Topical Bible: Love to God: A Characteristic of Saints

◄ Love to God: A Characteristic of Saints ►

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Love to God is a defining attribute of those who are called saints, a term used in Scripture to describe the faithful followers of God. This love is not merely an emotional affection but a profound commitment and devotion that permeates every aspect of a believer's life. It is both a commandment and a natural response to the recognition of God's love and grace.

Biblical Foundation

The command to love God is central to the teachings of both the Old and New Testaments. In Deuteronomy 6:5, the Israelites are instructed, "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." This commandment, known as the Shema, is foundational to Jewish and Christian faith, emphasizing total devotion to God.

In the New Testament, Jesus reaffirms this commandment as the greatest, saying, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). This reiteration underscores the continuity of this divine expectation across both covenants.

Characteristics of Love to God

1. Wholehearted Devotion: Love to God involves a complete and undivided heart. It requires prioritizing God above all else, as seen in the call to love Him with all one's heart, soul, and mind. This totality of love is a hallmark of true discipleship.

2. Obedience: Love for God is demonstrated through obedience to His commandments. Jesus states, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Obedience is not a burdensome duty but a joyful expression of love and gratitude.

3. Sacrificial Living: Saints are called to live sacrificially, offering themselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1). This sacrificial love mirrors the love of Christ, who gave Himself for humanity.

4. Perseverance: Love for God endures through trials and tribulations. The saints are commended for their perseverance, as seen in Revelation 14:12, which speaks of those who "keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."

5. Joyful Worship: Love to God is expressed in worship and adoration. The psalmist declares, "I will praise You, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders" (Psalm 9:1). Worship is both a duty and a delight for those who love God.

Examples of Love to God in Scripture

· Abraham: Known as the father of faith, Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac at God's command (Genesis 22) exemplifies profound love and trust in God.

· David: A man after God's own heart, David's psalms are filled with expressions of love and devotion to God, reflecting a deep and personal relationship.

· Mary of Bethany: Her act of anointing Jesus' feet with costly perfume (John 12:3) demonstrates extravagant love and devotion, prioritizing Christ above material possessions.

The Source of Love to God

The ability to love God is itself a gift from Him. "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). This divine love, poured into the hearts of believers through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5), enables them to respond in love to God. It is a transformative love that compels the saints to live lives that honor and glorify Him.

In summary, love to God is a defining characteristic of the saints, manifesting in wholehearted devotion, obedience, sacrificial living, perseverance, and joyful worship. It is both a command and a response to the immeasurable love of God, who first loved us.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 5:11
But let all those that put their trust in you rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because you defend them: let them also that love your name be joyful in you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Attributes of Love.
... contemplate the perfection and glory of that love which constitutes obedience to
the law of God. ... is, and must be, a peculiar characteristic of the ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xv attributes of love.htm

Privilege and Obligation
... and leading to all purity, is a universal characteristic of Christians ... saints belong
equally to all that love Jesus Christ ... All the men whom thus God has drawn to ...
/.../romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/privilege and obligation.htm

The Communion of Saints.
... the magnificent thought that the Spirit's real, characteristic, and perpetual work
is the shedding abroad of love; and they ... up in holy wonder, but God the Holy ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xxv the communion of saints.htm

Attributes of Love.
... But let it be remembered, that virtuous opposition to sin is a
characteristic of love to God and man, or of benevolence. ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xiii attributes of love.htm

Christian Perfection
... The love of God must be perfected in us, which destroys every element of the
old nature, of which hatred is a prominent characteristic. ...
/.../byers/sanctification/chapter viii christian perfection.htm

Still Another Triplet
... at a later part of the chapter, but its occurrence here is characteristic of Paul's ...
of our own whims and fancies, 'how dwelleth the love of God in us ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/still another triplet.htm

The Patience of Christ.
... disciples and how He bore with them in love. ... Impatience is the leading characteristic
of the closing days ... but too prominently seen among God's people who are ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gaebelein/the lord of glory/the patience of christ.htm

What God Will do for Us
... unveiling of the very deepest and most characteristic attribute of ... say, His sympathy,
His help, His love"are more ... So when God holds us to His grindstone, it ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/what god will do for.htm

Hopkinsians.
... that disinterested friendly affection is its distinguishing characteristic. ... which,
however, never implies love of misery ... of the Spirit of God in regeneration ...
//christianbookshelf.org/hayward/the book of religions/hopkinsians.htm

Hans Denck and the Inward Word
... a visible sign of the covenant of man with God. The further characteristic marks
which may be selected to ... such authority"its great commandment being love.[2]. ...
/.../chapter ii hans denck and.htm