The Father’s Love is Constant

John Owen, Communion with God:

The love of God is like himself — equal, constant, not capable of augmentation or diminution; our love is like ourselves — unequal, increasing, waning, growing, declining.  His, like the sun, always the same in its light, though a cloud may sometimes interpose; ours, as the moon, has its enlargements and straitenings.

The love of the Father is equal; whom he loves, he loves to the end, and he loves them always alike. . . . On whom he fixes his love, it is immutable; it does not grow to eternity, it is not diminished at any time.  It is an eternal love, that had no beginning, that shall have no ending; that cannot be heightened by any act of ours, that cannot be lessened by anything in us.

Our Father will not always chide, lest we be cast down; he does not always smile, lest we be full and neglect him: but yet, still his love in itself is the same.  When for a little moment he hides his face, yet he gathers us with everlasting kindness.

Objection: But you will say, ‘This comes near to that blasphemy, that God loves his people in their sinning as well as in their strictest obedience; and, if so, who will care to serve him more, or to walk with him to well-pleasing?’

Answer: The love of God in itself is the eternal purpose and act of his will.  This is no more changeable than God himself: if it were, no flesh could be saved; but it changes not, and we are not consumed.  What then?  Loves he his people in their sinning?  Yes; his people — not their sinning.  Alters he not his love towards them?  Not the purpose of his will, but the dispensations of his grace.  He rebukes them, he chastens them, he hides his face from them, he smites them, he fills them with a sense of [his] indignation; but woe, woe would it be to us, should he change in his love, or take away his kindness from us!  Those very things which seem to be demonstrations of the change of his affections towards his, do as clearly proceed from love as those which seem to be the most genuine issues thereof.  ‘But will not this encourage to sin?’  He never tasted of the love of God that can seriously make this objection.