I have been a little surprised at the resistance of some to the idea that God is obligated to a particular course of action. Paul speaks of being constrained by love and even goes so far as to give definition to the action of love (I Cor 13: 4-7), suggesting that if love is to prevail, his defining must be in evidence. Love functions under the same constraints regardless of who is the functionary. We have not reason to believe otherwise. "God is love" must mean, then, that Pauls definition is drawn from his view of this fact [God is love.] What other
authority would exist in the mind of Paul? Further, if, indeed, God is love, community is required and God HAD to be a creator God. I say this because the defining of love is meaningless without community.
Further [as a side-bar], God cannot create Himself. Consequently, all creaturely beings that God created are less than Himself in terms of both immanence and economy and
.all
.. are falling short of His glory is a given, is it not? God as a redeemer is forever a statement of immanence!! There is little difference between angels and mankind. Both have
made decisions that are poorly advised. Satan came from one of these decisions -- and the hordes that followed him. The bible is not about a discussion of the angelic world, except as it relates to ours. But it is apparent that theirs is no more a robotic existence than ours. If angels no longer fall away, what happened in terms of the redeeming activity of God? Their story is, yet , untold.
Back to the subject at hand ------- redemption is an assignment borne out of necessity on the part of God. In Hebrews 2:17 (
therefore He had to become like His brothers and sisters in every respect
), obligation is a function of the Greek wording in that text. We only know of the requirements of Divine Intervention through revelation (as expressed in Hebrews 2:17 and Acts 2:28 for example). But that God as a being of love is required to function in a given manner is not an idea to be ignored.&
nbsp; If God cannot choose to sin (James 1:13) , why would be think that He cannot choose to act as love is revealed in scripture? If He is free to be what He is , then, He must be that way !! And we can take confidence in the notion that God does not change. He does not change because He cannot change. We make God a creature if we think otherwise.
jd
