You asked

how does this statement, 'god is love,' connect with or expand on phrases like 'god is merciful' in the old testament?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

1 John 4:8

“He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.”

The Apostle John, writing in the late 1st century, encourages believers to love one another, presenting God's very nature as the source and model for this love. This letter emphasizes the connection between knowing God and living a life characterized by love.

What does understanding God as love inspire you to do or rethink about your relationships?

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Read alongside it

Exodus 34:6
This Old Testament passage describes God as 'merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth'.
Psalm 103:8
This Psalm reiterates God's compassionate and merciful nature, often using terms that overlap with what 'love' encompasses.
Romans 5:8
Paul explains that God demonstrated his own love for us while we were still sinners, echoing the active nature of divine love.

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