Topical Bible: Love to Man is of God

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Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of love to man as originating from God is a central theme in Christian theology, emphasizing that true love for others is a reflection of God's own love for humanity. This divine love is not merely an emotion but a profound, selfless commitment to the well-being of others, rooted in the character and actions of God Himself.

Biblical Foundation

The Bible consistently teaches that love for others is a direct command from God and a natural outflow of His love for us. In 1 John 4:7-8 , it is written, "Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." This passage underscores that love is an essential attribute of God and that those who are in relationship with Him will naturally express love towards others.

The Greatest Commandments

Jesus Christ, in His earthly ministry, highlighted the importance of love in the life of a believer. When asked about the greatest commandment, He responded in Matthew 22:37-39 , "‘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.’" Here, Jesus links love for God with love for others, indicating that genuine love for one's neighbor is a reflection of one's love for God.

The Example of Christ

The life and teachings of Jesus Christ provide the ultimate example of love to man as originating from God. In John 13:34-35 , Jesus commands His disciples, "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." Christ's sacrificial love, culminating in His death on the cross, serves as the model for how believers are to love others selflessly and sacrificially.

The Role of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in enabling believers to love others as God loves. 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 exhibit love that transcends human limitations, reflecting the divine nature of God's love.

Practical Expressions of Love

The New Testament provides numerous exhortations on how love for others should manifest in the life of a believer. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 , the Apostle Paul describes the characteristics of love: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." These attributes serve as a guide for Christians in their interactions with others, emphasizing that love is active and intentional.

The Community of Believers

The early church exemplified love to man as a reflection of God's love. Acts 2:44-47 describes the early Christian community: "All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need. With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people." This communal life of sharing and caring for one another was a testament to the transformative power of God's love at work among them.

Conclusion

The biblical teaching that love to man is of God calls believers to a higher standard of love, one that mirrors the selfless, sacrificial love of Christ. Through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, Christians are called to live out this divine love in their relationships, communities, and the world at large, serving as a testament to the love of God that transcends all understanding.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 John 4:7
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Greek

5363. philanthropia -- love for mankind, kindness
... warmly loves others, treating them with the respect (benevolence) that befits each
one being created in the image of God. ... kindness, love towards man. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5363.htm - 7k

4102. pistis -- faith, faithfulness
... and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love. ... "Faith is the
response, wrought in man, by God" (from Berkof's , representing the views ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4102.htm - 18k

5362. philandros -- loving men, (of a wife) loving her husband
... him as her "calling" (stewardship) from God (used only in Tit ... From philos and aner;
fond of man, ie Affectionate as a wife -- love their husbands. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5362.htm - 7k

Library

Whether a Man Can Love God Above all Things by his Natural Powers ...
... Article Three Whether a Man can Love God above All Things by His Natural
Powers alone, without Grace. Whether a Man can Love God ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/nature and grace/article three whether a man.htm

God's Love for Man
... Chapter 1 God's Love for Man. Nature and revelation alike testify of God's love.
Our Father in heaven is the source of life, of wisdom, and of joy. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/steps to christ/chapter 1 gods love for.htm

Love of God and Man
... But St John says, neither of the two is before or after the other; you cannot truly
love God without loving man, or love man without loving God. ...
/.../kingsley/all saints day and other sermons/sermon xvii love of god.htm

Whether it is Fittingly Commanded that Man Should Love God with ...
... OF THE PRECEPTS OF CHARITY (EIGHT ARTICLES) Whether it is fittingly commanded
that man should love God with his whole heart? Objection ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether it is fittingly commanded.htm

Whether by his Own Natural Powers and Without Grace Man Can Love ...
... TREATISE ON GRACE (QQ -114)OF THE NECESSITY OF GRACE (TEN ARTICLES) Whether by his
own natural powers and without grace man can love God above all things? ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether by his own natural.htm

God's Love to Fallen Man
... confidence in God, our patience and fortitude, our meekness, gentleness, and
longsuffering, together with our faith, and love of God and man, increase, must ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 59 gods love to.htm

Whether Out of Charity, Man is Bound to Love God More than Himself ...
... other man take offense if him also thou lovest for God's sake." Now "the cause of
a thing being such is yet more so." Therefore man ought to love God more than ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether out of charity man.htm

The Love, Fear, Trust, and Honour which are Due from Man to God
... DISPUTATION LXXII THE LOVE, FEAR, TRUST, AND honour WHICH ARE DUE FROM
MAN TO GOD. These general acts may be considered either in ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 2/disputation lxxii the love fear.htm

No Man Therefore Can Reach God with his Love...
... Address 17: No man therefore can reach God with his love? No man therefore
can reach God with his love, or have union with him ...
/.../address 17 0 no man therefore.htm

That Perfect Love Binds to God Without Loosing and Makes Man ...
... BOOK II CHAPTER XI THAT PERFECT LOVE BINDS TO GOD WITHOUT LOOSING AND MAKES
MAN MINDFUL OF HIS GOD; BUT LOVE OF THE WORLD FALLS TO NOUGHT. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/rolle/the fire of love/chapter xi that perfect love.htm