June 8

I will not execute the full fury of My anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man—the Holy One among you—and I will not come in wrath. — Hos 11:9 BSB

We often speak of the attributes of God to help us understand Him better. But strictly speaking, God doesn’t possess attributes as separate qualities—He is His attributes. When we speak of God’s love, we’re not referring to a characteristic He has; God is love. When we speak of His justice, God is justice. When we speak of His holiness, God is holiness. As He is all love, so He is all justice, all purity, and all holiness. His love is infinite because He is infinite. His very name, character, nature, and essence are infinite love. If God ceased to love, He would cease to be God. His love must be as vast as Himself, as infinite as His incomprehensible, self-existent being.

The love of the Son of God, as God the Son, is co-equal and co-eternal with the love of the Father. The Holy Trinity does not possess three separate loves, each with different degrees or starting points. The Father loves from all eternity, as does the Son and the Holy Spirit. The love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, indivisible, and infinite, as they are one God. This is why we read of “the love of God” in reference to the Father (2 Corinthians 13:14), “the love of the Son” (Galatians 2:20), and “the love of the Spirit” (Romans 15:30).

This infinite love can bear all our infirmities and sins. If this love weren’t boundless, it would have been broken long ago by our grievous sins. The prophet beautifully expresses this in Hosea 11:8-9, “Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. No, I will not punish you as much as my burning anger tells me to. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy.”