The fact is that legal thinking and the doctrine of justification are not as prominent in the Bible as we have made them. God is not primarily an angry judge needing satisfaction but a passionate lover seeking at-one-ment…
We are not in a position to give God much that he needs. But there is one thing he wants from us that nobody else can give. And if we do not give it, he will not receive it. I refer to our personal love. God can have our love only if we decide to give it. God made us to love him, and the key issue is what we decide to do with that freedom. God empowers but does not overpower. Grace works mightily but does not override. God is a loving parent, not a tyrant. One can be saved only by grace, but grace saves no one who does not respond…
God asks us, “Do you love me?” Our whole life is our answer to that question. At every point in the journey is an opportunity to say yes or no. God treats us as significant agents—that is why the human response is integral to conversion.
– Flame of Love, Clark Pinnock
