Bible Training School
November 1, 1908
God's Love for Man
Many conceive of the Christian's God as a being whose attribute is stern justice,—one who is a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. The Creator has been pictured as a being who is watching with jealous eye to discern the errors and mistakes of men, that He may visit judgment upon them. In the minds of thousands, love and sympathy and tenderness are associated with the character of Christ, while God is regarded as the law-giver, inflexible, arbitrary, devoid of sympathy for the beings He has made. BTS November 1, 1908, par. 1
Never was there a greater error. Nature and revelation alike testify of God's love. It is from Him that we receive every good gift. He is the source of life, of wisdom, and of joy. Look at the wonderful and beautiful things of nature. Think of their marvelous adaptation to the needs and happiness, not only of man, but of all living creatures. The sunshine and the rain, that gladden and refresh the earth, the hills and seas and plains, all speak to us of the Creator's love. It is God who brings the bud to bloom, the flower to fruit. It is He who supplies the daily needs of all His creatures as brought forth in the beautiful words of the Psalmist: BTS November 1, 1908, par. 2
“The eyes of all wait upon Thee,
And thou givest them their meat in due season.
Thou openest thine hand,
And satisfiest the desire of every living thing.”
BTS November 1, 1908, par. 3
God made man perfect and holy and happy; and the fair earth, as it came from the Creator's hand, bore no blight of decay nor shadow of the curse. It is transgression of God's law that has brought woe and death. Yet even amid the suffering that results from sin, God's love is revealed. It is written that God cursed the ground for man's sake. The thorn and the thistle, the difficulties and the trials that make his life one of toil and care, were appointed for his good, as a part of the training needful in God's plan for his uplifting from the ruin and degradation. The world, though fallen, is not all sorrow and misery. In nature itself are messages of hope and comfort. There are flowers upon the thistle, and the thorns are covered with roses. BTS November 1, 1908, par. 4
“God is love,” is written upon every opening bud, upon every spire of springing grass. The lovely birds making the air vocal with their happy songs, the delicately tinted flowers in their perfection perfuming the air, the lofty trees of the forest with their rich foliage of living green,—all testify to the tender, fatherly care of our God, and to His desire to make His children happy. BTS November 1, 1908, par. 5