θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν

God is love.

This is one of the most important statements in the entire Bible.

And one of the most misunderstood.

Love has a weak meaning in contemporary culture. It can refer to physical attraction, or fondness (I love pizza), or tolerance of sin.

But when God is described as love, this makes love one of the strongest words in the universe. This kind of love is strong, steady, and unchanging.

Everyone knows that a good parent says "No" sometimes. Only a negligent, unloving parent lets his or her children do anything and everything they want to do.

A loving God says "No" sometimes, too.