Can God love?

[Drich]

The bible NEVER said God is loving. The bible originally said God is Agape' which we translated into loving... our loving and God's Agape' are not compatible terms.

As you pointed out a loving person would protect from Harm. Agape' uses things like hardship and suffering to work away our spiritual imperfections to polish and shape us into usable tools for God's use.

A loving person may see a shape in a knot of wood that resembles a mother and child

An Agape person will take that knot and cut, chip sand grind and shape that knot till a beautiful sculpture of a mother and child is instantly recognisable.

God's love/Agape' love is love beyond the moment and want. Agape' is the love that will see you through pain rather than help you avoid it. why? because we only grow through pain.

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don't hate sport. some people seek truth other's seek conflict. same tools just different end.

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that's a lie earlier this week you were asking my to "go get papa."

That said I can't help if everyone else is wrong. Jesus was harsh towards his students unyeilding/cursing to his religious superiors and kind to his sheep. I can't help it if other only see what they want. the truth is the truth and is written on page for anyone to see it. Jesus gave peter the name petros or unstable gravel that is like calling a full grown man "sport." it refers to the man's in ablity to commit to a course of action.

John 15:13 - “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life to one’s friends.”

John 13:34 - “A new command I give you: Love one another as I have loved you.”

The Bible speaks a lot about God’s love, from a Christian view.

Glob...
you understand the original bible was NOT written in any form of english correct???

The orginal texts were written in what is called the Koine Greek. we have 3 and 4th century examples of these text. these text once compiled are called codacees. or indivusally they are known as a codex. Different codacees for different translations. meaning all orginal forms of the bible were in the koine greek. 

So when I say you know the bible Never orginally said God is love it said God is Agape. I mean to say your idea of love is not God's idea of love. or more speciffically Agape is not a word that repersents what you would define as love.

lets look at your verses in the greek:

15:13  μείζονα ταύτης ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς ἔχει ἵνα τις τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ θῇ ὑπὲρτῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ
13:34  ἐντολὴν καινὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους καθὼς ἠγάπησαὑμᾶς ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους

Now show me the word love....

Can't find it? that is because the word is not there. it does not exist yet. meaning the defination you assign to this word love does not exist yet. So then ask yourself what does the orginal greek use instead of the word love?

ἀγαπᾶτε

Is this a direct translation meaning can we say this word 100% means the same as our word???? No that is what this whole thread is all about. The greeks have 6 words we translate all into the single word love. the greek broke love down into 6 primary aspects. Agape' is the word the greeks use to describe the love God shares.

So when you passages say God loves... They are actually saying God Agape'

What is the difference? It was what I described to you n my first post to you.

You asked how can a loving god allow pain.

I said a loving god can't because our word love forbids the intentional transmission of pain. therefore either there is a faul with your understanding of the word love or god. Since the word God is solid, the word love must be examined for all the reasons I just mentioned. (it was not invented when the word agape' was used to describe god.) So then we must find out what the word agape means. Which again is what this thread is all about. and why I gave you the definition I gave you.

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...In fact I then point out that if his perception of God/Christ is so far off what was recorded then in fact how would he know when or whether or not God has ever made contact with Him???

I think you're all imagining it, without a single exception in the history of humanity, and that no gods have ever made contact with anyone.

thatt's not true. there are several examples. ever christian since the day of pentecost included.

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There has to be a point at which you realize that what you call "bad theology" is also the article of some other christians equally legitimate faith.

That's the thing the only bad theology is the theology that keeps you from seeking out the God of the bible. Everything else is permissible. We have so much freedom in God we are allowed to get it all wrong and STILL be counted among the saved!
The only 'bad theology' I ever address is the picture of god non believers paint.
The same picture can be used by a believer and I would not say a word.
Because again we as believers have so much freedom under God we can do just about whatever if we are earnestly trying. if we are putting in 100% God's grace that covers us when we willfully sin also covers when we simply get it wrong.

  Some of you think that god is incapable of love.

 for them i encourage to keep reading.

Some still like to say god loves but they make clear that they;re using a novel definition of the term.

these are closer to the truth than you know. I would correct somone who would call this truth novel because often time westerners think the bible was written in english or their bibles are 100% accurate to the orginal texts. they are not. so then we have approximations of words as we have 'literal translations' rather than ontextual translations in our bibles. a literal translation tries to give a word for word translation knowing that it is on the reader to know which words are most accurate and what words are approximations. "here agape is a 1/6th accurate translation to our word love." why because there are 6 words in the Koine greek that all get translated to the word love. which mean only 1/6th of the word love is meant when the word agape' is used. You CANOT take a word for word translation because the word love is not something the greeks would understand as we would understand. If you ever took or learned to speak a second language this would be a nonissue for you to grasp.

Others play it plain and straight.  Yes, god can and does love.  Love love..not "love".  

again all are true for the believe. one is true for the nonbeliever.

I;m, not sure how any of you could establish that the others are wrong..but it;s not entirely clear why you would want the other crowd to be wrong.

"we" don't need to "we" live in a state of peptual grace. We only need to proove you wrong, as you need to understand the nature of God to see Him when He shows up.

  Love, plain and straight..is a winning message. 

so then why would a loving God allow bad things to happen???
Do you see? a loving God by the defination of loving can't that = paradox paradox= no god in a closed mind. So then what are the options? look at the word loving, is it a valid interpertation of the word the greeks used to describe that aspect of god? answer??? no. the Greeks used Agape. Agape only describes one aspect of love the part that will see you through pain and suffering the aspect that supports respect and undeserved support. so do God love? no not as you understand the word. God Agape

If something is going to bring people to christ in a way that isn;t just sad and filthy and deeply nuerotic..it;s gonna be love.

it will also divide the unbelievers as well because they build a picture of a god which nothing bad ever happens and the first time it does these people make a wish, and because God can not support this picture of him, nothing happens. the winds and rains come and wash the foolish man's house away!

The wise man build his house on the Agape' God offers not omnibenevlence you would teach.

 We love and we seek love and often enough we return love granted.  The busniess of christianity was to further humanize a god and with that comes the possibility of love on it;s own terms.

 wrong agan. this is PR from the church. Christianity sole purpose was outlined on the day Christ ascended into Heaven and that is to bring the 'good news'/seek and save the lost this is through the agape God offers and the phila of the church.

It would be a waste to place a god in the body of man but throw that one cherished thing about man away after making the lift.  To create an exclusionary theology after so much effort had been made to whittle it into inclusivity.

Believe it or not your version excludes people. What God has done does not require people to understand any of this. all one need do is live this life and decide whether or not to serve God for eternity. in this life we were supposed to get to know God. You can't do that if yur head is filled with bad theology.