Most interpret God's love to be like human love, but it is not. God's
love is
holy, man's is not; God's love is
uninfluenced, man's is not; God's love is
never capricious, man's is not; God's love is eternal, man's is not; God’s love is selfless, man’s is not, God’s love is
free to choose,
man’s is not ... etc. etc.
Love is that in God which moves Him to give Himself and His gifts spontaneously, voluntarily, righteously, and eternally, for the good of personal beings, regardless of their merit or response. His love is uncaused (
uninfluenced) as God is
independent (
Ephesians 1:4). Since God loves His people because they are
in Christ, it is not regulated by their fruitfulness and it is the same at all times.
Because He loves them in Christ, the Father loves them as Christ. The time will come when His prayer will be answered, “that the world may know that thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved Me” (John 17:23).
Love is a subset of
goodness which includes mercy, faithfulness, long-suffering, patience, verity (
Romans 2:4a;
1 Timothy 1:16;
1 Peter 3:20;
James 1:19) and grace (
Exodus 34:6;
Psalm 103:8).