God’s Nature by M. C. W.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 5, 1895

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 21, No. 35.

God’s Nature.

By M. C. W.

“God is love.” This is his nature. He will not do, he can not do, what is inconsistent with love. Some things to the limited vision of finite man seem strange, but it will sometime be seen that all of God’s work is wrought in infinite love and wisdom.

What He Does for Us.

What God does for his creatures is in love. It was in love they were created and given life, with all its opportunities. It was in love that man was given his Eden home, free from sin. It was in love for the race and the universe that sin was made death—its own destruction—and righteousness was made life perpetual. It was in love to the race that God gave his Son—that the Son gave himself to redeem man from sin. All this—moved by love—God did generously, freely, willingly; for love can do in no other way.

Free Choice.

It was in love that God gave man the power of choice. It is the desire of God that every intelligent, reasonable, responsible creature should enjoy the greatest possible happiness to all eternity. This could be possible only by allowing these creatures to choose for themselves in such a way that they would be satisfied and happy in their choice. For this reason man was created with a free will, or power of choice. He was, therefore, created with power to sin. He could not otherwise be a free moral agent. To make him incapable of doing wrong would be to make him a mere machine, an automaton.—To give him no choice, to compel him to do right, and yet give him his present disposition, would be to him misery instead of happiness. The free mind naturally revolts against oppression or force in matters of morals. It recognizes the right of choosing its own way. And it is a right which is God given, that every man may choose any religion, or reject any or all religions.

The Willing and Faithful.

God is love, and therefore he will not compel men to serve him. In the nature of the case he can not compel men to do service acceptable to him; for the only service acceptable to God is willing service; willing service is the service of love, and love can not be compelled. Therefore to coerce man to love would on the part of God be a denial of his nature, and God can not lie. Man must willingly choose God. The willing and the obedient shall eat the good of the land. Isa. 1: 19. Man must choose God’s way as best, because he believes it to be best. Man can never know the love of God only by doing his will, and he can never know God’s will save by experience through faith. But by believing God he would be drawn from self toward infinite love, knowledge, and glory, and would prove in his own life “what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Rom. 12: 2. This will all come to man through faith and willingness. In fact, willingness toward God is submitting to do the will of God, and submission is faith. It was in infinite wisdom as well as love that God laid this plan.

God’s Plan Life.

Not only is it true now, but it has always been true, that “without faith it is impossible to please Him.” Heb. 11: 6. But this is not arbitrary on God’s part. It is not for the purpose of pleasing him as a selfish man is pleased when he is honored. God is pleased when man has faith, because it means salvation to the man. For it is not only true now, but it has always been true, that “the just shall live by faith.” Rom. 1: 17. Nor does this mean that God will give life as a reward or price or gift to man if man will believe; it means that in the very nature of things faith gives life. For faith is not only believing God in the common sense of belief; it is more. It is submitting to God’s will; it is receiving Christ into our life; it is the acceptance of his word and love as the light and rule and inspiration of our life. But his words are spirit and life. John 6: 63. His will is the eternal righteousness of himself. When, therefore, we submit to that will, when we receive the life-giving word in our heart, it imparts life. God “worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (Eph. 1: 11), and if we have placed ourselves by willing submission into his righteous will, it will work out in us righteousness and life, even as it did in Christ Jesus.

A Reciprocal Relation.

The relation between the man and God is reciprocal. God does not desire man’s service unless it is willing service; nor does he desire to reign over man if man is unwilling. Of course God desires that man shall serve him, but he requires the only true service,—willing, loving service. The principle, however, is a divine one, that all governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” That is what the kingdom of God will be. The redeemed to all eternity will be those who have willingly, gladly crowned Jesus King of kings and Lord of lords, in their heart and life. He will be their King to all eternity, because they have chosen him and his reign of love. He has chosen them as true and faithful. When Israel would not have him longer for their King, he gave them their own choice, but warned them of the dangers. 1 Sam. 8: 4–9. When a carnal people desired him as king, because of the loaves and fishes, and not because of his character, he refused. John 6: 15. The time of his kingdom had not come; his subjects were not ready.

Rejecting His Rule.

“But does it not mean punishment and death to reject his rule?”—It does, but this is not arbitrary. God does not punish because he delights so to do. Death does not come to the sinner as the result of an arbitrary act or sentence of God. God’s character and government include all goodness, righteousness, blessing, and life. All outside of this character, all perversion of his law, is evil, sin, cursing, and death. We may say, as did the Jews, “We will not have this Man to reign over us,” and he will give us our choice, while he weeps over our own folly, as he did theirs; for he knows that in rejecting him we reject all righteousness and life. For your own soul’s sake, reader, Infinite Love pleads with you to accept his yoke. For his sake will you not do it? M. C. W.