Topical Bible: Love to God: Perfected in Obedience

◄ Love to God: Perfected in Obedience ►

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The concept of love to God being perfected in obedience is a profound theme woven throughout the Scriptures, emphasizing the intrinsic link between love for the Creator and adherence to His commandments. This relationship is foundational to understanding the nature of true devotion and the transformative power of divine love in the believer's life.

Biblical Foundation

The Bible consistently presents love for God as inseparable from obedience to His will. In the Old Testament, this principle is evident in the Shema, a central declaration of faith for the Israelites: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:5). This commandment underscores the totality of devotion required, which naturally manifests in obedience to God's laws.

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ reiterates and expands upon this principle. In the Gospel of John, He states, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Here, Jesus directly links love for Him with obedience, indicating that genuine love is demonstrated through action. This obedience is not merely a legalistic adherence to rules but a heartfelt response to the love and grace received from God.

The Role of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in enabling believers to love God through obedience. The Apostle Paul writes, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7). The Spirit empowers believers to live in accordance with God's will, transforming their hearts and minds to align with His purposes.

Furthermore, the Spirit's indwelling presence assures believers of their relationship with God, as Paul explains in Romans 8:16: "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children" . This assurance fosters a deeper love for God, motivating believers to obey Him out of gratitude and reverence.

The Example of Christ

Jesus Christ serves as the ultimate example of love perfected in obedience. His earthly ministry was marked by complete submission to the Father's will, even unto death. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, "Not My will, but Yours be done" (Luke 22:42), exemplifying the perfect harmony between love and obedience.

Christ's obedience was not burdensome but a joyful expression of His love for the Father. As the writer of Hebrews notes, "For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross" (Hebrews 12:2). This joy was rooted in His unwavering love and commitment to fulfilling the Father's redemptive plan.

The Fruit of Obedience

Obedience to God, as an expression of love, yields abundant spiritual fruit in the believer's life. The Apostle John writes, "But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him" (1 John 2:5). This perfected love results in a deeper fellowship with God and a more profound understanding of His character and purposes.

Moreover, obedience leads to spiritual maturity and a life that reflects the character of Christ. As believers grow in their love for God, they become more conformed to the image of His Son, displaying the fruits of the Spirit such as love, joy, peace, and patience (Galatians 5:22-23).

Challenges and Encouragement

While the call to love God through obedience is clear, believers often face challenges in living out this command. The Apostle Paul acknowledges the struggle against the flesh, stating, "For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do" (Romans 7:19). Despite these struggles, believers are encouraged to persevere, relying on God's grace and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

The promise of God's faithfulness provides assurance and motivation. As Paul writes, "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6). This assurance encourages believers to continue striving for obedience, knowing that God's love and power are at work within them.

In summary, love to God perfected in obedience is a dynamic and transformative relationship that encompasses the entirety of the believer's life. It is a journey marked by the Spirit's empowerment, Christ's example, and the Father's unwavering love, leading to a life that glorifies God and reflects His divine nature.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 John 2:5
But whoever keeps his word, in him truly is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

1 John ii. 5
... in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know ... to the manifestation of its
power, in obedience to the ... To know Christ, to love God as self-revealed in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/neander/the first epistle of john/1 john ii 5.htm

Treatise on the Love of God
... OF THE SOUL WITH HER GOD, WHICH IS PERFECTED IN PRAYER ... THIRD MARK OF INSPIRATION,
WHICH IS HOLY OBEDIENCE TO THE ... IN SACRED LOVE, YET ONE MAY LOVE GOD IN VARIOUS ...
//christianbookshelf.org/francis/treatise on the love of god/

That the virtues have their Perfection from Divine Love.
... in very deed, the charity of God is perfected; [526] and ... that loving we obey, but
in this, that obeying we love. So that even as God is as much the last end as ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter ix that the virtues.htm

Whether Obedience is the Greatest of the virtues?
... from a sense of charity, not through fear of punishment, but through love of justice ...
His word, in him in very deed the charity of God is perfected": and this ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether obedience is the greatest.htm

Whether Obedience Belongs to Religious Perfection?
... to bishops, who are compared to them as perfecters to perfected, as Dionysius states ...
through not being of those things that concern the love of God and of ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether obedience belongs to religious.htm

Obedience: Its Place in Holy Scripture.
... God cannot abide in us, we cannot abide in His love. ... known as the way of restoration
to God and His ... how Abraham was justified, and his faith perfected, by his ...
/.../murray/the school of obedience/i obedience its place in.htm

The Entrance to the Life of Full Obedience
... death' of His atonement, as a motive to love and obedience ... restore man to His place
in the obedience to God. ... He wrought it out, and perfected it in Himself, as ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/murray/the school of obedience/v the entrance to the.htm

Transformed by Grace
... tells us that true love for God will be revealed in obedience to all His ... But whoso
keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 55 transformed by grace.htm

Twenty-Ninth Day. Holiness and Chastisement.
... It perfected His humanity. ... of what Jesus bore and did for us; in view, too, of the
full personal entrance into and satisfaction with the love of God as our ...
/.../murray/holy in christ/twenty-ninth day holiness and chastisement.htm

That Holy Love May be Augmented Still More and More in Every one ...
... The heart which could love God with a love equal to the ... have a will infinitely good,
which cannot be but in God. Charity then in us may be perfected up to the ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter i that holy love.htm