Chapter 9, “Knowing God’s Love” pp. 145-157
Bridges now turns his attention to God’s love. We can trust God because God loves us. Yet everyone is guilty, at some times, of wondering whether God’s love is true. We doubt his love more as we believe his sovereignty. The fact is, God shows his love in different ways than we might. Yet his nature is love. In times of adversity we are often attacked by Satan, who wants us to doubt God.
How has God shown love? In giving his Son to die for us. Jesus shows love by meeting a need greater than our present adversity. He resolves our everlasting state, despite our hopeless condition. Though we might like to praise ourselves, God will have none of it. He knows us as dead in sin, needing his life. We have no claim on God. He loves us despite ourselves.
Bridges does point again to our hope coming from our rational understanding of God loving us. And there is great good news in that. Though unworthy of his love, God has loved us, adopted us in Christ, and cares for us as his children. Jesus loves us more than he loves himself. Thinking of this love builds our faith. Yet the work Bridges does here would be more satisfying seen through the lens of God’s incarnational love rather than looking through the lens of God’s sovereignty. His points are good but they could be more encouraging and, I think, more consistent with the overall thrust of the Bible, given a shift of focus.
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