God is love but does He like us?

[colinlindsay]

I had a church leader who over a year discovered the Bible as his only source of fulfillment in church.

Along with this he started to despise teaching which affirmed people's sense of worth. (obviously the soft targets like WoF) but anyone who says that God thinks we are great / lovely / beautiful etc.

My question is - does God actually like us or are we in the position of God taking us on board only for the sake of his Son?

Are we in His house on sufferance (literally)?

Are we like a really obnoxious rebellious son with no pleasant, selfless or sociable trait, whose mother still loves him , but absolutely dislikes him?

No flip / shallow answers please. This seriously affects most people involved in pastoral work. Can they under this severe theology offer any comfort or hope for the lonely or depressed?

[holo]

Love hopes all, believes all etc.
God is love.

Love does not take notice of flaws and faults. So, yes, God like us. He adores us. He sees the good potential in all of us. If he didn't, he wouldn't have saved us.

But in a way i feel like the word "like" is moot when talking about God, like He is above it.

[e=mv^2]

You do not sacrifice your son for a people you do not like.

[jlujan69]

My immediate thought on the matter is that the only reason we have a separate condition of "liking" someone is that human love is not perfect. With perfect love, "liking" is irrelevant. "Like" might also be a degree of hatred, albeit on the very positive end of that spectrum. I say this because I don't think that hate is the opposite of love.


Update: "Like" is more of a preference than anything else. I like chocolate ice cream, for example. There are degrees of this as well (I like chocolate more than vanilla ice cream). With the perfect love of a perfect Being, I'm not sure He has "preferences" as we do.

[Llauralin]

My question is - does God actually like us or are we in the position of God taking us on board only for the sake of his Son?
You say that like Jesus is not God also. Is this truely that pastor's belief?

Why would God create us if He didn't even like us? Not trying to be flippant; I really don't see what the purpose of that would be... Since He is omnipitant and all, knowing what would happen...why would God create us? He didn't have to, after all.

I say this because I don't think that hate is the opposite of love.
Care to elaborate?

[SH89]

You do not sacrifice your son for a people you do not like.

Yet Jesus is God almighty himself the creator. So God must love us a lot if he allowed himself to be spit on, mocked, and crucified for our sins.

[azzy]

Well,I sure hope God likes me,he is about the only friend I have,and we are going to be living together for a very long time when I am resurected,im moving in to his house.:)

[SH89]

Well,I sure hope God likes me,he is about the only friend I have,and we are going to be living together for a very long time when I am resurected,im moving in to his house.:)

Very good post!
:D :thumbsup:

[colinlindsay]

I've tried to avoid giving some sort of definition.
Liking is when you want to sit down and talk together as friends about your likes, hobbies, problems, affirming each other and maybe pointing out character-flaws and blindspots.
Some preaching seems to emphasise only the rebuke of God in His relationship with us.
The illustration of the judge who pays the fine for his broke, miscreant son exemplifies what I mean. The judge may loath his son, and never want to see or speak with him again but because of the blood-tie, he wants him to have his freedom and not be punished. That's not the kind of God I want.

Can you give me scripture which shows God IN ACTION being friends with human beings?

[e=mv^2]

And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
(James 2:23, KJV)]

Friend of God.

[brotherjim]

My immediate thought on the matter is that the only reason we have a separate condition of "liking" someone is that human love is not perfect. With perfect love, "liking" is irrelevant. "Like" might also be a degree of hatred, albeit on the very positive end of that spectrum. I say this because I don't think that hate is the opposite of love.
Very good; worth repeating.

[jlujan69]

Care to elaborate?

Well, I'm thinking of the ultimate source of all that is sinful. That being none other than Satan himself. Satan is not the opposite of God, nor can it be said that all of his attributes are opposites of God's attributes. Satan's attributes are perversions of all which is good (that of God). It's only in our fallen state that we view absolutes in terms of opposites (and equals)--good on one side, evil on the other. Whereas, in reality, evil is a perversion of that which is godly. It has no permanent place in creation.


If this post makes no sense, please realize that I was trying to collect and compose my thoughts whilst ensconsed in an office with the sound of a jackhammer vibrating in my head and sniffing concrete dust. Whew, the wonders that'll do for one's health and well being!;)

[e=mv^2]

Here is another...

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
(John 15:15, KJV)

[colinlindsay]

< < but I have called you friends > >

Excellent - there are more examples than this. What about Jesus making breakfast for his friends (even after they'd abandoned Him). He seemed to rejoice in their friendship of Him as well.

[e=mv^2]

The question that is hardest to ask is "Are we being good friends?". I asked myself that question a while back and did not like the answer. I still don't like my answer very much but hopefully it is getting better.