Love Divine: A Systematic Account of God's Love for Humanity (Oxford Studies in Analytic Theology)

In Love Divine , Jordan Wessling provides a systematic account of the deep and rich love that God has for humans. Within this vast theological territory, Wessling's objective is to contend for a unified paradigm regarding fundamental issues pertaining to the God of love who deigns to share His life of love with any human willing to receive it. Realizing this objective includes clarifying and defending theological accounts of the following: how the doctrine of divine love should be constructed; what God's love is; what role love plays in motivating God's creation and subsequent governance of humans; how God's love for humans factors into His emotional life; which humans it is that God loves in a saving manner; what the punitive wrath of God is and how it relates to God's redemptive love for humans; and how God might share His intra-trinitarian love with human beings. As the book unfolds, Wessling examines a network of nodal issues concerning the love that begins in God and then overflows into the creation, redemption, and glorification of humanity. The result is an exitus-reditus structure driven by God's unyielding love. Cover Series Page Love Divine: A Systematic Account of God’s Love for Humanity Copyright Dedication Acknowledgements Contents Introduction 1: Approaching the Doctrine of Divine Love I. The Argument and Aims II. The Similarity Thesis III. The Methodological Thesis IV. Three Theological Objections IV.a The Objection from Theological Tradition IV.b Rea’s Divine Moral Saint Objection IV.c Fear of Feuerbachian Projections V. Conclusion 2: The Value Account of God’s Love I. Some Groundwork II. Love and the Perception of Intrinsic Value III. The Value Account III.a The Nature of Valuing III.b Valuing the Beloved’s Existence and Flourishing III.c Valuing Union III.d Concluding Thoughts IV. Evaluation of the Value Account IV.a Independent Plausibility IV.b The Christian Quintuplet V. Conclusion 3: Creation out of Love I. The Nature of Glorificationism I.a Understanding Glorificationism I.b God’s Love and God’s Self-Glorification II. Evaluating Glorificationism II.a Edwards’s Glorificationist Argument from Divine Perfection II.b Self-Giving Love and Divine Perfection II.c The Glorificationist Argument from Scripture II.d Glorificationism and God’s Cruciform Love III. Creatio ex Amore III.a The View III.b On the Affirmation of Amorism IV. Conclusion 4: God’s Affective Love I. Some Initial Clarifications II. God’s Affective Love III. The Value of Suffering Love III.a Summary IV. Objections IV.a The Objection from Pure Perfections IV.b The Objection from Selfless-Benevolence IV.c The Objection from Maximal Divine Suffering V. Conclusion 5: The Scope of God’s Love I. Assumptions and Clarifications II. The Argument from Maximal Love III. Premise M1 III.a Grounds for Believing that God Possesses Maximal Love III.b Characterizing Maximal Divine Love IV. Premise M2 IV.a Understanding M2 IV.b Defence of M2 V. Premise M4 and the Argument from Maximal Love V.a Defence of M4 V.b Summary of the Argument from Maximal Love VI. Objections to the Argument from Maximal Love VI.a Murphy’s Reasons-Based Objection VI.b The Objection from Mystery VI.c The Objection from the Freedom of Grace VII. Conclusion 6: Punitive Love I. Severe Retribution and the Divergent Account II. A Case for the Unitary Account II.a The Argument from God’s Purposes II.b The Argument from the New Testament Ethic of Love II.c Summary III. God’s Communicative Punishment IV. God’s Communicative Punishment and the Doctrine of Hell V. Conclusion 7: Trinity, Deification, and Atonement I. Participating in God’s Intra-Trinitarian Life I.a On Participating in God’s Life I.b The Problems of Participation II. God’s Essence and Energies, and Human Deification II.a The Essence–Energies Distinction II.b Alston on the Indwelling of the Spirit II.c Evaluations and Modifications of Alston’s Account II.d Incarnation and the Spirit’s Indwelling II.e Summary III. Deification and the Cross III.a Faith, Hope, Love, and Death III.b The Life-Giving Crucifixion IV. Conclusion Conclusion Bibliography Index "Love Divine provides a systematic account of the deep and rich love that God has for humans. While the associated theological territory is vast, the objective is to contend for a unified paradigm regarding fundamental issues pertaining to the God of love who deigns to share His life of love with any human willing to receive it. Realizing this objective includes clarifying and defending specific conclusions concerning how the doctrine of divine love should be approached, what God's love is, what role love plays in motivating God's creation and subsequent governance of humans, how God's love of humans factors into His emotional life, which humans it is that God loves in a saving manner, what the punitive wrath of God is and how it relates to God's love for humans, and how it might be possible for God to share the intra-trinitarian life of love with human beings. As the book unfolds, the chapters interlock and build upon one another in the effort to trace nodal issues related to God's love as it begins in Him and then spills out in the creation, redemption, and glorification of humanity-a kind of exitus-reditus structure that is driven by the unyielding love of God."-- University Press Scholarship Online "This book provides a systematic account of the deep and rich love that God has for humans. While the associated theological territory is vast, the objective is to contend for a unified paradigm regarding fundamental issues pertaining to the God of love who deigns to share His life of love with any human willing to receive it. Realizing this objective includes clarifying and defending specific conclusions concerning how the doctrine of divine love should be approached, what God's love is, what role love plays in motivating God's creation and subsequent governance of humans, how God's love for humans factors into His emotional life, which humans it is that God loves in a saving manner, what the punitive wrath of God is and how it relates to God's love for humans, and how it might be possible for God to share the intra-trinitarian life of love with human beings. As the book unfolds, the chapters interlock and build upon one another in the effort to trace nodal issues related to God's love as it begins in Him and then spills out in the creation, redemption, and glorification of humanity-a kind of exitus-reditus structure that is driven by the unyielding love of God"-- Provided by publisher Love Divine provides a systematic account of the deep and rich love that God has for humans, clarifying and defending conclusions concerning how the doctrine of divine love should be approached. It presents a unified theological account of divine love, punitive wrath, and redemption.