Copyright © Rievaulx Methodist Church 2021
Rievaulx Methodist Church, Rievaulx, Helmsley, York, YO62 5LB
May 2018 Blog:
Do you want a love shock?
We hear so much in church about how God is love! We develop statements like
God loves us unconditionally? Or
God loves the sinner but hates the sin?
But where in the scriptures does it say these things?
Now I'm not knocking love or the love of God. Love is a great theme and at weddings it's a beautiful theme to preach on. Bishop Curry became the nations favourite preacher for 14 minutes at the royal wedding when he spoke on love.
It may shock you to know however that the scriptures say rarely God is love - whaaaaat?
As you may be feeling your blood boil at this point, check out the number of times the scriptures say God is love. To help you I've posted a link below (part of a sermon by David Pawson), who will take you through the scriptures from the Genesis to Revelation to highlight all the references in scriptures where it says God is love and who God loves! This may shock you.
You may well say, "ahhh but there is John 3:16 the most famous verse in scripture", which is indeed a great statement about how much God loves the world, but this passage of scripture is not the gospel message the evangelists of the early church preached.
Consider this verse from Isaiah
Isaiah 6:1-3 NIV
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy , holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Did you notice the seraphim were not singing,
"Love, love love!" - That was the Beatles message
"Mercy, mercy mercy - That was Marvin Gaye's song
No the seraphim sang of God's holiness, "Holy, holy holy is the Lord God Almighty".
1 Peter 1:16 says that we are to be holy because God is holy. We are called to repent and trust in Jesus for our salvation, this is the gospel message the early church preached as well as the great preachers down through history.
Check out the link below
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lr9VpTnpHC8
God bless.
Rev. Ken Gowland
Ambassador of Christ
2 Corinthians 5:20