Lesson 4 Review: God Is Passionate and Compassionate

Introduction

Memory Text: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you” (Isa. 49:15, NKJV).

God’s love for us is a deeply emotional love and is perfect, it should not be thought of as emotions as humans experience them.

What does the Bible reveal about the nature and depth of God’s love?

God relates to us as His beloved children, loving us as a good father and mother would love his children, but even more. A human mother may even “forget her nursing child” or “not have compassion on the son of her womb” (NKJV) but God never forgets His children, His compassion never fails (Lam. 3:22). God’s heart yearns for us according to Jeremiah 31:20, He continues to bestow His abundant compassion and mercy on His people and does so beyond all reasonable expectations.

How does the imagery in Hosea 11:1-9 bring to life the way God loves and cares for His people?

God’s love for His people is likened to the tender affection of a parent for a child. In contrast to God’s unwavering faithfulness, His people were repeatedly unfaithful, ultimately pushing God away and bringing judgment upon themselves and deeply grieving Him. God is compassionate, but never to the exclusion of justice.

How do the gospels shed more light on how Jesus was moved by the plight of His people?

Over and over in the Gospels, Christ was said to be moved with compassion by people in distress or in need. And He not only felt compassion, He addressed the people’s needs, as well. Jesus wept over Jerusalem — “How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matt. 23:37, NKJV).

How could it be that God is a “jealous God”?

Divine jealousy has no negative connotations. It is the righteous passion of a loving husband for an exclusive relationship with his wife. God’s jealousy is only and always the righteous kind and may be better spoken of as God’s passionate love for His people.

How can such love as described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 that bears all things be exemplified in our lives?

Such love that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things,” and “never fails” (1 Cor. 13:7, 8, NKJV) can be exemplified in our lives only as the fruit of the Holy Spirit. And praise God that the Holy Spirit pours the love of God into the hearts of those who, by faith, are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 5:5).

How can we respond to God’s love by the grace of God and power of the Holy Spirit?

Worship to God Who is love. Response to God’s love by actively showing compassion and benevolent love to others. Recognition that we cannot change our hearts, but that only God can.

In Conclusion,

God is passionate and compassionate about us and we can respond to this love by actively showing compassion and benevolent love to others. We are not to be discouraged by our unworthiness, because we are presented before the Father by Jesus Christ in the white raiment of Christ’s own character. May God help us to exemplify His love, in Jesus’ name.