The Love of God Beyond Expression

God, the Creator of heaven and earth, King of kings and Lord of lords, the Only Unlimited One, whose greatness and majesty have no end, we see Him dealing with earthly man with utmost friendship and love.

When He created man, He treated him with friendship, in love visiting him in Paradise, speaking with him, and granting him authority over all creatures. As the prophet David said about this treatment, “You have crowned him with glory and honor; You have put all things under his feet…” And as man says in the Gregorian Liturgy: “You have left nothing undone of the works of Your honor.”

Out of God’s love for man, He granted him freedom, will, and choice… And even when he sinned, God came to him, questioned him, and gave him an opportunity to answer for himself…

It is wondrous in the love of God which He expresses that He speaks with His creation, not only with the righteous man, but even with sinners; indeed, God also spoke with Satan and gave him an opportunity for dialogue…!

God spoke to Cain the murderer, and when Cain said to Him, “You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground… and it shall happen that anyone who finds me will kill me,” the Lord answered him with marvelous gentleness, defending this murderer: “Whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on him, lest anyone finding him should kill him (Gen 4).

Is there greater tenderness than this, with which He treated the first murderer on earth, a hard-hearted man who did not refrain from killing his righteous brother?!

As God spoke to Cain, so also He spoke to Judas the betrayer…

He warned him more than once, entrusted him with the money box, and before all that called him to be an apostle… And when this betrayer came to kiss Him, He said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” How amazing is the word “Friend” in this context!!

God spoke to Balaam, who led the whole people astray, and inspired him with true prophecies. He also granted King Saul to prophesy as well…!

Indeed, the compassionate and gentle God allowed Satan himself to speak with Him in the story of Job, and gave him opportunity to act, and even more than this allowed him to tempt Him on the mountain…!

If God dealt thus gently with Satan, how much more with sinners… He was exceedingly tender when He said to the sinful woman, “Neither do I condemn you; go in peace”…

In the love and gentleness of God, He befriended many human beings…

He called Abram to depart from his country and from his kindred to live with Him on the mountain that He would show him, and Abraham was called “the friend of God.”

In God’s friendship with Abraham, He would present to him some of His plans:

Thus when the Lord intended to burn Sodom, He said His wondrous phrase: “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing?!” (Gen 18:17). Thus He presented the matter to him, listened to his opinion, and fulfilled his requests.

In the same manner the Lord was with Moses, speaking with him, befriending him, and defending him. He said about him to Aaron and Miriam with a wondrous expression of love: “If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. I speak with him mouth to mouth, plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the Lord” (Num 12:6–8).

How deep was God’s love, and how gentle His treatment with Jonah the prophet, who disobeyed His command and fled from Him; yet God pursued him until he left his stubbornness. See how the Lord says to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry?” And Jonah answers, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!” Yet the Lord’s gentleness did not leave him…

How wondrous also was God’s treatment of Jacob who deceived his father and exploited his brother’s hunger, taking from him his birthright for a meal of lentils…

God did not rebuke him with any word, but appeared to him, blessed him, encouraged him, granted him promises, and said to him, “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land” (Gen 28:15). He helped him in meeting Rachel and his uncle Laban, poured upon him His goodness, granted him sons and a good old age… God is gentle in His dealings in a way beyond expression. We must not exploit His love and gentleness and belittle His commandments, but revere Him as we love Him…

How beautiful is the heart of God in His friendship with Enoch and taking him up to Himself, and His friendship with Abram, with Moses, and with John, whom He allowed to lean on His bosom…

How wondrous is God’s love for children and young boys; He spoke with them, entrusted them with messages and missions, and endowed them with gifts, such as Samuel and David… God’s love appears also in His generous promises which He promised to man, in His gifts, in His generosity, in His forgiveness, in His talents…

The Scripture even declares that the Lord does not give by measure, but opens the windows of heaven, until we say, “It is enough, it is enough”…

He pours out abundantly, gives generously and without reproach. He gives love and tenderness, protection and care, like a true Father who gives to His children without their asking.

His love appears also in that He made His delight in the sons of men, and continually loved to dwell among them, here and in heaven…

Concerning this He says, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” And concerning heaven, He says, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” And therefore it was said of the heavenly Jerusalem that it is “the tabernacle of God with men,” “God in the midst of His people” (Rev 21:3)…

How beautiful is this good fellowship of God, which in His love He prepares for us, that we may live in His fellowship here and there, now and forever…

Indeed, God showed the depth of His love for us in that He died for us…

The Apostle Paul explains the depth of this love, saying (Rom 5:6–10): “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” “for the ungodly”… “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die”; but that the Perfect, Holy, Righteous One should die for the wicked—this is truly deep and wondrous love…

Therefore, “We love Him because He first loved us”… and died for us.

We are ashamed of this love… How do we sin against Him who loved us?!

On the last day, “They will look on Him whom they pierced, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him”… The most painful thing about the Cross is that Christ “was wounded in the house of His friends.”

God’s love is wondrous: He loved all—sinners and saved them, the righteous and crowned them. He loved the young and the old. He loved little David, chose him as His anointed and a prophet, taught him to play the harp and the flute, trained his hands for war and his fingers for battle. In the same way He loved the child Samuel, spoke with him, and entrusted him with a message to the high priest.

He loved us and made us temples of His Holy Spirit and stewards of His divine mysteries.

He is the gentle and good God, whom all who lived with Him loved, of whom David said when he experienced Him, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.” And “His love is better than wine” (Song 1:2), with which His lovers were intoxicated…

Among the exceedingly wondrous aspects of God’s love is that He attributes His works to His children…

Many miracles are attributed to Saint George, or to the Archangel Michael, or to the Virgin Lady… God is the One who performed the miracle, yet in His love and humility He attributed it to His saints, and He says, “He who honors you honors Me.” Even His houses are likewise attributed to His saints; thus we say the church of Saint so-and-so, while it is the church of God. Even His law, He sometimes called the Law of Moses.

It is wondrous love, the love of the Father who presents His children and manifests them…

He even says to the apostles in humble love, “The works that I do, you will do also; and greater works than these you will do”!! Here every mouth is stopped…

How wondrous is God’s love in His gracious dealings. Abraham asks for a son in his barrenness, and He gives him descendants like the stars of heaven and the sand of the sea…

In His love He says to us, “I no longer call you servants, but friends.”

And He did not only call us friends, but sons—not only in the New Testament, but also in the Old Testament. In the Song of Songs He calls the Church a bride, a virgin betrothed by the apostle to Christ.

Even our sins, He says of them in His love for us, “I will forget them; I will remember them no more.” And He washes us in His love “and we shall be whiter than snow.”

Believe me, the word “I will forget,” when God says it, the mind is bewildered at its theological meaning, and sees that silence is better…

Perhaps He means, I do not mention them to you; I do not remind you of them; I do not reproach you with them; I do not set them before Me in My relationship with you. Rather, I place My love between Me and your sins so that it hides them, or I cover them with My blood so they do not appear…

The prodigal son, when he stood before his father’s love, was not able to say, “Make me as one of your hired servants”…

The father’s love overwhelmed him; he did not mention his sins, but mentioned the divine love which made him a new creation, white as snow. And behold, the former things, which are the sins, had passed away from before him, and love alone remained.

The love that made Augustine ashamed so that he said, “I have loved You too late.”

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An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – Al-Keraza Magazine – Seventh Year (Issue No. 49) – 3-12-1976

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