God is love is an expression frequently heard in the course of the Christian life. Some people will argue that God was love in the New Testament, but more like wrath in the Old Testament. But how can we reconcile this apparent change when we know that God is supposed to be immutable?
In reality, the Old Testament is rife with love as an expression of God. From the very detail of the creation that screams deeper love with each new magnification to the gentle care by which he clothed Adam and Eve after the fall. The scripture which really showed me the love of God in the Old Testament is a curious passage in Genesis 3:22: Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever. On the surface, this verse does not appear to be much about love, though can you imagine being separated from God forever? If that does not sound familiar to you, that is precisely the definition of Hell. In the state of Sin that Adam and Eve found themselves in, it would be impossible for them to enter the presence of the father without the sin substitution of Jesus. Adam and Eve were driven from the garden away from the tree of the life in order to save them from eternal separation from God.
Our life on earth is short and we will die. Our life in eternity depends on our response to the sacrifice of Christ. God loved us enough to cast us away from the tree of life while we lived in sin on earth to limit our suffering in sin. His love for us allows us to respond to Christ, and then have eternity with Him without sin. Let us find the aspects of God’s love everywhere.
