George Fifield

George Fifield (1859 – 1926) was an Adventist pastor who gave a series of sermons in 1897 showing that, even at that time, there was an understanding of a non-violent God. It seems that, over the decades since, this knowledge was to a considerable degree lost and is only quite recently again becoming more prominent.

Read his three sermons here:

Sermon 1, Feb. 9, 1897 on Isaiah 53:3

Sermon 2, Feb. 10, 1897 on Hebrews 9:22, Christian Consecration

Sermon 3, Feb. 11, 1897 on John 12:24-25, Die to Live

George Fifield also wrote book titled God is Love (1897) which you can download at the link.

Here is a short message from George about the character of God:

“The idea many have of Christianity is this: God wants us to deny ourselves of everything here and be miserable in this world, for the sake of being happy by and by. But Satan, on the contrary, wants us to have a good time here, but is not thinking of the future. Never was there a greater libel on my Father. God is the best friend of the human race. He seeks to give us the greatest possible amount of happiness now and evermore, ever wishing to lift us into greater possibilities of joy; while Satan is the greatest enemy of mankind, never lifting the crystal goblet of bliss to the human lips, without dashing it to the ground as soon as a single drop has been tasted. Satan lied about God in the beginning, saying he was arbitrary and unjust and unkind; and all mankind, it would seem, have believed that lie. So far is this from the truth that the inspired Word tells us, ‘God is love.’ He is not love and justice, for justice is only an attribute of love. How can he who loves all men with an immortal love be unjust to any? Mercy and grace are only manifestations of love. Even the omniscience of God is the result of his love; because he is all-loving, he can be all-knowing. Hatred cannot know love.

Once infinite Love walked the earth in human form, and they crucified him, because they knew him not. But love seeth and comprehendeth all things. The power of God to make men righteous, is simply the power of his love to win men to love, which flows out in the acts of love. Even the wrath of God spoken of throughout the Bible, is his wrath not against the sinner, but against the sin. He hates the sin, because it is the enemy of the sinner whom he loves. The measure of his love for the sinner is the measure of his wrath against the sin. That wrath will never cease until sin shall be no more. His desire is, however, to save the sinner from his sin, so that he may not perish with it. When he does thus perish, the Lord says, ‘As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways.'”