We’re back with Pastor Greg Griffith and Marcus Nathan, who stir up a rich conversation on God’s love — steady, sacrificial, and unchanging. They unpack how this love, grounded in Scripture and the Catechism, spills over like a cup that never runs dry.
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Episode Transcript
You're listening to Coffee Break Theology a King of
Kings podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Hey there, and welcome back to Coffee Break
Theology, where we sip the truth.
One theological shot of coffee,not whiskey, at a time.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
That's Greg, I'm Marcus and today's episode is
brewed around one of the richest, most life-changing realities
in scripture God's love.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Now, love is a word we throw around a lot.
I love my car.
I really love pizza and icecream.
I do love a new Netflix crimedrama, but when scripture talks
about God's love, it's on awhole different level than that.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Definitely it's way deeper than emotion.
God's love isn't based on moodswings.
It's based on covenantcharacter and Christ.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Man preach that three C's in a row.
I love it.
Love is where we're going tostart.
How does the scripture definelove?
I love what 1 John 4, 10 says.
This is love, not that we lovedGod, but that he loved us and
sent his son as the atoningsacrifice for our sins.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
So right out of the gate.
It's not about our love, it'sabout God's initiative.
Love originates in God.
Love that acts, love that moves, love that sacrifices.
Luther put it like this thelove of God does not consist in
this that we have loved God, butthat he has loved us.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
And another thing is that love's not sentimental With
God, it's sacrificial.
And those are key.
John 3, 16, and I always wantpeople to know the second part
of that, 17, is the best in myexperience.
For God so loved the world thathe gave his only son so that
whoever would believe in himwould not perish but have
(02:00):
everlasting life.
And in verse 17, I think isequally would not perish but
have everlasting life.
And in verse 17, I think isequally, if not more powerful
than 16.
For God didn't send his soninto the world to condemn the
world, rather to save the worldthrough him.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
God's love is a giving love, and what he gives
is himself.
I mentioned the book last weekKnowing God.
Ji Packer writes this God'slove is an exercise of his
goodness toward individualsinners, so that right there, we
are sinners.
We talked about sin a coupleweeks ago and even though we do
sin, he still loves us.
It's his goodwill towards us,Having identified himself with
(02:37):
our welfare.
He's interested in our welfare.
He's happy when we're happy.
He's pleased when we're pleased.
He has given his son to betheir savior because we needed
it, and now brings them to knowand enjoy in a covenant
relationship with him.
It's all about thatrelationship.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Man, I'm going to have to start reading this, ji
Packer fella.
Yeah, yeah, I stay away becauseI'm not a Packer fan, but I mean
it's okay.
So anyways, let's get back.
We only got 10 minutes here,sorry.
Let's remember in a smallcatechism, I love how Luther
says this.
In the first article of theCreed right, luther explains God
(03:16):
, the Father's love, isproviding for our every need.
He says this.
He richly and daily provides mewith all that I need to support
this body and life.
All this he does out offatherly divine goodness and
mercy, without any merit orworthiness in me.
(03:37):
That's huge.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
God doesn't love us because we earn it.
He loves us because that's whohe is, period, end of story.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Because we earn it.
He loves us because that's whohe is.
Period, End of story.
Yeah, and Paul goes on inRomans, which remember Paul's
writing to the Romans who arelike they're anti-God, they're
living a whole part of God.
So they're kind of going canGod even love me after all that
I've done?
And so that's an importantcontext to see why Paul says
things like this to the RomansWhile we were still sinners and
(04:04):
weak.
At the right time, Christ diedfor the ungodly right, Not the
lovable, the ungodly.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
Yeah, that's.
That's a pretty seriousaccusation there, but it's true,
yeah.
But it also tells us you don'thave to clean yourself up for
God to love you.
You know places.
Churches are places that shouldnot be full of people who have
their act together, who'vecleaned themselves up, made
themselves look pretty, presentthemselves to be the best of
themselves.
That's not what church isChurches are.
(04:33):
They're not country clubs,they're hospitals.
So people that go there needhelp, need love from an
all-loving Father.
His love meets you where youare and then he changes you from
the inside out.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Yeah, and that's so important because I think we
have to be reminded that everysingle person who walks into a
church, whether they recognizeit or not, have brokenness in
them.
There's no one that's notbroken, and so some of that
broken is deep, and some of thatbrokenness they haven't really
unveiled yet, but it's there.
(05:08):
So here's something that setsGod's love apart too.
It's unchanging, it's not goingto be fickle, it's not going to
be like I can't believe.
God's never going to be like,oh, you're too broken.
Or like, oh, I love you morebecause you're a little less
broken.
Or like I love you becauseyou're just easier to deal with,
Right, Um, cause that wouldn'tlike he wouldn't say that about
(05:29):
me.
So so in Hebrews, ask our wives, by the way oh amen, Right Amen
In Hebrews.
By the way, how do you knowthat men are supposed to make
the coffee Cause?
The Bible says so.
Hebrews, oh, not Hebrews.
Anyways, I'm using that.
Hebrews 13.8.
Jesus Christ is the sameyesterday, today and forever
(05:53):
Awesome.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
So our love, people's love, is like that morning
coffee it's hot one minute andthen cold the next.
It's fickle, it's conditional.
God's love constant, unchanging, unconditional.
You can build your life on that.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Reminds me of a beautiful worship song, but it's
not just for when we're doinggreat, spiritually right.
God's love holds even when ourfaith feels small, even when our
prayers are dry or evennon-existent, and even when your
heart feels numb.
(06:31):
When you're just ready to giveup on God, his love's still
there.
Yep.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
And one of Luther's favorite images was that of God
as a loving father.
He said this is a quote fromhim even if earthly fathers have
little love, god's love isgreater, it's deeper and it's
more lasting.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Yeah, yeah.
It just reminds me too, like weall have in some way, some
things as earthly father woundsthat we've received and we've
inflicted.
But God, the Father, is thatperfect love for us.
So how does that change us?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
So when you receive that kind of love, that
unconditional, unbreakable,undeserved love, it transforms
you.
You start to live not for God'slove, but from it.
We're not doing things to earnit, but we're doing things
because we have it.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
That's really good.
I love that it's not for, butfrom, and that's a rhythm of our
Christian life, is it not right?
Loved by God means that we canlove others.
Luther also said this.
He said God doesn't need yourgood works.
Love others, Luther also saidthis.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
He said God doesn't need your good works, but your
neighbor certainly does,absolutely, which means love
becomes active in your life.
God doesn't need us or our goodworks.
He's God, that's omni.
We talk about the omnisOmnipotent.
That means he's all-powerful,he's omnipresent, he's
everywhere, all the time.
He's omniscient, he knowseverything.
I'm not any of those things,I'm not even close.
(08:02):
You're not even close.
So we can't give him anythingor do anything for him that he
can't do himself.
But we still live in a brokenworld marred by sin.
So our neighbor could use someof those good works, some of the
things that we can do for them.
That's part of our purpose.
This is beautifully explainedin Ephesians, building on the
theme of grace from last week,ephesians 2, 8 to 10 says for by
(08:24):
grace you have been savedthrough faith.
This is not of your own doing.
It's the gift of God, not aresult of works, so that no one
may boast, for we are hisworkmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works which Godprepared beforehand that we
should walk in them.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
So we have things that we can do, and I love right
Like this is just the recurringthemes like how, god's love
grace, they're just going tokeep coming back and back and
back.
So here's your takeaway fortoday God's love isn't earned,
it's given.
It's not based on your feelings, it's based on the cross.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
And it's a love that never runs out.
It's never going away, it nevergives up, it never walks away.
That's good news for sinnerslike us, because we need that.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Yeah, I totally thought you were going to break
into the worship song rightthere.
I was like ready.
Love never fails.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Nobody wants that.
Yeah, nobody wants that.
Yeah, this is a podcast, not aCD.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
So next time, on Coffee Break Theology, we're
going to actually talk aboutGod's wrath and how it's just
yeah, this might sound weird,but I'm actually super excited
about it.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Not weird at all for you, good.
Until then, stay grounded ingrace and rest in the unshakable
love of your Heavenly Father.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Thanks for listening to Coffee Break Theology.
Be sure to tune in next time.
Coffee Break Theology.
Be sure to tune in next timeand remember to check out our
other podcast series availableon every major podcast listening
service.
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