42. In what way does God reveal that he is love?

God revealed himself to Israel as the One who has a stronger love than that of parents for their children or of husbands and wives for their spouses. God in himself “is love” (1 John4: 8.16), who gives himself completely and gratuitously, who “so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that the world might be saved through him” (John3:16-17). By sending his Son and the Holy Spirit, God reveals that he himself is an eternal exchange of love.


Veja este tema no Catecismo

Paragraph 218

218. In the course of its history, Israel was able to discover that God had only one reason to reveal himself to them, a single motive for choosing them from among all peoples as his special possession: his sheer gratuitous love. and thanks to the prophets Israel understood that it was again out of love that God never stopped saving them and pardoning their unfaithfulness and sins.

Paragraph 219

219. God's love for Israel is compared to a father's love for his son. His love for his people is stronger than a mother's for her children. God loves his people more than a bridegroom his beloved; his love will be victorious over even the worst infidelities and will extend to his most precious gift: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son."

Paragraph 220

220. God's love is "everlasting": "For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you." Through Jeremiah, God declares to his people, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."

Paragraph 221

221. But St. John goes even further when he affirms that "God is love": God's very being is love. By sending his only Son and the Spirit of Love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret: God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange.


Acesse nossos estudos biblicos:

What are Deuteronomy’s teachings on gratitude to God?

What does the Bible teach about the importance of humility and modesty?

What is the lesson taught in Philippians 4:10-13 about finding contentment in all circumstances?

What does Daniel’s dream about the four wild beasts in Daniel 7 mean?

What is the Blood Moon prophecy of Joel 2:30-31 in the Bible?

What does Hosea 7:14-16 reveal about God’s judgment against hypocrisy?

What are the story and life lessons drawn from the Ascension of Solomon in 1 Kings 1-2?