Q and A on Eternal Love & Trinity

Digestion of a Question

"Eternal love?"  Review of "Eternal love?"

The author explains that Greek has several different words for love and argues that agapē is the kind of love with which God loves humanity.

He then distinguishes between eternity and immortality, stating that only God is eternal, while human beings receive immortality through Christ.

He describes humanity as being created in the image of God, endowed with reason, free will, and the capacity to love and worship God.

Next, he compares the Christian understanding of God with that of Islam. According to the author, a solitary God cannot experience eternal, reciprocal love. He argues that the Trinity explains how God has been love from all eternity. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have loved one another eternally.

Through Jesus' coming, His sacrifice, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, believers are invited to share in this eternal fellowship of love.

The Church is described as the community in which this love becomes visible.

The author concludes that no other religion has a view of love comparable to that found in Christianity.

The text contains many valuable reflections on God's love and on Christ's work of redemption. However, it also draws several conclusions that do not arise directly from Scripture but are based on systematic or philosophical reasoning.

The Bible clearly teaches that God is love, that the Father loves the Son, that Christ died for our sins, and that the Holy Spirit dwells in believers.

However, it does not explicitly teach that the love within the Trinity is the necessary explanation for God's love, nor does it state that the specific relationships of love among all three Persons must be understood in the way described.

Therefore, my conclusion has to be that it is wise to distinguish between what Scripture actually says and what theologians infer from it. Scripture itself must always remain the highest authority (2 Timothy 3:16–17, NIV). I understand that I am flawed in my understanding of Scripture. It is difficult for me to read Scripture and understand the presented text.

Answer back:
This is not an arbitrary inference and it is one endorsed by the Catholic church. Scripture is clear that God IS love (1 John 4:8). That God is Triune (Math 28:19). Catholics basically quote Augustine on this citing the Father as the Lover (John 3:35), the Son as the Beloved and the Spirit as the love that they share. The eternal relationship is one of love and is not dependent on the world, or actions outside the very nature of God.

God is eternal
God is love
This love is not dependent on us
We are the beneficiaries of this love by the Sons self giving in love (Galatians 2:20) and by the indwelling of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19)