In our continuing study of the doctrine of reciprocal love, we have seen that reciprocal love expresses the mutual love relationship between God and the Church Age believer under the ministry of God the Holy Spirit whereby the believer responds to the perfect love of God with Bible Doctrine under the mentorship of God the Holy Spirit.
We left off from our study with the principle God's perfect integrity love and his policy of grace is always the issue in his relationship with mankind.
The refrain in every verse in Psa 136:1-26; is "For His unfailing love is eternal."
The integrity of God that is expressed in his unfailing love has never forsaken any believer and never will because to do so would require God to deny himself. Rom 8:38-39; 2Tim 2:13;
This brings us to the doctrine of the integrity of God where we will start with the personality of God.
The Bible reveals that God is one in essence but three separate and distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 2Cor 13:14;
God is a person. His personality implies both self-consciousness and self-determination. We cannot superimpose our personality on God just because he uses language of accommodation to explain Himself to mankind.
God recognizes Himself as a person; and as such acts rationally and in compatibility with His divine integrity that is composed of his righteousness, his justice, and his love.
God's point of contact with mankind prior to the original sin of man in the garden of Eden was his love. God's point of contact with mankind after the fall of mankind is his justice.
All divine grace is based on the righteousness of God. God does not relate to us on the basis of His personality, but on the basis of His integrity.
God is infinite. This idea is presented in the doctrine of the omnipresence of God.
Omnipresence includes both immanence and transcendence. Immanence refers to the fact that the Trinity indwells the entire universe. Transcendence means that simultaneously God is above, beyond and independent of the universe and time.
The Bible refers to the immanent and transcendence of God in passages such as Psa 139:7-8; Psa 139: 17-18; Jer 23:23-24; Acts 17:24-25;
God is described as being omnipresent in Deut 4:39; and Isa 66:1.
Omnipresence means that God, having neither beginning nor end. God created space with its billions of light years. Therefore, divine omnipresence is simultaneously in space and time and outside of space and time.
If space and time were defined in terms of boundaries, God would exceed them to the point of infinity. God is free to be on Mount Sinai with Moses and at the same time to be present at all times in all places; creating and sustaining both time and space while at the same time being outside of time and space.
Omnipresence means the total of each divine person is present everywhere in the totality of their divine essence.
Immanence means that all three members of the Trinity indwell and fill all of space with all of its galaxies.
Transcendence means God occupies all of infinity. God is above and beyond all space and fills everything beyond space. God is everywhere.
Locality means that God can occupy one place as the human nature of Christ did during the incarnation while simultaneously being immanent and transcendent. Heb 1:3;
God is complete in His essence without diffusion, expansion; multiplication or division, penetrating and filling the entire universe and beyond with His person.
God is free at the same time to become local as he did in the person of TLJC. This event is celebrated at Christmas. Isa 7:14; Isa 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:14; 1Tim 6:16;
One of the unique characteristics of the Church Age is that each divine person indwells every believer in Jesus Christ. This is what makes Church Age believers a "new spiritual species" Gal 6:15; 2Cor 5:17;
When it comes to life, God does not possess life, God is life. There never has been a time when God has not existed. God is eternal, infinite, unchangeable, unending life both inside and outside of space and time. God's life includes holiness. God's love is a part of His integrity.
God unites in Himself those perfections that belong to His person and to His being. God is infinite personality, without boundary or limitation, uniting those perfections that belong to Him.
Because God is infinite; eternal, immutable, perfect justice and righteousness, perfect love and grace, He cannot be complicated by ignorance; absurdities, silliness, or even emotion in relation to His person.
Because God is holy, His love can only function in perfect virtue that is totally compatible with His righteousness, His justice and His love.
All that God does is a function of his love, even discipline: Heb 12:6.
Because God is immutable, His love cannot vacillate or change. God's love does not increase or decrease, improve or decline. God's love is never frustrated, disappointed, disillusioned, or distracted.
God foreknew every human sin and failure but He did not cancel His love for mankind. His love is far greater than human compassion. We cannot assign human compassion or sentimentality to God, we must learn to assign God's integrity to us.
God is truth and veracity. Therefore; divine love is rooted in every Bible doctrine of the infallible word of God and every form of knowledge that belongs to His person and His essence.
God's love is not sustained by any form of rapport or attraction or any category of works or merit. God's love is not bought with good behavior or worthy deeds.
Legalism tries to bribe God with what it considers to be good or moral, but the only thing that impresses God in the human race is the reflection of His own divine integrity that comes from the spiritual life that He as provided for us through our function in the two power options, three spiritual skills, the ten problem solving devices, and three stages of development in the spiritual life.
Believers cannot attract the love of God through their function in human good. God loves because it is an inherent part of His eternal integrity. He doesn't love us in response to our behavior. He is love, his love does not change and everything he does is love.
Infinity characterizes all that God does. Infinity is a part of His personality. The infinity of God involves His eternal self-existence; His immutability, His perfection, His absolute truth, His eternal love and integrity.
God knew everything about you in eternity past and provided everything for you so that you can now learn how to have capacity for rapport with Him.