Topical Bible: Love to Man is an Active Principle

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Love, as an active principle, is a central tenet of Christian doctrine, emphasizing the importance of love in action rather than mere sentiment. This concept is deeply rooted in the teachings of the Bible, where love is portrayed not just as an emotion but as a guiding force that compels believers to act in ways that reflect God's love for humanity.

Biblical Foundation

The Bible consistently underscores the active nature of love. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ exemplifies this principle through His life and teachings. In the Gospel of John, Jesus commands His followers, "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another" (John 13:34). This directive highlights love as an imperative that requires action, mirroring the sacrificial love Jesus demonstrated.

The Apostle Paul further elaborates on this active love in his epistles. In 1 Corinthians 13, often referred to as the "Love Chapter," Paul describes love as patient, kind, and enduring, emphasizing that love is not merely a feeling but a series of actions and attitudes: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud" (1 Corinthians 13:4). These attributes of love are inherently active, requiring believers to engage in behaviors that reflect these qualities.

Practical Application

The active nature of love is also evident in the practical instructions given to the early Christian communities. In the Epistle of James, believers are admonished to demonstrate their faith through deeds: "If a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food, and one of you tells them, 'Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,' but does not provide for their physical needs, what good is that?" (James 2:15-16). This passage underscores the necessity of translating love into tangible actions that meet the needs of others.

Similarly, the Apostle John emphasizes that love must be expressed through actions: "Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth" (1 John 3:18). This exhortation calls believers to move beyond verbal expressions of love to active demonstrations that reflect the truth of the Gospel.

Theological Implications

Theologically, love as an active principle is rooted in the character of God Himself. The Bible declares that "God is love" (1 John 4:8), and His love is manifest in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The sacrificial nature of Christ's atonement is the ultimate expression of active love, serving as the model for how believers are to love one another.

Furthermore, the active principle of love is integral to the Great Commandment, where Jesus summarizes the law: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39). The command to love one's neighbor inherently involves action, as it requires believers to engage with others in ways that reflect God's love.

Conclusion

In summary, love to man as an active principle is a foundational aspect of Christian life and doctrine. It calls believers to embody the love of Christ through actions that serve, uplift, and care for others, reflecting the transformative power of the Gospel in everyday life.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Thessalonians 1:3
Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Hebrews 6:10
For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which you have showed toward his name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Whether a Man Ought to Love his Mother More than his Father?
... the mother, because he is the active principle, while the ... Objection 1: In the begetting
of man, the mother ... Objection 2: This applies to another kind of love. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether a man ought to 4.htm

Whether the Active Life is of Greater Merit than the Contemplative ...
... Nevertheless it may happen that one man merits more by the works of the active life
than another by ... For instance through excess of Divine love a man may now ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the active life is 2.htm

Attributes of Love.
... But if their feelings or emotions of love are not active, they of course ... that virtuous
opposition to sin is a characteristic of love to God and man, or of ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xiii attributes of love.htm

The Ray and the Reflection
... sentiment into a self-denying and active principle of conduct ... attempts to promote
the brotherhood of man, and to diffuse a wide and operative love of mankind ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/the ray and the reflection.htm

Whether the Active Life is More Excellent than the Contemplative?
... in our actions we must not love honor or ... is, because the contemplative life becomes
man according to ... namely things intelligible; whereas the active life is ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether the active life is.htm

From the Creation to the Fall.
... One group, the materialists, held that an active principle inherent in the matter ...
to become one flesh and by reason of which man must "love his wife as ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter i from the creation.htm

The Principle of Life in the Creature.
... in His children, by their love for Him to love Himself, and ... that the Holy Spirit
must have been active also in ... in, ie, a power appeared to keep man and nature ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/v the principle of life.htm

Original Sin
... as to the regnum, the power of it; the love of sin ... As a man that is sentenced to
death is dead in law ... cleaves to us as a disease, it is an active principle in us ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/3 original sin.htm

The Contemplative State More Perfect. ...
... frui; that is, It is the duty of others (that live active lives either in ... is God,
to wit, the Holy Ghost pouring himself into the love of man (inclineth and ...
/.../chapter iii the contemplative state.htm

"If So be that the Spirit of God Dwell in You. Now if any Man have ...
... away earthly lusts, and makes the love of the ... most unpleasant; it is an active principle
within him ... and unruly affections, that domineered in man, this strong ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xxiv if so be.htm