God The Father | The Father Who Loves

About this talk:

The nations of the ancient world among which Israel lived had little or no conception of love when it came to thinking of their gods. Gods were selfish, power-hungry and treated people harshly, controlling events as they wished. In such a world, the reality of the one true God as loving, caring, giving of himself and disposed to be kind and merciful to his people was a completely radical idea.

And so the Old Testament repeatedly portrays God as a Father who loves his children. For example:

• Psalm 103:8-13: “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbour his anger for ever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.”

• Deuteronomy 1:31: “There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”

• Isaiah 64:8: “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

• Hosea 11:1: “‘When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”

We should understand, first, that God as Father is to be understood in the context of the culture in which this was written - the ideal Father who loves, who is responsible, who is present and available, who cares enough for his children to guide them and discipline them, who has the resources necessary to provide for his children’s needs and will grant to them his treasures as their inheritance. All of which is important to state in a western world where many people’s experience of fatherhood is far less than ideal; where they’ve been failed by or abandoned by their father and where their own fatherhood has fallen short of what they had hoped it would be.

The New Testament writers then develop this idea of God as Father, in large part because Jesus reveals the Father to his disciples (“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father,” John 14:9; “No-one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in the closest relationship with the Father, has made him known,” John 1:18) and relates to his Father in such a way as makes the nature of his Fatherhood far clearer. Building on the Old Testament Scriptures, God is revealed as the one who knows all our needs, who cares intimately for us, who adopts us as his own children, who is trustworthy, true and faithful to his promises.

And then John, in his first letter, writes some of the most precious words in the New Testament: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). Our new relationship with God is based on his prior love for us - it is a great love; it is the love of a Father; it results in us becoming his children.

But John goes one step further when he twice says that “God is love” (1 John 4:8,16). He is not only the Father who loves, but the Father who is love. He is love:

• Completely. People are capable of being loving, but only God is never less than love completely.

• Constantly. Only God loves always - because he is love and cannot be less than completely loving at all times in perfect combination with all his other attributes.

• Independently. God’s love is not dependent on anything outside himself. God is eternally love in the community of Trinity. His love, unlike ours, doesn’t change according to circumstances or the loveliness of the one he loves.

And when we think of what his love is actually like, John gives the answer. The sending of his Son is the defining demonstration of the Father’s love, the ultimate display of his love for us - “God is love. [And] This is how [he] showed his love among us: he sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:8-10).

‘The love of God is the answer to all the “whys” in the Bible: the why of creation, the why of Incarnation, the why of Redemption … If the written word of the Bible could be changed into a spoken word and become one single voice, this voice, more powerful than the roaring of the sea, would cry out: “The Father loves you!”’ (Simon Holley).

Audio only

Life Group Discussion - The Trinity

The Trinity isn't something to figure out — it's someone to behold. 

1. Opening – Wonder Before Words (5 mins)

Icebreaker (2–3 mins)

Ask everyone to answer briefly (no explanations yet):

"What's something in life you understand just enough to enjoy, but not enough to fully explain?"

Examples: love, music, gravity, the brain, the internet.

Leader prompt: "Christian faith doesn't avoid mystery. The Trinity invites us into wonder, not confusion." 

2. The Trinity in Scripture – God Revealed (8 mins)

Read ONE passage together (choose one):

• Matthew 3:16–17 (Jesus' baptism)

• Matthew 28:19 (Great Commission)

• John 14:16–17

Discussion questions:

1. What does this moment show us about the relationship between the Father, Son, and Spirit?

2. Why do you think God reveals Himself relationally rather than explaining Himself philosophically?

3. What does this suggest about who God is before creation?

Leader note: If people start debating, gently steer back to what this reveals about God, not how it works.

3. The Trinity and Salvation – God at Work Together (7 mins)

Summarise briefly:

• Father plans and initiates salvation

• Son accomplishes redemption

• Spirit applies, seals, and sustains it

Discussion questions:

1. Which person of the Trinity do you naturally relate to most? Why might that be?

2. How does seeing salvation as a shared work deepen gratitude?

3. How might this shape the way you pray or worship?

Leader note: There's no "right" answer here — this is about awareness, not balance.

4. Leaning Into Mystery – From Understanding to Worship (7 mins)

Short framing thought: 

"We don't stop loving someone because we don't fully understand them. Mystery often deepens love. In Western culture we often rely on science, data, and rational explanation. Some faith traditions approach ultimate reality differently. The Trinity invites a unique posture — relational, mysterious, and beyond full explanation."

Discussion questions:

1. How comfortable are you with mystery in your faith?

Leader prompt: Encourage honest reflection — some may find mystery exciting, others unsettling.

2. What might we lose if we try to make God fully explainable?

Leader prompt: Highlight that reducing God to formula or concept can diminish wonder, gratitude, and worship.

3. How does this approach to knowing God differ from what you see in Western thinking or other faith traditions?

Leader prompt: Invite observation, not debate. Look for contrast between control/reason versus relationship/worship.

5. Worship Response – Ending in Awe (3–5 mins)

Leader framing: "Instead of more words, we'll respond the way Scripture often does — with worship."

Play ONE song via YouTube or Spotify:

• This I Believe (The Creed) – Hillsong

• King of Kings - Hillsong

Encourage listening rather than singing if that feels more comfortable.

Invite someone to pray, or use this:

"Father, thank You for choosing us.

Jesus, thank You for redeeming us.

Holy Spirit, thank You for dwelling within us.

We worship You — one God, forever three."