Topical Bible: Love to Christ: A Characteristic of Saints

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Love to Christ is a defining attribute of those who are called saints, a term used in the New Testament to describe believers who are set apart for God. This love is not merely an emotional affection but a profound, covenantal commitment that reflects the believer's response to the love Christ first demonstrated. The love of Christ compels believers to live lives that honor Him, as seen in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 : "For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again."

The love for Christ is rooted in the recognition of His sacrificial love and redemptive work. In 1 John 4:19 , it is written, "We love because He first loved us." This foundational truth underscores that the believer's love for Christ is a response to His initiating love. The saints' love for Christ is characterized by obedience to His commandments, as Jesus Himself stated in John 14:15 : "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."

This love is also marked by a deep, personal relationship with Christ, as seen in the apostle Paul's expression of his desire to know Christ more intimately. In Philippians 3:10 , Paul declares, "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death." Such a relationship is not static but grows as believers abide in Christ, drawing from the vine as branches, as described in John 15:5 : "I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing."

The love for Christ is also demonstrated through worship and adoration, as seen in the lives of early Christians who devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer (Acts 2:42). This devotion is a reflection of their love and reverence for Christ, who is the head of the Church.

Moreover, love for Christ is evident in the willingness to suffer for His sake. The saints are called to take up their cross and follow Him, as Jesus instructed in Matthew 16:24 : "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me." This call to discipleship involves a readiness to endure hardship and persecution out of love for the Savior.

The love for Christ also manifests in love for fellow believers, as the apostle John emphasizes in 1 John 4:20-21 : "If anyone says, 'I love God,' but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And we have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother as well." This love for others is a natural outflow of the love for Christ and serves as a testimony to the world of the transformative power of His love.

In summary, love to Christ is a hallmark of the saints, encompassing obedience, relationship, worship, sacrifice, and love for others. It is a dynamic and living expression of the believer's faith and devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Songs 1:4
Draw me, we will run after you: the king has brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in you, we will remember your love more than wine: the upright love you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Communion of Saints.
... magnificent thought that the Spirit's real, characteristic, and perpetual work is
the shedding abroad of love; and they ... which is the body of Christ; and that ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xxv the communion of saints.htm

Privilege and Obligation
... nature, and leading to all purity, is a universal characteristic of Christians. ...
obligation of being saints belong equally to all that love Jesus Christ. ...
/.../romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/privilege and obligation.htm

Attributes of Love.
... and must be, a peculiar characteristic of the ... Christ frequently and strongly enforced
the obligation to ... Humility is another modification or attribute of love. ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xv attributes of love.htm

The Patience of Christ.
... disciples and how He bore with them in love. ... even hereunto were ye called, because
Christ also suffered ... Impatience is the leading characteristic of the closing ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gaebelein/the lord of glory/the patience of christ.htm

Faith in God and Christ
... from the teaching of Christ this its characteristic difference. ... to our hearts whom
we can love, whom we ... full-blossomed faith that lays hold upon Jesus Christ. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture i/faith in god and christ.htm

The Intimacy of Human Hearts in Christ
... It is a preamble beautifully characteristic not only of St ... all towards man who is
also, in Christ, cognizant of ... our first main Lesson in Faith and Love in our ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/moule/philippian studies/chapter ii the intimacy of.htm

Christ the Breaker
... Characteristic of both of them is the presentation which ... Christ's present resurrection
life is the power by partaking ... closely knit to Him, if we love Him and ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/christ the breaker.htm

Strong Souls.
... may have life, and may have it abundantly." Life is the characteristic word of the ...
I plead for Religion; for the awe of God, for the love of Christ, for the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/beard/strong souls/strong souls.htm

The Crucifixion.
... and defenceless, but He had come among His persecutors in love. ... is expressly mentioned
in Scripture as a characteristic of those who turn to Christ. ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol vii/sermon x the crucifixion.htm

Letter x. --For 338. Coss. Ursus and Polemius; Pr??f. The Same ...
... being rich in mercy, for the great love wherewith He ... follies and sins, quickened
us with Christ [4218] .' For ... And this is the characteristic of those who fall ...
/.../select works and letters or athanasius/letter x for 338 coss ursus.htm