--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If God’s love is absolutely different…" description: "\"“If God’s love is absolutely different from the highest and best notions of love as we derive them from Scripture itself (especially from Jesus Christ)..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/roger-e-olson-17551_love_if-god-s-love-is-absolutely-different-fr_2169929.jpg" --- # If God’s love is absolutely different from the highest and… ![“If God’s love is absolutely different from the highest and best notions of love as we derive them from Scripture itself (especially from Jesus Christ), then the term is simply meaningless when attached to God. One might as well say “God is creech-creech”—a meaningless assertion.” quote by Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/roger-e-olson-17551_love_if-god-s-love-is-absolutely-different-fr_2169929.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/roger-e-olson-17551_love_if-god-s-love-is-absolutely-different-fr_2169929.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/roger-e-olson-17551_love_if-god-s-love-is-absolutely-different-fr_2169929.jpg) > ““If God’s love is absolutely different from the highest and best notions of love as we derive them from Scripture itself (especially from Jesus Christ), then the term is simply meaningless when attached to God. One might as well say “God is creech-creech”—a meaningless assertion.”” [Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If God’s love differs from scriptural ideals, the term becomes meaningless, reducing divine love to an empty label. **In simple terms:** Divine love must match biblical love. Key Takeaway Align theological concepts with scriptural definitions. Themes theology language meaning faith Mood reflective critical Type theological philosophical When to use this quote - sermon - academic debate - personal belief Key Concepts semantics dogma Questions to Reflect On - What defines love in your faith? - Can divine love be understood beyond literal terms? 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Never Give Up...!!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nyaz-shaikh/illat-seekness-qillat-recession-and-jillat-insult-are-tools-to-keep/) [Nyaz Shaikh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nyaz-shaikh/) > [“If God’s love is absolutely different from the highest and best notions of love as we derive them from Scripture itself (especially from Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-e-olson/if-god-s-love-is-absolutely-different-from-the-highest-and-best/) [Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) > [Things change and so do people but God's love will never change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-tomasello/things-change-and-so-do-people-but-god-s-love-will-never-change/) [Mario Tomasello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-tomasello/) > [God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/god-s-love-is-there-for-you-whether-or-not-you-feel-you-deserve-love/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [God's love is not wearied by our sins & is relentless in its determination that we be cured at whatever cost to us or Him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/god-s-love-is-not-wearied-by-our-sins-is-relentless-in-its/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [There's no limit to God's love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/there-s-no-limit-to-god-s-love/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [People always had conditions. God's love was and is so unconditional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-garrett/people-always-had-conditions-god-s-love-was-and-is-so-unconditional/) [Cynthia Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-garrett/) > [God's love never ceases. Never... God doesn't love us less if we fail or more if we succeed. God's love never ceases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/god-s-love-never-ceases-never-god-doesn-t-love-us-less-if-we-fail-or/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“Don't think for a minute that God has forgotten about you or doesn't have your back. And don't base God's love or desire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-may-warren/don-t-think-for-a-minute-that-god-has-forgotten-about-you-or-doesn-t/) [Susan May Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-may-warren/) > [God's love is as objective as light. Because the sun in a sense is light, or the source of light rather than being lit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/god-s-love-is-as-objective-as-light-because-the-sun-in-a-sense-is/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Roger E. Olson > [Human beings are special, of higher dignity and worth than other animals, because they're created in God's own image and likeness. It's actually true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-e-olson/human-beings-are-special-of-higher-dignity-and-worth-than-other/) [Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) > [“People who say that Calvinists teach predestination and deny free will, and that Arminians deny predestination and teach free will are simply wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-e-olson/people-who-say-that-calvinists-teach-predestination-and-deny-free/) [Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) > [We, including many Christians, read the Bible through "eyes" conditioned by, and even accommodated to, modern Western culture plus the influences of messages and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-e-olson/we-including-many-christians-read-the-bible-through-eyes-conditioned/) [Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) > [Before saying 'I disagree' be sure you can say 'I understand.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-e-olson/before-saying-i-disagree-be-sure-you-can-say-i-understand/) [Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) > [Only a loving and covenant-making personal God can provide humans with unique dignity, worth, and rights. Blind nature cannot do that. So, for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-e-olson/only-a-loving-and-covenant-making-personal-god-can-provide-humans/) [Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) > [“If God’s love is absolutely different from the highest and best notions of love as we derive them from Scripture itself (especially from Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-e-olson/if-god-s-love-is-absolutely-different-from-the-highest-and-best/) [Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) > [We're creatures, so we have limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-e-olson/we-re-creatures-so-we-have-limits/) [Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) > ["Ultimate reality" is the highest, deepest, eternal, unchangeable, source and ground of everything we see, touch, and experience with our five senses. It's that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-e-olson/ultimate-reality-is-the-highest-deepest-eternal-unchangeable-source/) [Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) > [Humanism cannot survive on a purely secular platform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-e-olson/humanism-cannot-survive-on-a-purely-secular-platform/) [Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) > [“Surely we can only come to understand each other's beliefs by means of direct encounter and open, honest discussion. In the meantime, many free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-e-olson/surely-we-can-only-come-to-understand-each-other-s-beliefs-by-means/) [Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) > [The Bible portrays God as entering into covenants with people which, when broken, causes him grief and sorrow. The biblical prophet Hosea and God's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-e-olson/the-bible-portrays-god-as-entering-into-covenants-with-people-which/) [Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) > [“Someone has said that no theology is worth believing that cannot be preached standing in front of the gates of Auschwitz. I, for one,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-e-olson/someone-has-said-that-no-theology-is-worth-believing-that-cannot-be/) [Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) > [There's nothing easy or simple or even entertaining (in our contemporary American sense of that word) in disciplining our minds to "see" reality through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-e-olson/there-s-nothing-easy-or-simple-or-even-entertaining-in-our/) [Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) > [Today, under the influences of Eastern religions and philosophies imported into the West, many Christians confuse God's Spirit with our spirit and think our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-e-olson/today-under-the-influences-of-eastern-religions-and-philosophies/) [Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) > [Today we cannot assume people, even all Christians, understand the Bible's implicit, underlying view of reality. We have to dig it out and show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-e-olson/today-we-cannot-assume-people-even-all-christians-understand-the/) [Roger E. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) [Explore all 37 Roger E. Olson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-e-olson/) ## More God love quotes > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't rush it. When the timing is right, God will make it happen!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-dolmo/don-t-rush-it-when-the-timing-is-right-god-will-make-it-happen/) [Alexa Dolmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-dolmo/) > [God loves to glorify himself by suspending his gifts and blessings on our asking him for them. We should never presume to receive from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-storms/god-loves-to-glorify-himself-by-suspending-his-gifts-and-blessings-on/) [Sam Storms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-storms/) > [Total depravity means the entire absence of holiness, not the highest intensity of sin. A totally depraved man is not as bad as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/total-depravity-means-the-entire-absence-of-holiness-not-the-highest/) [William Greenough Thayer Shedd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/) > [If you ponder the scriptures and begin to do what you covenanted with God to do, I can promise you that you will feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/if-you-ponder-the-scriptures-and-begin-to-do-what-you-covenanted-with/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [Imagine the world without God !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chizim/imagine-the-world-without-god/) [Chizim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chizim/) > [I know that God loves us. He allows us to exercise our moral agency even when we misuse it. He permits us to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/i-know-that-god-loves-us-he-allows-us-to-exercise-our-moral-agency/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [Never try to judge any one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajat-dogra/never-try-to-judge-any-one/) [Rajat Dogra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajat-dogra/) > [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [People don't do right because of the fear of God or love of him. You do right because the world doesn't make sense if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/people-don-t-do-right-because-of-the-fear-of-god-or-love-of-him-you/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [In low theologies, hell is invariably the deepest truth, and the love of God is not so deep as hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/in-low-theologies-hell-is-invariably-the-deepest-truth-and-the-love/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [“he’d spent his whole life trying to make God love him—and that this didn’t matter in the slightest. All that mattered was that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/he-d-spent-his-whole-life-trying-to-make-god-love-him-and-that-this/) [Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/) > [My father was a minister for 50 years with Pentecostal Church of God in Christ. 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