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About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman God
Bless We often say the words
"God bless." God
bless Our word
"bless," translated from the Greek word "eulogeo" in
the New Testament, simply means "to speak well of."
The New Testament often uses eulogeo to include the idea of
extending favour upon someone or something one speaks well of, as in God
extending favour or a blessing on us because He loves us.
God loves us because He
is love (1 John 4:8). His very
essence is love. Being
inherently love, He naturally acts lovingly, but God is also just (2
Thessalonians 1:6). His very
essence is just. Being
inherently just, He naturally acts justly.
God is just as much just as He is love, so He cannot exhibit any
kind of unloving or unjust behaviour.
In Biblical terms, love
is exhibited through sacrifice while justice is exhibited through an
impartial lawful judgment. By
virtue of who God is, He has no choice but to exhibit sacrificial love
while exhibiting impartial lawful judgments.
This is seen when God's justice was satisfied by Jesus sacrificing
His earthly life on our behalf.
Since God is equally
love and just, as a matter of justice He can withhold blessings when
necessary. He lovingly gave
Adam and Eve many trees from which to eat, that is, except for one tree
(Genesis 2:16 - 17). They ate
from that tree and as a matter of justice, God removed His blessing.
Similarly, the Law of Moses listed both blessings and curses,
depending on whether Israel
complied or didn't comply with the Law (Deuteronomy 28). Israel failed to comply and is still suffering the consequential
curses to this very day, and it will until Jesus, not us, returns to
Jerusalem making Israel godly again (Zechariah 1:16).
God being equally love
and just is seen in the Book of Revelation.
Like God, Jesus is love, the sacrificial Lamb ((Revelation 5:6).
Like God, Jesus is just, the authoritative universal military
general who executes justice on the nations (Revelation 1:12 - 18).
I conclude that God is
love and He desires to bless, but He is also just and must execute
impartial justice when necessary which could include withholding His
blessing. Scripture
References (NIV) 1 John 4:8 "Whoever does not love
does not know God, because God
is love." 2 Thessalonians 1:6 "God
is just: He
will pay back trouble to those who trouble you." Genesis 2:16 - 17 "And the LORD
God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for
when you eat from it you will certainly die." Zechariah 1:16 "Therefore this is
what the LORD says: 'I will return to Jerusalem
with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line
will be stretched out over Revelation 5:6 "Then I saw a Lamb,
looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne,
encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb
had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent
out into all the earth." Revelation 1:12 - 18 "I [John] turned
around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw
seven golden lampstands and among the lampstands was someone like a son of
man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash
around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as
snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.
His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was
like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars,
and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was
like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his
feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: 'Do
not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.
I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever
and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.'"
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