I really think Ame has hit the nail on the head, and that Rebecca only confirmed where the conversation was going. To say more would be pointless, I think. Keep up the good discussion and God bless.

M

God is love. I wouldn’t even know about love if it weren’t for God, so of course He is loveable.

My misconception of loveable may cloud that fact.

Is it loveable in a cozy, grandfatherly way, that a dad spanks his disobedient child for running out in the street … yet again? Is it loveable that a just judge sentences a serial killer to the death penalty? Is it loveable that keeps His word—the word He gave to Adam: “if you eat, you’ll die.”

None of these is the misconstrued “loveable,” but I submit, if we see God for Who He is, we will love Him.

I have a theory. I believe even those who rejected God will see Him as He is at the judgment, and the biggest part of Hell will be their separation from Him whom they now realize was all they ever needed.

I also like what someone else said regarding the Scripture on forgiveness: the person who is forgiven much, loves much. The “loveable factor” then is tied to experiencing God’s forgiveness.

Perhaps I can summarize by saying, I love because He forgives. The rest, I trust Him for.

Becky

Ame found the M-W definition of love. Here is the dictionary.com definition “of such a nature as to attract love; deserving love; amiable; endearing” which includes “deserving love”.
God is deserving of love.
Dennis Prager is a radio show host and therefore, I believe, chose the wording of the topic carefully to provoke discussion which is his job.
The other thing I do personally is break down compound words into the principle elements, in this case love and able. This requires two questions:
1) Is God love able? (Is God able to love?)
2) Is God able to be loved?
Answers:
1) God is love able and able to love.
2) God is able to be loved.

The question posed was in such a way to infer that God is not worthy of our loving Him because He allows events to occur in a world that exists in a fallen state.
The fallen state is not of God’s doing. It is of His allowing. It falls under the “dilemma” of having made man in His image and allowing man free choice. Did God choose for man to sin (fall from grace)? God chose to make man for fellowship. Man chose the path of sin and therefore man is responsible for the ugliness we witness in our world.

I hope that the radio audience was mostly Christian in hope that it should makes those of us who believe meditate on God’s word and the truth of what He has revealed of Himself to us.
For an unbeliever, I fear it may only lead to confusion and to question “Why would I or should I love a God who seems to be so uncaring?” That I do not believe to be good in itself, but I trust God that His word is true and therefore He can and will use all things for His good and His glory.

As to the last question posed to Janet… Yes, God is responsible to “enlighten” our sinful hearts, but our sinful hearts must willingly yield and allow Him to do so. God, our Father does not impose understanding or wisdom upon us when our hearts are not able or wanting to receive. Rather He instructs us to seek after wisdom and understanding. ;-D

Peace to you in Christ Jesus.

You said, “It’s a really complicated relationship. But once you’re in it, it does tend to rely on love above all.” That’s true, but for the millions who are not “in it,” the lovable factor is in serious decline.

Thanks for hanging with this discussion Janet! You said, “. . . whether or not He is lovable depends on our level of maturity. . . If we don’t find Him lovable, it’s because we don’t see Him clearly.” I would wholeheartedly agree. But my question to you is, since God is responsible to “enlighten” our sinful hearts, whose fault is it that “we don’t see Him clearly”?

You said, “No doubt, as people who know “the real God” and have spent time growing in His knowledge, He is lovable. But do any of us start there?”

It sounds like you are saying whether or not He is lovable depends on our level of maturity. I’m saying He is what He is, and what He really is is lovable. If we don’t find Him lovable, it’s because we don’t see Him clearly.

The thief on the cross had no time to grow in knowledge, but I believe he loved Jesus, even while he hung dying on a cross. I think that is because he saw clearly who God was- One who would come and take the brunt of all evil to save.

Nor read the other comments.

But I think that it’s very difficult for a man, in general, to love God. Christ is even more of a challenge. The whole bride of Christ issue.

Up the bar with God not behaving in ways that are pleasing to us, or doing something that seems downright cruel, or dare I say, evil…

God isn’t the big dunderhead white haired comic relief, nor is He the Wizard of Oz, and He has lightning bolt tossing in His past.

I’ve been kicked around a little. Of course, most of it was natural consequence (in hindsight anyway).

I’ve grown to love God. Jesus was easier. And the more I walk with them, the more I know the why behind the what, I have been able to develop understanding that feels and looks like love which is probably mostly trust and respect mixed with a bunch of longing.

God is not nice. And God is not inoffensive. One could even question likable.

But if by lovable we mean “able to inspire the emotions of love” then He clearly is and has always been. I don’t think the earth has EVER been bereft of those who gravitate toward and want to be in the presence of God, who find God magnetic and a source of immense pleasure. Who want God’s love and to return it.

There are balancing traits in God’s being. The fact that He has and does condemn and pour wrath and play favorites is not particularly lovable. The fact that he died for me is supremely and overwhelmingly lovable. That kind of total giving inspires love. The former traits inspire a holy fear. It’s God’s beauty and glory and wisdomd and generosity that makes us love Him. It’s his holiness that makes us stand in awe. It’s his wrath and power than make us fear.

It’s a really complicated relationship. But once you’re in it, it does tend to rely on love above all. I can talk to Him freely, rely on HIm, because He loves me, which makes me able to love Him.

The Bible verse is right, we love Him, can love Him, can find Him love-a-ble “because He first loved us.”

But the general usage of lovable, which makes me think of Winnie the Pooh or Snoopy or Tom Hanks in a romantic comedy, nah. Not God.

Mir

And sue, thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. I’d respond similarly: Many of God’s characteristics are lovable. But that position has taken you a while to arrive at, right? Do the unenlightened naturally share that sentiment? I’d suggest that our earliest impressions about God are not that of lovability, but something like power or infinite wisdom. It is through spiritual enlightenment and growth that we come to see Him as lovable. Which creates its own set of problem because only God can bring enlightenment. . .

That being said, I wonder that comparing our lovability and God’s lovability is a helpful paradigm.

dayle, I tend to agree that God — as Andy Taylor or any good father — sacrifices immediate lovability for long-term reverence or respect. To me, this observation may be the key to clarity on this question. By giving us free will, God may be sacrificing lovability for a longer-term goal; He is working something out for eternity. The problem is that, unlike Ame turning to God, many people reject God because of another’s free will action (be it abuse, crime, violence, etc.). It is this conundrum of freewill that both heightens our love of God and, in some cases, drives us from Him.

Thank you guys for participating in this tricky discussion. Grace to you!