children. It implies full adoption rights, including the same inheritance as Jesus (co-heirs with Christ).
• Contrast with Human Perspective: The concept challenges traditional views of God as distant or formal.
• God is Love (Agape):
• Definition of Agape Love: Unconditional, independent of human actions, unmerited, and undeserved.
• Biblical Basis: 1 John 4:16 ("God is love"), John 3:16 ("For God so loved the world...").
• Intensity of God's Love: Emphasized by the word "so" in John 3:16, leading to the ultimate sacrifice of His only begotten Son.
• "World" in John 3:16: Refers to the people of the world, not just the planet.
• Eternal Life (Zoe): Defined in John 17 as knowing God the Father and Jesus Christ. It is a person, not just a concept or a place.
• God's Love in the Old Testament vs. New Testament:
• Old Testament Context:
• Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5): "O Israel, the Lord our God is one." The word "one" (echad) is a "uni-plural" word, implying a unified plurality (like "group" or "herd"), which the Jewish people often misunderstood as a strict singular, creating an obstacle to seeing Jesus as Son of God.
• Greatest Commandment: Love the Lord with all heart, soul, and strength. No one could perfectly keep this, highlighting the need for a Savior.
• Purpose of the Law: To make people conscious of sin and point them to a Savior (Romans 3:20, Law as a schoolmaster).
• Perception of God: Portrayed with anger and wrath (e.g., Flood, Sodom & Gomorrah, deaths under the Law).
• New Testament Context:
• New Commandment (John 13): Love one another as Jesus loved us (demonstrated through servant leadership like foot-washing). This supersedes the Old Testament law.
• Love as an Action Word: Not merely a feeling, but something demonstrated and done (e.g., Timothy caring for others in Philippians 2:20-21).
• Impact of Love: Fulfills the law (Romans 13:8), covers/obliterates a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8), and drives out fear (1 John 4:18).
• The Finished Work of Christ: Jesus absorbed all God's wrath and judgment on the cross (John 12, Isaiah 53-54). God promises never to be angry with His people again (Isaiah 54).
• God's Provision: Everything needed for life and godliness is already provided (2 Peter 1). Faith receives what God has already provided, it doesn't move God.
• God's Nature in the New Covenant: God does not cause sickness, disease, or natural disasters; these are not "acts of God" in the sense of divine judgment against His children. He is for us, not against us (Romans 8).

II. The Power and Practicality of God's Love

• Love Fulfills the Law and Covers Sin:
• Romans 13:8: Love fulfills the law, meaning there is no law against one who lives in love.
• 1 Peter 4:8: Love covers/obliterates a multitude of sins – God "remembers your sins no more" (Hebrews 8:12).
• God's Perception of Believers: Sees them as perfect, complete, lacking nothing through Christ.
• Love Drives Out Fear:
• 1 John 4:18: "Perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment."
• Receiving God's Perfect Love: As we receive His love, fear and anxiety are dispelled.
• Overcoming Fear: Through active participation (singing songs of deliverance, asking in faith).
• Perspective on Demons: They are powerless "maggots" that can deceive but not defeat.
• Our Identity and Acceptance in Christ:
• Accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6): The Greek word "charito" (highly favored/blessed) is applied to believers, just as it was to Mary. We are "the Beloved."
• Ephesians' Emphasis: Shows our identity, how we are blessed, forgiven, redeemed, sealed with the Holy Spirit, and seated with Christ in heavenly places.
• Knowing God's Love: It surpasses knowledge; it's an experience in the heart, not just a mental concept.
• Love Compels Our Actions:
• 2 Corinthians 5: The love of Christ compels us; our lives are no longer our own.
• Motives for Action: Not for personal gain, financial benefit, or praise of men, but out of care for others (like Timothy).
• Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15): A profound picture of the Father's unconditional love, compassion, eagerness to forgive, and restoration.
• The father ran, embraced (epipto – a bear hug), kissed (continuously), restored (ring, robe, sandals), and celebrated. He would not let the son even finish his repentant speech.
• Love is Preeminent:
• 1 John 4:19: "We love because he first loved us." God initiated the relationship.
• God's Foreknowledge and Orchestration: God knows who will choose Him and orchestrates their lives from the womb (Psalm 139).
• Goal: Discipleship: God's goal is to make disciples who can operate in His love and bless others (like the good ground in the parable of the sower).
• Remembering God's Interventions: Keep a "book of remembrance" of how God has supernaturally intersected your life.
• The Greatest of These is Love: While faith and hope are important, love is eternal and central to God's defining characteristic.
• How Love is Expressed (Fruit of the Spirit - Galatians 5:22-23):
• Joy in the Lord, Peace, Longsuffering (Patience), Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control.
• Gentleness: A gentle answer turns away wrath.
• Self-Control: Speaking life, controlling appetites.
• Love Surpasses Understanding:
• Ephesians 3: God's love has immeasurable width, length, depth, and height, surpassing all knowledge. It is infinite in all directions, as is His forgiveness.
• Being Filled with the Fullness of God: Living out of our spirit, allowing the Holy Spirit within us to flow out in supernatural ways (healing, deliverance).
• Our Perfection in Christ: Our spirit is perfected the moment we are born again; sin cannot penetrate it (Hebrews 10:14, 1 John 3:9). This perfection is our witness to the world.
• God as Our Daddy:
• 1 John 3:1: "Behold what manner of love the Father (Abba) has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God."
• Receiving His Love: It is a gift to be received.

II. Quiz

1. What is the significance of the word "Abba" in understanding our relationship with God, and where in Scripture is it primarily found?
2. Explain the concept of "agape" love as described in the source material. How does it differ from a conditional or earned love?
3. How does the speaker differentiate the meaning of the word "world" in John 3:16, and what does he say eternal life (Zoe) truly means according to John 17?
4. According to the source, what was the primary obstacle for Jewish people in the Old Testament to recognizing Jesus as the Son of God, related to their understanding of the Shema?
5. What was the ultimate purpose of the Old Testament Law, and how did it demonstrate humanity's need for a Savior?
6. Describe how Jesus's "new commandment" in John 13 supersedes the Old Testament law, and what specific action did Jesus perform to demonstrate this new commandment?
7. How does the "finished work of Christ" change the perception of God's wrath and anger, particularly in relation to natural disasters?
8. Explain the concept of "faith" as receiving what God has already provided. How does this differ from the idea of "moving God" through prayer or other actions?
9. According to the source, how does God perceive believers after they accept Christ, and what happens to their past sins?
10. Describe at least three actions of the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son that illustrate God's unconditional love and forgiveness.

III. Quiz Answer Key

1. "Abba" is a Hebrew word meaning "daddy," signifying an intimate and close relationship with God. It is primarily found in Romans 8:14-16 and Galatians, emphasizing that we have received a spirit of adoption, allowing us to cry out "Abba, Father."
2. "Agape" love is described as unconditional, independent of human actions, unmerited, and undeserved favor of God. It means that we don't have to do anything to receive it; it is freely given once we become His child.
3. The speaker states that the word "world" in John 3:16 refers to the people of the world, not just the planet. Eternal life (Zoe) is defined in John 17 as a person: knowing God the Father and Jesus whom He sent.
4. The primary obstacle was their misunderstanding of the Hebrew word "echad" (one) in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4). While a singular word, it has a plural meaning (like "group" or "herd"), but they interpreted it as strictly singular, preventing them from seeing Jesus as the Son of God.
5. The Old Testament Law's purpose was to make people conscious of their sin (Romans 3:20) and to point them to a Savior. Its impossible standards, such as being perfect as God is perfect, demonstrated that no one could keep it, highlighting the universal need for a redeemer.
6. Jesus's "new commandment" in John 13, "love one another as I have loved you," supersedes the Old Testament law, including the Ten Commandments. He demonstrated this by washing His disciples' feet, showing what it meant to be a servant and to love others through action.
7. The "finished work of Christ" means that Jesus absorbed all God's wrath, anger, and judgment on the cross once and for all time. Therefore, God is no longer angry with His people and does not cause sickness, disease, or natural disasters as a form of judgment.
8. Faith, in this context, is described as simply receiving what God has already provided for us through the finished work of Christ. It differs from "moving God" because God has already moved and provided everything; faith is our act of reaching out and taking hold of what is already available.
9. God perceives believers as perfect, complete, and lacking nothing, through Christ. Their past sins are not remembered by God; they are "covered by the blood of Christ" and "obliterated," as if God has no recollection of them.
10. Three actions of the father in the Prodigal Son parable illustrating God's love are: (1) He saw his son "still a great way off" and had compassion, running to meet him; (2) He "fell on his neck" (gave him a bear hug) and began continuously kissing him, not allowing him to complete his repentant speech; and (3) He immediately restored his son with a ring, cloak, and sandals, and celebrated his return, refusing to treat him as a servant.

IV. Essay Format Questions

1. Discuss the speaker's emphasis on God's love being "multifaceted" and "like a mosaic." How does this perspective challenge a "one-dimensional" understanding of God, and what are the practical implications for believers?
2. Compare and contrast the Old Testament and New Testament portrayals of God, focusing specifically on the concept of God's wrath and judgment versus His unconditional love. How does the "finished work of Christ" serve as the turning point in this theological understanding?
3. Analyze the role of "love as an action word" in the Christian life, drawing on examples from the source material such as Timothy's character and Jesus's "new commandment." How does this active love relate to fulfilling the law and addressing sin and fear?
4. The speaker states that God's love "surpasses knowledge" and is an experience of the heart. Explain what this means in terms of intellectual understanding versus spiritual reception. How does this concept connect with the idea of being "accepted in the beloved" and filled with the "fullness of God"?
5. Examine the speaker's discussion on the nature of faith as "receiving what God has already provided." How does this understanding impact a believer's approach to prayer, healing, and general reliance on God, and what common misconceptions about God's responsiveness does it challenge?

V. Glossary of Key Terms

• Abba: A Hebrew word meaning "daddy" or "father," used to denote an intimate, affectionate, and close relationship with God.
• Agape: A Greek word for unconditional, selfless, and benevolent love, often used to describe God's love for humanity.
• Charito (Accepted in the Beloved): A Greek word meaning "highly favored" or "blessed," used in Ephesians 1:6 to describe believers' status in Christ and also used by Gabriel to Mary.
• Discipleship: The process of becoming a follower of Jesus Christ, mimicking His character and putting faith into action, going beyond simply being a "believer."
• Echad: A Hebrew word for "one," which in the context of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4) implies a "uni-plural" unity (like a group or herd), rather than a strict singular, which the speaker argues was misunderstood by some Jewish people.
• Epipto: A Greek word meaning "fell on" or "embraced," used in the parable of the Prodigal Son to describe the father's bear hug and in Acts to describe the Holy Spirit "falling upon" believers.
• Finished Work of Christ: Refers to the complete and perfect salvation achieved by Jesus Christ's death and resurrection on the cross, through which all of God's wrath and judgment for sin were absorbed.
• Law (Old Testament): The Mosaic Law given to Israel, which, according to the speaker, served to make people conscious of sin and point them to a Savior, rather than being a means of salvation itself.
• New Commandment: Jesus's command to "love one another as I have loved you" (John 13), presented as superseding and fulfilling the Old Testament Law.
• Perfect Love: Refers to God's flawless and complete love, which, when received by believers, has the power to drive out all fear.
• Portrait of God: The speaker's method of presenting God's multifaceted nature, similar to assembling pieces of a mosaic, to provide a comprehensive understanding beyond simple definitions.
• Prodigal Son: A parable from Luke 15 used by the speaker to illustrate the Father's unconditional love, compassion, forgiveness, and restoration towards those who return to Him.
• Royal Law of Love: A New Testament principle emphasizing love as the guiding law for believers, fulfilling all other laws.
• Zoe (Eternal Life): A Greek word for eternal life, which John 17 defines not as a concept or a place, but as a person: knowing God the Father and Jesus Christ.