Building Bridges of Faith, Hope, and Love

The entire Bible testifies to the fact that God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). Love is at the core of who God is, at the core of everything that we believe, and should be at the core of everything we do. And how we understand God’s love has massive implications for our faith and practice.

God’s love is far greater than we might think. God’s love as depicted in Scripture is far superior to the ideas that pass for “love” in much of our world today. During this quarter, entitled God’s Love and Justice by John Peckham, we will look more closely at some of the most prominent and beautiful aspects of God’s love, which are revealed in the Bible.

And, as we continue on, we will see how divine love and justice are inextricably connected. The God of the Bible loves justice (see, for example, Isa. 61:8). And, as the Bible portrays them, divine love and justice go together such that you cannot have one without the other.

The God of the Bible, who is love, is often portrayed throughout Scripture as brokenhearted and grieved by love rejected and love lost. The entire story of Scripture is about what God has done and is doing to restore love to every corner and crevice of the universe. This and much more is the topic of this quarter’s lessons.