Love of God in Christianity

God the Father by Cima da Conegliano, c. 1515

The love of God is a prevalent concept both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Love is a key attribute of God in Christianity, even if in the New Testament the expression "God is love" explicitly occurs only twice and in two not too distant verses: 1 John 4:8,16.

The love of God has been the center of the spirituality of a number of Christian mystics such as Teresa of Avila.