You must PROVE you LOVE the LORD to be saved!

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Dorothy Mae

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Dorothy Mae

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Yes - why do you think that they won't?
Why don’t you tell us your answer?
Ask and see - start a thread on how we have obeyed God and known his love this week.
A better one is how many know the will of God for them this week?
We love BECAUSE he loved first us.
Initially as baby believers, yes.
GOD loved, we responded, accepted him and received his love; now we love too.
Don’t you want to move beyond salvation?
Knowing God's love means it is far more likely that we will do nothing to deliberately hurt him.
It is not a cast iron guarantee, no - because we are still human, still weak, still seduced by the world, the flesh and the devil.
I doubt that is a popular measure. Some Hillsong songs grieve Him terribly and the believers still blithely sing them.
So was I.
But it's still possible to go to church, hear about God and know the Scriptures which say that God loves us, without really knowing that love for ourselves.
As a teenager I could have recited by heart the verses that spoke of God's love - I still didn't believe he loved me.
I think this testimony quite moving and I’m blessed to read it.
That is a parable, and Jesus never said that the people in debt were those who knew God and had accepted his love. I thought you didn't want to talk about unbelievers?
So will God do to you if you don’t forgive you brother. The Lord’s prayer says clearly “forgive us AS WE forgive others.” Not a parable.
The Bible says that were are to love others as he has loved us. How can we show God's perfect, holy, unconditional love to others unless we have received it ourselves?
Once received we must give.
Children are not always mature enough to make good choices - and sometimes lack the will power to make them.
Even at 40??
Yes, we do - we're still human.
None of that changes the fact that we love because God first loved us, and if we are to keep his command to love with his love, we need to first receive it.
No one in the Bible taught this.
By humans or by God?
We may not be able to show perfect love even when we have and know God's love - but I know for a fact we won't be able to show love without it.

Who said anything about focusing on FEELING loved?
We love because God first loved us. When we have received love and love God we will want to go out, love others and obey Jesus' words, including his command to love - not sit in a little corner going "oh goody, I am loved".
That “wanting” is clerkly feeling like it.
I doubt they would have been able to write about God's love unless they had experienced it.
After the resurrection, Jesus didn't say to Peter "let's talk about your betrayal", or "I told you so" or even "do you want forgiveness and have you said 'sorry'?" He asked if Peter loved him and only THEN did he give Peter work to do.
John is referred to as the disciple Jesus loved. He loved them all, of course, but John must have known his love in a special, maybe deeper, way.

How do you know what God's love for me leads me to to do and where it takes me?
I asked you to share this.
Until we confess and are forgiven, yes.

IF.
We will still sin and make mistakes, but when we accept Christ we are a NEW creation with a NEW heart. We are born again, born of the Holy Spirit - and the fruit of the Spirit is love.

Or choose to walk away, I know.
I can't think why anyone who truly knows God's love would want to, but we still have a choice.
I can. Over the course of 40 years I know people who did. It was always for the reasons Jesus said.
Where did I say that?
I'm talking about God's love. I'm saying that if we truly know God's love we will not want to do anything to deliberately hurt him. Sin and eternal death hurts God. He has saved us from them, however - so why would we want to throw that in his face and live as though we'd never received forgiveness and eternal life?
Did Adam and Eve know his love? Did Peter? Did the other disciples? Did that prevent hurting him?
I'm saying there is a BIG difference between doing something because God has asked us to do it and we love him and are serving him out of love - and doing something that God has asked out of fear, and with reluctance.
True although Jesus said the son who did his fathers will was commended despite his attitude whereas the son who was content with the right attitude but no obedience was not.
 
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Dorothy Mae

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Where did I ever say that I sit in a corner, feeling all warm and happy with God's love, keep it all to myself and never serve or love him?
We love BECAUSE he first loved us.



Didn't need to. He showed it by healing, listening to, restoring them and raising the dead - and ultimately on the cross.



You try loving God and others as he loves us - with divine, perfect love - without first being filled and receiving from him.
If that were possible, you'd be doing it in your own strength, not God's love.



I obey God by doing what he has called me to do.



Sorry, but, with respect, you can't have read very thoroughly; I said love is NOT gooey feelings.



Well if you really want to know, I made a 500 mile round trip to see my mother, who has dementia, on her birthday - a woman who can no longer speak, doesn't recognise me and before I got to the front door to start the long journey home, would not know I had been there. Had I not fallen on the train, in my rush to see my mother, I would have been walking and doing my role as chaplain on the canal.
Does that satisfy you?



WHERE did I say that thinking about God's love for me leads to total inaction; having happy, lovely thoughts that I keep all to myself and never do anything for anyone?
Seriously, show me please, so that I can edit it.



You're making the ENORMOUS assumption that thinking about God's love leads me to do absolutely nothing.



This thread is about proving we love God IN ORDER TO BE saved - the OP made it about salvation.

Well you don't seem to know WHAT I am saying, so it probably is.
I know what you’re saying, I’ve grown beyond mere salvation.
 
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Strong in Him

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A better one is how many know the will of God for them this week?

Like I said, ask them.
I'm not making judgements about, or answering for, other people.

Initially as baby believers, yes.

Scripture doesn't say that.
Nowhere does God say "I'll show you my love to start you out on your Christian life; then you're on your own - unless you choose not to grow up."

I asked you to share this.

I did, a little, in another post.
But sharing all the things that I do and that God has called me to do, feels like either boasting or trying to justify myself - and I'm not going to do either.
 
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Strong in Him

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I know what you’re saying, I’ve grown beyond mere salvation.

Sorry, but I spent time writing a long post - including giving a specific example that you seem to need - and this is your only answer?

Unsubscribing
 
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Strong in Him

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We're talking about BACs loving the Lord enough
to actually obey His commandments!

Well then, you need to rewrite the title of the thread; currently it says "you must PROVE you love God to be saved".

We don't need to prove anything to God - nor can we - to be saved.
 
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Dorothy Mae

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Like I said, ask them.
I'm not making judgements about, or answering for, other people.
Don’t need to. It easier to read their posts.
Scripture doesn't say that.
Nowhere does God say "I'll show you my love to start you out on your Christian life; then you're on your own - unless you choose not to grow up."
It talks about moving from elementary matters of repentance into maturity. By the way, Eternal
life is knowing Him. That is relationship. Relationship means interaction where neither leaves the other. The relationship is one where we are the obeying party, not merely receiving.
I did, a little, in another post.
But sharing all the things that I do and that God has called me to do, feels like either boasting or trying to justify myself - and I'm not going to do either.
Actually that is not telling what He is asking one to do.
 
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Dorothy Mae

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Sorry, but I spent time writing a long post - including giving a specific example that you seem to need - and this is your only answer?

Unsubscribing
My apologies, I ran out of time. I will answer better now.
 
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Nowhere does God say "I'll show you my love to start you out on your Christian life; then you're on your own - unless you choose not to grow up."
Begin with Ephesians 2:8-9 ... Father God gave His
grace (unmerited favor) to you - a free gift of His love!

Next, He gave His precious Holy Spirit to you
... to try to fully sanctify you unto holiness.

Then, He gave you a new nature (free from sin).
Ahhh, freedom from having to sin!
Now, you have a choice: sin or don't sin!

Yes, you're on your own as far as choosing whether
or not you will co-operate with the Holy Spirit.

There are many warnings
about:
● being deceived
● habitual (unrepentant) sinning
● falling away from the faith
● being estranged from Christ
● falling from grace
● not inheriting the kingdom of God and Christ
● not being allowed into the New Jerusalem
● being blotted out of the Book of Life
● drawing back to perdition, etc.
 
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... the title of the thread; currently it says "you must PROVE you love God to be saved".
We don't need to prove anything to God - nor can we - to be saved.
The verses in the OP prove that ...
we must love God to receive eternal life.
(That is, if one believes the NT.)

One's actions prove what's in one's heart.
So, one's actions prove if he/she loves God.

Obeying Jesus' commandments prove to God
(and to man, as some insist) that one loves Jesus.
See 4 separate verses in John 14.
 
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Neogaia777

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The verses in the OP prove that ...
we must love God to receive eternal life.
(That is, if one believes the NT.)

One's actions prove what's in one's heart.
So, one's actions prove if he/she loves God.

Obeying Jesus' commandments prove to God
(and to man, as some insist) that one loves Jesus.
See 4 separate verses in John 14.
Is that Love of God, (that we would have for God), a work of man, or God...?

Is obeying Jesus commandments the same as obeying the OT Law covenant or the ten commandments, or the commandments in and of the OT...? or not...?

God Bless!
 
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LostMarbels

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@BCsenior

I keep reading thru this thread, and I am still having a hard time getting where you are coming from. Do you believe you will stand before God, having proven your love for him by the merit of your own deeds? And you will be saved by those deeds of/by your merit?
 
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The verses in the OP prove that ...
we must love God to receive eternal life.
(That is, if one believes the NT.)

No.
The wages of sin is death.
We are sinners and dead in our sins before God. We cannot prove anything to him - our deeds are like filthy rags and we are not saved by works.
Jesus died for sinners, Romans 5:8. He died for the unrighteous, for those who could not save themselves. He died because we could not save ourselves.
A person could believe this, accept Jesus and get hit by a bus before they had been able to DO anything - and they'd still be saved.

Scripture says that whoever believes in Jesus has eternal life, John 1:12, John 3:16, John 3:36, John 6:40, 1 John 5:12.
Jesus said that he had come to save the lost, Luke 19:10 and to give his life for sin, Matthew 26:28, Mark 10:45, John 10:11 - NOT that he had come to save those who could PROVE that they wanted it and/or were worthy of it.

One's actions prove what's in one's heart.
So, one's actions prove if he/she loves God.

Being saved leads to action - we want to serve the God who saved us.
We don't do the actions/good deeds first to prove that we want to be saved.

Obeying Jesus' commandments prove to God
(and to man, as some insist) that one loves Jesus.

God knows our hearts better than we do. We don't need to prove anything to him, nor can we.
One of Jesus' commands was to love as I have loved you. Unless we are first saved, know how much God loves us and have received his love, we cannot keep this command.

Works based faith does not save.
 
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Yes, you're on your own as far as choosing whether
or not you will co-operate with the Holy Spirit.

That wasn't what I was talking about.

I was answering another forummer who said that the verse "we love because he first loved us" applies to baby believers, and implied that thinking about God's love and asking to receive more, meant that a Christian had not "moved on" from salvation.
I said that nowhere does Scripture teach this - that God gives us his love to "start us off" in our Christian lives and then leaves us to get on with it. They didn't use these words, but the implication was that receiving God's love is a one time event. That when we have it, or enough of it, we move on, start doing good deeds and living our Christian lives as mature Christians; that meditating on, and receiving, his love is for baby Christians; the "mature" just get on and serve him.

We can never be separated from God's love, which is eternal. There is no verse that teaches that when you have received it once, you are on your own. Nor that the verse "we loved because he first loved us" is for baby Christians. That's saying that if a Christian is mature they can ignore a verse of Scripture; it no longer applies to them.
 
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Because salvation is a loving relationship of
co-operation between God and man!

Yes, the NT reveals through MANY verses that
SALVATION IS A PROCESS, which ends at death.

If the process was a successful one ... heaven.
If the process was NOT a successful one ... hell.

Sorry, but that's what the NT clearly teaches!

How do you explain how the thief on the cross was saved? He didn't go through any process, or live to obey any commands.
 
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Is that Love of God, (that we would have for God), a work of man, or God...? Is obeying Jesus commandments the same as obeying the OT Law covenant or the ten commandments, or the commandments in and of the OT...? or not...?
God forces no one to do anything,
for none of us were created to be robots!

IMO, obeying Jesus' commandments is the NT version
of obeying the Law in the OT.
 
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