God Is

1 John 4:7-12

To say that God is love is not the same as saying that love is God. Nor is the statement that God is love an all-encompassing definition of God. God is love; he is also light. The descriptions creatively play off against one another. In other words, God’s love is characterized by light (seeing things for what they are and being equipped to act on that perception), and God’s light is characterized by love (not mere knowledge but action for the other). Any attempt to describe or characterize God can only be a matter of doxology (praise), more than philosophy or head knowledge. Theology, best understood, is a matter of testimony: How, after all, do we actually experience God? As light and as love, at least.

Prayer:
God, no words can contain you. Our language, our praise, our study, even our actions, are, at best, approximations of your stupendous reality. Have patience us as we grapple with your awesomeness, and as we allow you to infiltrate our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.