Knowing God: The Holy Love of God

“What comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us” (A. W. Tozer).

A vision of God’s holy love delivers us from caricatures of him, as John Stott reminds us.

“We must picture him neither as an indulgent God who compromises his holiness in order to spare and spoil us, nor as a harsh, vindictive God who suppresses his love in order to crush and destroy us” (The Cross of Christ).

That God is holy and loving is foundational to biblical Christianity and to biblical counseling. The Scriptures express the oneness or unity of God in terms of the complementary nature of his holiness and love—his holy love.

Stott refers his readers to ten passages (Exodus 34:6-7; Psalm 85:10; Isaiah 45:21; Habakkuk 3:2; Micah 7:18; John 1:14; Romans 11:22; Romans 3:26; Ephesians 2:3-4; and 1 John 1:9), that highlight God’s holiness and love, then concludes:

“Here are ten couplets, in each of which two complementary truths about God are brought together, as if to remind us that we must beware of speaking of one aspect of God’s character without remembering its counterpart” (The Cross of Christ).

I have identified my own list of “couplets of God’s holy love”:

Exodus 33:14-23 with Exodus 34:5-7; Psalm 26:3; Psalm 40:10-11; Psalm 62:11-12; Psalm 63:2-3; Psalm 85:10; Isaiah 40:10-11; John 1:14; Romans 2:4-5; Romans 11:22; and 1 Peter 1:16 with 1 John 4:8.

In these passages God’s love and holiness are simultaneously displayed. They are equally infinite, therefore, he maintains them in perfect harmony.

The Psalmist noted this when he attempted to explain the God in whom his soul found rest. “One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving” (Psalm 62:11-12).

The poet divinely attests to two great summarizing truths about God. They are the two grand truths that God’s revelation declares through every page: God is holy; God is loving. He is filled with majesty and beauty. He is King and Shepherd, full of grace and truth, our Lord and our Lover, transcendent (far above us) and yet immanent (near us), just and merciful, stern and kind, controlling and caring.

The Difference in Our Lives and Ministries

What difference does it make whether or not we see God as a God of holy love? Soul care-givers throughout Church history led their disciples on a quest for the beatific vision of God—visio Dei—the soul’s vision of God (see R. C. Sproul, The Soul’s Quest for God).

Sproul reminds us how soul physicians of the past understood that without spiritual apprehension of God’s glorious excellency (majesty, holiness) and his beauty, no one could exalt or enjoy God. It is our calling as biblical counselors to enlighten our spiritual friends to perceive God in his pure, Divine essence, to behold his innermost being.

This side of heaven, our vision will always remain blurred. When we cross over, then we shall see him as he is.

“The highest joy, the greatest pleasure, the purest delight will be ours without mixture and without end. One taste of this felicity will erase all painful memories and heal each dreadful wound incurred in this vale of tears. No scar will remain. The pilgrim’s progress will be complete. The body of death, the burden of sin, will vaporize the moment we behold his face” (Sproul, The Soul’s Quest for God).

Today, while still pilgrims in progress, we quest for a deeper and purer vision of the goodness of God’s heart. Even as the perfect heavenly vision will purify our sin and erase our suffering, so a growing vision of God now will strengthen us against sin and sustain us in our suffering.

In two “God is” passages, the Bible summarizes the vision we desire our spiritual friends to see: 1 John 4:8 and 1 Peter 1:16. “God is love.” “God is holy.”

Soul care helps people to see that “Life is bad, but God is good (holy and loving).” In the midst of suffering, when life is ugly, we sustain our spiritual friends with the truth that God is loving: beautiful, caring, kind, generous, extravagant, comforting. We help them to know that “It’s normal to hurt,” and that “God cares about your suffering.” They can find healing in their suffering as they realize that “It’s possible to hope,” because “God is in control.” Because God is holy, sovereign, and omnipotent, nothing can thwart his purposes in their lives.

In the midst of sinning, we help our spiritual friends to acknowledge that “I am sinful, but God is gracious.” Such conviction requires that they perceive both God’s holiness and love. We assist people trapped in Satan’s snare by exposing how horrible it is to sin against a holy God.

However, we don’t leave people there. We take them to the Cross, to Christ’s grace, love, and forgiveness. In reconciling, we expose people to the truth that “It’s horrible to sin, but wonderful to be forgiven.” In guiding, we empower our repentant, forgiven spiritual friends to know that “It’s supernatural to mature.” Why? Because God is holy, and, therefore, all-powerful and all-capable of empowering us. And God is loving, therefore, love is what he empowers us to do and be.

Join the Conversation

How could your life and ministry be transformed by a renewed awareness of God’s holy love?

Note: This post is excerpted from chapter five of Soul Physicians.