We have written about three of the four attributes of God: wisdom, justice, power; but these three attributes must act in harmony with the fourth attribute of love. Because of the present condition of things, many look at their surroundings and ask “how could a loving God allow…?” or “if there is a loving God why …?” etc. Without the knowledge of God’s far-reaching wisdom and plan, such quenes would give validity to the questioning of the character of God’s love.

Let us look at God’s past dealing with mankind and see if we can see how His love has been in action to bring us to the present and take us to the future. In the garden of Eden, he created a perfect couple (Adam and Eve). They were given a perfect place to live and all that was necessary to sustain and have everlasting life. They were to be fruitful and multiply and to subdue the earth. God was giving mankind, through Adam, a whole dominion (the earth) to reign over. So we see God’s acts of love by first bringing man into existence and then giving him life in ,His own image. Secondly, he provided him perfect surroundings in which to live and sustain that life, and thirdly, He gave man a place of which he would have dominion. (Psalms 8:4-6)

Through disobedience, Adam lost all these blessings and, being cursed, passed these results to his children. (Romans 5:12) So, for a while God has had to turn hisface away from the children of disobedience. But because of love for his creation, he did give Adam and his children a ray of hope through a vague promise, “the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent’s head.” ͘ Meanwhile, though not understood by his creation, to serve a loving purpose God has let sin reign.

For now, God’s “power” cannot put life back into the dying race, for “justice” has declared them guilty and sentenced them to death through Adam. “Wisdom” dictates that experience is the best teacher. So, the wisdom of God has and will continue to let humanity experience the lessons of disobedience.
For over 6000 years, mankind has been experiencing the curse of Adam’s simple act of disobedience. It has brought wars, famine, poverty, sickness, death, and unthinkable atrocities throughout the whole world. When Adam ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, little did he realize the evil he was bringing into the world. But as was previously stated, “love” has a plan; a plan with a promise that the seed of a woman would bruise the serpent’s head (destroy the works of Satan). The life and works of this long-awaited seed were demonstrated in type and shadows through Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, Joseph, the reign of
Solomon, the Passover, Jonah, and many other examples. It was not until due time God demonstrated the depth of his love by sending his only begotten son to be crucified and die on behalf of Adam to redeem mankind. (John 3:16) This only begotten son became the perfect “man” Christ Jesus in order to ransom the created “perfect man” Adam and therefore his children from death. It was an exchange of the just (Jesus) for the unjust (Adam). Because Jesus sacrificed his human nature to become a ransom for Adam, it is written that God gave him a completely new nature, a greater spiritual nature than the one he had before being made human. God gave him power and authority above all other powers and principalities. (Philippians 2:8-10) This is the long-awaited seed that will destroy the works of Satan. He will usher in an era of peace and love. He will reign over the earth until he has put all enemies under his foot; and after he has brought the earth to perfection, he will turn the perfected earth back over to God and God will give back to perfected man his once lost dominion.

But the love of God extends beyond the restoration of humanity. God also wants to share his love with a family of his divine nature, a family of tried and tested, being proven to be trusted with immortality. It is written “In love he predestined us for adoption to himself through Jesus the Messiah, according to the pleasure of his will,” (Ephesians 1:4-11, ISV) We find that there is a mystery to this promised seed. The mystery is that the seed has a head and a body. Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians that “if you be in Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.” So it will be Christ and his body (the church) that will bring restitution and salvation to the world. It is God, who during this time of the reign of evil, is developing and picking out a people for his name’s sake. At the same time He is letting humanity learn from experience the full affects of evil. (Acts 15:14) In the end, God will have a spiritual family and a perfected humanity. God will be all in all. (I Corinthians 15:28)

“Close your eyes for a moment to the scenes of misery and woe, degradation and sorrow that yet prevail on account of sin, and picture before our mental vision the glory of the perfect earth. Not a stain of sin mars the harmony and peace of a perfect society; not a bitter thought, not an unkind look or word; love, welling up from every heart, meets a kindred response in every other heart, and benevolence marks every act. There sickness shall be no more; not an ache nor a pain, nor any evidence of decay--not even the fear of such things. Think of all the pictures of comparative health and beauty of human form and feature that you have ever seen; and know that perfect humanity will be of still surpassing loveliness. The inward purity and mental and moral perfection will stamp and glorify every radiant countenance. Such will earth's society be; and weeping bereaved ones will have their tears all wiped away, when thus they realize the resurrection work complete.”1
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelations 21:4) Oh the power; the wisdom; the justice; and the love, of God.

1 From page 191 Divine Plan of the Ages vol.1 studies in the scriptures