Topical Bible: The Love of God: Saints Know and Believe

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The love of God is a central theme in Christian theology, profoundly influencing the faith and practice of believers. It is both an attribute of God and a transformative force in the lives of the saints. The love of God is not merely an abstract concept but a tangible reality that believers are called to know and believe.

Biblical Foundation

The Scriptures affirm that God's love is foundational to His nature and actions. In 1 John 4:8, the apostle John declares, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." This statement encapsulates the essence of God's character, emphasizing that love is not just one of His attributes but the very essence of His being.

The love of God is most vividly demonstrated in the sending of His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world. John 3:16 states, "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 love is the cornerstone of the Christian faith, offering redemption and eternal life to all who believe.

Saints Know the Love of God

The saints, those set apart by God, are called to know His love intimately. This knowledge is not merely intellectual but experiential, rooted in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 3:17-19 speaks to this experiential knowledge: "so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love, will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of His love, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

This passage highlights the transformative power of God's love, which surpasses human understanding and fills believers with His fullness. The saints are invited to explore the vast dimensions of God's love, which is inexhaustible and boundless.

Saints Believe in the Love of God

Belief in the love of God is a fundamental aspect of the Christian faith. It is through faith that believers accept and trust in God's love, as revealed in Scripture and manifested in their lives. 1 John 4:16 affirms this belief: "And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God in him."

This verse underscores the reciprocal relationship between knowing and believing in God's love. To abide in love is to dwell in God, and this abiding is made possible through faith. The saints are called to live in the assurance of God's love, allowing it to shape their identity and actions.

The Transformative Power of God's Love

The love of God is not static; it is dynamic and transformative. Romans 5:5 declares, "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 enables believers to experience God's love in a profound and personal way, empowering them to love others as God loves them.

The transformative power of God's love is evident in the lives of the saints, who are called to reflect His love to the world. 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."

Conclusion

The love of God is a profound and central truth in the Christian faith, known and believed by the saints. It is a love that surpasses knowledge, transforms lives, and calls believers to reflect God's love to the world. Through faith and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the saints are empowered to know and believe in the love of God, living as witnesses to His boundless grace and mercy.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 John 4:16
And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Saints and Faithful
... They were 'saints in Christ Jesus,' though they were 'saints in Ephesus.'. ... It is
possible for us to keep ourselves in the love of God, and in the fellowship ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/saints and faithful.htm

The Communion of Saints.
... The meaning of "The Communion of Saints" becomes clearer when we know that ... of blessing,
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the ...
/.../burbidge/the kingdom of heaven what is it/chapter x the communion of.htm

a Canticle of Love
... spirit, I presented myself before the company of the Angels and Saints and addressed ...
hear my prayer, and obtain for me a double portion of the love of God.". ...
//christianbookshelf.org/therese/story of a soul/chapter xi - a canticle.htm

"And this is his Commandment, that we Should Believe on the Name ...
... sea of the love of God, which shall overflow all the saints' graces in ... made only
of brotherly love here, but certainly the other love to God flowing from ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon i and this is.htm

That the Example of Certain Saints who Seem to have Exercised ...
... Those great saints were immediately inspired by God, and ... to sin, which alone separates
from the grace of God. ... indeed how could the ardour of love possibly make ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter xvi that the example.htm

A Plain Description of the Essence and Attributes of God, Out of ...
... special, by which God dwelleth in his saints (1 Corinthians ... measure, the image of
his wisdom, love, goodness, justice ... true, patient, and zealous, as our God is. ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/a plain description of the.htm

Love Unknowable and Known
... First, the appropriation and feeding upon God, then the clear ... love that the man may
know the love which passeth ... be able to comprehend with all saints.' That is ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/love unknowable and known.htm

The Introduction to the Work, with Some Account of the Nature of ...
... and depth, and height of the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge;" the saints'
everlasting rest must consist in the enjoyment of God by love. ...
/.../baxter/the saints everlasting rest/chapter i the introduction to.htm

Love's Logic
... And, ah, the soul grows rich in love to God when she ... persevere to the end, you call
scarcely guess the ardours of heart which inflame those saints who have ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/loves logic.htm

Fenelon -- the Saints Converse with God
... THE SAINTS CONVERSE WITH GOD. ... men dare not tell us, what books can not"all that is
essential for us to know. ... Will not God love the heart that trusts in Him? ...
/.../various/the worlds great sermons vol 2/fenelon the saints converse.htm