Topical Bible: Love to Christ: The Wicked, Destitute of

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In the Christian theological framework, love for Christ is a fundamental aspect of faith and discipleship. However, Scripture indicates that the wicked are devoid of this love, a condition that has significant spiritual implications.

Biblical Foundation

The absence of love for Christ among the wicked is underscored in various passages throughout the Bible. In John 14:15, Jesus states, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." This verse highlights the intrinsic link between love for Christ and obedience to His teachings. The wicked, characterized by their rebellion and disobedience, inherently lack this love.

In 1 John 4:8, the apostle John writes, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." This passage suggests that a true knowledge of God, which includes love for Christ, is absent in the lives of the wicked. Their actions and attitudes reflect a heart that is estranged from the divine love that is central to the Christian faith.

Characteristics of the Wicked

The Bible provides a vivid portrayal of the wicked, often contrasting their nature with that of the righteous. In Romans 1:28-32, Paul describes the wicked as those who have rejected God and are filled with "every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity." Their lives are marked by behaviors and attitudes that are antithetical to the love and holiness of Christ.

Psalm 10:4 further illustrates this condition: "In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God." This verse highlights the self-centeredness and pride that prevent the wicked from experiencing and expressing love for Christ. Their hearts are hardened, and their minds are closed to the transformative power of divine love.

Spiritual Consequences

The absence of love for Christ among the wicked has profound spiritual consequences. In 1 Corinthians 16:22, Paul declares, "If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be under a curse." This stark warning emphasizes the gravity of a life devoid of love for Christ. The wicked, by rejecting this love, place themselves outside the blessings and grace that come from a relationship with Him.

Moreover, in Matthew 7:23, Jesus warns, "Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!'" This passage underscores the ultimate separation from Christ that awaits those who do not love Him. The wicked, by their very nature, are excluded from the intimate fellowship with Christ that is promised to His followers.

Call to Repentance

While the wicked are destitute of love for Christ, the Bible consistently extends a call to repentance and transformation. In Ezekiel 18:23, God declares, "Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn't I prefer that he turn from his ways and live?" This divine invitation reflects God's desire for all to come to a saving knowledge of Christ and to experience the fullness of His love.

The transformative power of the Gospel offers hope to the wicked, inviting them to turn from their ways and embrace the love of Christ. Through repentance and faith, even those who are initially destitute of love for Christ can be reconciled to God and become partakers of His divine love.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 35:19
Let not them that are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

John 15:18,25
If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

For whom did Christ Die?
... the ungodly godly, the impious pious, the wicked obedient, and ... and despair is a crime,
since Christ died for ... their hearts are renewed and made to love God they ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 20 1874/for whom did christ die.htm

Charity.
... Do you love God best? ... ask Him," "Come, Lord, and break up this poor, wicked heart
of ... not, henceforth, seek your own, but the things that are Jesus Christ's. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/booth/godliness/chapter iii charity.htm

Covenanting a Privilege of Believers.
... The wicked do not use the name of God, in swearing by him, with acceptance;[649]
but his people do.[650] And then the ... "For the love of Christ constraineth us ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter x covenanting a privilege.htm

Peace
... A wicked man is insensible. ... Thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes.' Psalm
26:6. (2.) This divine peace fires the heart with love to Christ. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/7 peace.htm

The First Epistle.
... they are not to be accused by the infamous, or the wicked, or the ... all Christians
who sojourn in those parts, fully discover by the love of Christ and Saint ...
//christianbookshelf.org/unknown/the decretals/the first epistle 3.htm

Letter cxlv. (AD 412 or 413. )
... And what is this "love of Christ" but love of ... Lord." [2604] As, therefore he is
superlatively wicked who is ... 7. This love of God, which must be maintained by ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/letter cxlv a d 412 or.htm

Love
... it addresses itself to men who are utterly destitute of any ... men are still enemies
to God by wicked works." When ... and he will tell you, I love Christ because he ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/love.htm

John Chapter xvi. 13-15 (Continued).
... they love: Christ indeed they do not love, since what they love is that which Christ
never was. ... in both respects they are in error, for it is wicked to be ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate c john chapter xvi.htm

Article iii: of Christ.
... For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to ... the First Table which commands
that we love God, that ... because they do them with a wicked heart, according ...
/.../melanchthon/the apology of the augsburg confession/part 2 article iii of.htm

The Approbation of Goodness is not the Love of It.
... heart is, as the prophet affirms, desperately wicked, desperately selfish ... The heart
must love what it now hates, and must ... If any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a ...
/.../shedd/sermons to the natural man/the approbation of goodness is.htm