Topical Bible: Love to God: Produced by The Love of God to Us

◄ Love to God: Produced by The Love of God to Us ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of love to God, as understood within the Christian tradition, is deeply rooted in the reciprocal nature of divine love. This love is not initiated by human effort but is a response to the profound love that God has first shown to humanity. The Scriptures reveal that our love for God is a reflection and result of His love for us, a theme that permeates both the Old and New Testaments.

Divine Initiative in Love

The Bible consistently emphasizes that God's love precedes and inspires human love. In 1 John 4:19 , it is stated, "We love because He first loved us." This verse encapsulates the foundational truth that our capacity to love God is made possible by His prior love for us. God's love is the catalyst that awakens and sustains our affection for Him.

Manifestation of God's Love

God's love is most vividly demonstrated through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. John 3:16 declares, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." This sacrificial act is the ultimate expression of divine love, inviting a response of love and devotion from believers.

The Command to Love God

The command to love God is central to the biblical narrative. 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 command is reiterated by Jesus in the New Testament as the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37). The love of God is to be wholehearted and all-encompassing, reflecting the totality of His love for us.

The Role of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in enabling believers to love God. Romans 5:5 states, "And hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." The indwelling of the Holy Spirit empowers Christians to experience and express love for God, transforming their hearts and aligning their desires with His will.

Love as Obedience and Devotion

Loving God is intrinsically linked to obedience and devotion. Jesus said in John 14:15 , "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." Love for God is not merely an emotional response but is demonstrated through a life of obedience to His Word. This obedience is not burdensome but is a joyful expression of gratitude for His love.

The Transformative Power of God's Love

The love of God has a transformative effect on the believer's life. As individuals grow in their understanding and experience of God's love, they are increasingly conformed to the image of Christ. Ephesians 3:17-19 speaks of being "rooted and grounded in love" and knowing "the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge," leading to spiritual maturity and fullness in God.

Conclusion

The love of God to us is the foundation and impetus for our love to Him. It is a divine love that initiates, sustains, and perfects our relationship with the Creator. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, believers are empowered to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength, living lives marked by obedience, devotion, and transformation.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 John 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Greek

4102. pistis -- faith, faithfulness
... Faith (4102) is always a , and something that can be produced by people. ... God" (). ...
and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4102.htm - 18k

Library

God's Love to Fallen Man
... longsuffering, together with our faith, and love of God ... Man, abusing that liberty,
produced evil; brought sin and ... the wisdom and knowledge of God!" Although a ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 59 gods love to.htm

That Love in this Life Takes Its Origin but not Its Excellence ...
... Yet it happens often, that knowledge having produced holy love, love does ... this life
we are able to have more love than knowledge of God: whence the ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter iv that love in.htm

Letter viii. --The Love of Creatures and of God.
... It is the same with contrition, and all acts of the love of God. These acts are
produced in the higher faculties of the soul, and are spiritually ...
/.../abandonment to divine providence/letter viii the love of creatures.htm

Robert Hall -- Marks of Love to God
... I shall entreat your attention while I suggest a variety of marks which indicate
love to God; and supposing the conviction produced by the ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 3/robert hall marks of.htm

Wesley -- God's Love to Fallen Man
... long-suffering, together with our faith and love of God ... Man abusing that liberty,
produced evil, brought sin and ... of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" Altho a ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 3/wesley gods love to.htm

Of a Certain Remainder of Love that Oftentimes Rests in the Soul ...
... it is in us produces many actions of love towards God ... gets a habit and custom of
loving God, which is not ... the force that was left to them, produced second voices ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter ix of a certain.htm

Of the Union of the Blessed with God in the vision of the ...
... the Father and the Son, but must necessarily be a third person, Who with the Father
and the Son is one only God. And because this love is produced by manner ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter xiii of the union.htm

Letter xxxiii. --Patience with Oneself.
... On the other hand, sorrow produced by the love of God is calm and full of resignation;
while detecting the fault it delights in the humiliation which ...
/.../abandonment to divine providence/letter xxxiii patience with oneself.htm

How the Mingling of Love and Sorrow Takes Place in Contrition.
... begins to burn before it has yet well produced the fire ... heat and desire to return
into grace with God, that in ... it burns and unites even before the love be fully ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter xx how the mingling.htm

Letter xxv. --God Only Desires what we are Able to Give.
... in the vexation and distress to which you give way after falling into certain faults;
for these feelings are never produced by the love of God, which, on ...
/.../abandonment to divine providence/letter xxv god only desires what.htm