Topical Bible: Love to Christ: should Be with the Soul

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Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of love to Christ is a central tenet of Christian faith, emphasizing a deep, personal, and abiding affection for Jesus Christ that transcends mere intellectual assent or external observance. This love is not only an emotional response but a profound commitment that involves the entirety of one's being, particularly the soul.

Biblical Foundation

The Bible consistently underscores the importance of loving God with all one's heart, soul, and mind. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus affirms the greatest commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). This commandment, originally found in Deuteronomy 6:5, highlights the comprehensive nature of love that God desires from His followers.

The Soul's Role in Love

The soul, often understood as the seat of emotions, will, and spiritual life, plays a crucial role in the believer's love for Christ. This love is not superficial or fleeting but is deeply rooted in the soul's longing for communion with the Savior. The psalmist expresses this yearning vividly: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God" (Psalm 42:1). Such longing reflects a soul's earnest desire for a relationship with Christ, characterized by devotion and intimacy.

Expressions of Soulful Love

1. Devotion and Worship: True love for Christ manifests in heartfelt worship and devotion. The soul's love is expressed through praise, prayer, and adoration, as seen in the life of Mary of Bethany, who anointed Jesus' feet with costly perfume as an act of profound love and worship (John 12:3).

2. Obedience and Sacrifice: Love for Christ with the soul is also demonstrated through obedience to His commandments and willingness to sacrifice for His sake. Jesus Himself stated, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15). This obedience is not burdensome but a joyful expression of love that flows from the soul's commitment to Christ.

3. Endurance and Perseverance: The soul's love for Christ empowers believers to endure trials and persevere in faith. The apostle Paul exemplified this enduring love, declaring, "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Philippians 3:8). Such love sustains believers through hardships, anchoring them in the hope of eternal life with Christ.

The Transformative Power of Love

Loving Christ with the soul transforms the believer's life, aligning desires, priorities, and actions with the will of God. This transformative love is a work of the Holy Spirit, who pours God's love into the hearts of believers (Romans 5:5). As the soul is captivated by Christ's love, it becomes a wellspring of love for others, fulfilling the second great commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39).

In summary, love to Christ should be with the soul, encompassing the entirety of one's being in a relationship marked by devotion, obedience, and transformation. This love is the essence of true discipleship and the foundation of a life lived in fellowship with the Savior.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Songs 1:7
Tell me, O you whom my soul loves, where you feed, where you make your flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turns aside by the flocks of your companions?
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Love
... Such a soul pours forth floods of tears; and while it is lamenting, seems to say
thus to God, Lord, thou art ... If Christ should have said to us, I love you well ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/the ten commandments/1 2 love.htm

The Imitation of Christ
... The Sixteenth Chapter: We Should Show Our Needs to Christ and Ask His Grace. The
Seventeenth Chapter: The Burning Love and Strong Desire to Receive Christ. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kempis/the imitation of christ/

The Tests of Love to God
... in one sense; it will not suffer known sin to lie in the soul unrepented of ... If love
to their country will make men suffer, much more should love to Christ. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a divine cordial/the tests of love to.htm

Who, Now, Should Know Better the Marrow of the Scriptures than the ...
... you Himself as an example, that ye should follow His ... If ye are reproached for the
name of Christ, happy are ye ... What love does he assert to be perfect, but that ...
/.../scorpiace antidote for the scorpions sting/chapter xii who now should.htm

Little Sarah Howley.
... she should pray for, for her? She answered, "That I may have a saving knowledge
of Jesus Christ; and that I may have an assurance of God's love to my soul." ...
/.../wesley/stories of boys and girls who loved the saviour/little sarah howley.htm

An Exhortation to Love God
... It is self-love to get the soul saved; by loving God, we ... Do you love God? ... the sense
of his sin, he thought himself unworthy that ever Christ should take notice ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a divine cordial/an exhortation to love god.htm

"Love and I" --A Mystery
... of holy knowledge, till your soul becomes like Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, heated
seven times hotter. This is the kind of love we should have towards Christ. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 28 1882/love and ia mystery.htm

Immeasurable Love
... If there should come to be souls in hell that were believers in Christ, and yet ... Such
is the love of God, that whosoever believeth in his dear Son shall ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 31 1885/immeasurable love.htm

The Realization of Selfless Love
... self-seeking, should suffer defeat, humiliation, and misfortune; that they should
pass through ... of holy Love is none other than the Love of Christ that is so ...
/.../allen/the way of peace/the realization of selfless love.htm

Revelations of Divine Love
... XL "True love teacheth us that we should hate sin ... Trinity is our Mother, and the
great Love of the ... CHAPTER LIX "Jesus Christ that doeth Good against evil is ...
//christianbookshelf.org/julian/revelations of divine love/