Do you think God loves you? Why?

[Masterblaster]

Hello

Make the case for a loving God!

Start with your best indication that this is, in fact, the case. Use example, scripture,doctrine, personal belief, whatever.
I will debate to the contrary, and I will no doubt, have help.
Give it your best shot!

[Masterblaster]

Hello

John 3:16 (NIV) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life

Do we take this person's word for it?
That is not much to go on. Where did he get this notion?
Did he pull it out of the sky?

Is this the indefensible Achilles heel of Christianity.
It is beginning to look like it is!

[The Tanager]

I do not think that we take the author's word for it. I think the questions we need to answer to test out that author's claims are whether (1) Jesus taught that God loves us and (2) whether Jesus did anything that gives support for such a teaching. I think Jesus did teach that God loves us and that Jesus's resurrection gives support for that teaching being true.

[TRANSPONDER]

I do not think that we take the author's word for it. I think the questions we need to answer to test out that author's claims are whether (1) Jesus taught that God loves us and (2) whether Jesus did anything that gives support for such a teaching. I think Jesus did teach that God loves us and that Jesus's resurrection gives support for that teaching being true.

But the question now to b asked is whether Jesus actually taught any such thing or whether the Christian writers just said he did. Just one bit of evidence is David and the Shewbread. No educated Jew would ever have accepted Jesus' argument for sidelining the Sabbath and no Jesus as a Jew would ever have mad such an argument. What we have, is Christian propaganda put into the Jesus -character by Christian writers.

Cue denial, of course. But I suggest this view to the reader, because it is a valid one. And I see we have 42 browsing. That is splendid and I am gratified that so many new posters are coming on and posting the their thoughts.

[1213]

Do you think God loves you? Why?

Bible tells:

but I say to you, Love your enemies; bless those cursing you, do well to those hating you; and pray for those abusing and persecuting you, so that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven. Because He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and unjust.
Matt. 5:44-45

I have seen the rain and felt the sun, so I think God loves also me.

[Masterblaster]

Do you think God loves you? Why?

Bible tells:

but I say to you, Love your enemies; bless those cursing you, do well to those hating you; and pray for those abusing and persecuting you, so that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven. Because He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and unjust.
Matt. 5:44-45

I have seen the rain and felt the sun, so I think God loves also me.

Hello
Thank You all for your contributions!
Tanager: Show where Jesus teaches God's love.
TRANSPONDER: I agree with you. It is just not there!
1213: Your scripture reference is excellent.

Just as we are asked to impartially love all ,including both friends and enemies, so too does the rain fall on all and the sun shine on all.

You can not reverse-engineer God to be human.You must maintain the forward momentum of the quote.This has not been done by the early Christian writers. The have gone backwards. They have jumped on board simplistic Eden allegories and used the old codger gardener as a model for nonsense.

"He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and unjust"

Jesus explains objective morality, and almost nobody today sees it.

[The Tanager]

[Replying to Masterblaster in post #6]

Okay, so the first step seems to be whether John actually records Jesus as teaching that God loves us. In 14:21, for instance, Jesus says the one who loves him will be loved by the Father. In 16:27, Jesus says the Father loves you. In 17:23 Jesus talks again about how God has loved us.

If we are agreed there, I think the next step would be whether we can trust that Jesus actually said this kind of thing, which is what Transponder seems to be critiquing.

[Masterblaster]

[Replying to Masterblaster in post #6]

Okay, so the first step seems to be whether John actually records Jesus as teaching that God loves us. In 14:21, for instance, Jesus says the one who loves him will be loved by the Father. In 16:27, Jesus says the Father loves you. In 17:23 Jesus talks again about how God has loved us.

If we are agreed there, I think the next step would be whether we can trust that Jesus actually said this kind of thing, which is what Transponder seems to be critiquing.

Hello The Tanager

John 14: 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

“Come now; let us leave.

Have you ever heard, Jesus say 'Come now, let us leave? Read the whole chapter and make up your own mind, it is a copy from somewhere and a paste into whatever structure John has. I buy none of it and will debate the same. I will look at your other 2 references and I thank you for contributing to this debate.

John 26: 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

Just more of the same

John 17:, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

It just gets worse!

[Masterblaster]

Hello
Let us consider our position. Can we draw the conclusion that God loves us from an indecipherable collection of word salads that look composed by the inarticulate and which are then presented as hearsay?.Is that the case for God loving you?

[William]

Hello

Make the case for a loving God!

Start with your best indication that this is, in fact, the case. Use example, scripture,doctrine, personal belief, whatever.
I will debate to the contrary, and I will no doubt, have help.
Give it your best shot!

The question of course is very open and depends upon what the questioner means by using the word “God”.