Is Loving Jesus Back Required For Salvation?

[thomas_t]

No. This is at least my stance.
All you have to do is believe and proclaim Jesus as Lord. See Romans 10:9-10.
Recently an atheist wrote "Jesus is at the door, knock knock, let me in. Why? So I can save you. From what? From what Im going to do to you if you don't let me in."
Letting Jesus in is nice or loving him back... but not required for salvation, I think. See the Romans verse.
If you are sent to hell (hades/ sheol) it's because of what you did - the sins.
For instance, if you committed crimes that were left unpunished, it's because of them that Jesus might send you to hell.
A sinner has done more mistakes than solely not having let Jesus in, I think.

 

[Tolworth John]

No. This is at least my stance.
All you have to do is believe and proclaim Jesus as Lord. See Romans 10:9-10.
Recently an atheist wrote "Jesus is at the door, knock knock, let me in. Why? So I can save you. From what? From what Im going to do to you if you don't let me in."
Letting Jesus in is nice or loving him back... but not required for salvation, I think. See the Romans verse.
If you are sent to hell (hades/ sheol) it's because of what you did - the sins.
For instance, if you committed crimes that were left unpunished, it's because of them that Jesus might send you to hell.
A sinner has done more mistakes than solely not having let Jesus in, I think.

And James put the cat among the pigeons when he wrote show me your faith, I by my works will show you my faith.

Would you believe a football support who said he supported your team, yet never when to a match, never watched a game on TV.

We cannot see your soul and cannot know the truth about your believes.
We can form an idea by how you live and how you talk about your believes.

For most people a fuller application of what the Bible says about believe is followed.

 

[Sketcher]

I don't see how not loving Jesus back at all is possible for the Christian. To become a Christian involves believing in and confessing that he died a death he did not deserve on a cross for your sins, and that he is giving you both a clean sin record and a new life that you do not deserve. How can anyone who believes that not love him back at all, ever, at some point in their life?

 

[ximmix]

No. This is at least my stance.
All you have to do is believe and proclaim Jesus as Lord. See Romans 10:9-10.
Recently an atheist wrote "Jesus is at the door, knock knock, let me in. Why? So I can save you. From what? From what Im going to do to you if you don't let me in."
Letting Jesus in is nice or loving him back... but not required for salvation, I think. See the Romans verse.
If you are sent to hell (hades/ sheol) it's because of what you did - the sins.
For instance, if you committed crimes that were left unpunished, it's because of them that Jesus might send you to hell.
A sinner has done more mistakes than solely not having let Jesus in, I think.

I think it was me who wrote that, took it from a popular meme. you say now that letting jesus in is not required? i thuoght that was the only path to salvation...

 

[Mantishand]

If you don’t love Him then you haven’t met Him lol. I think it would be impossible not to love him.

 

[ximmix]

If you don’t love Him then you haven’t met Him lol. I think it would be impossible not to love him.

Yes, the God of the Old Testament is so lovable...

 

[public hermit]

I disagree. This is probably not the proper forum for a rebuttal, but...

"They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’ Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, ‘Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me." John 14:21-24

Right before that, Jesus said to his followers, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35

In other words, the followers of Jesus Christ love him by keeping his commandments and his commandments are embodied by him (i.e. the Word of God made flesh who gave himself so that we would have life) and the essence of his commandments is explicitly stated in the command to love as he loved us. I would say, one must have a fairly anemic account of what "love" and "belief" mean in order to say we need only believe in Jesus and not love him.

 

[ximmix]

I disagree. This is probably not the proper forum for a rebuttal, but...

"They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’ Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, ‘Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me." John 14:21-24

Right before that, Jesus said to his followers, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35

In other words, the followers of Jesus Christ love him by keeping his commandments and his commandments are embodied by him (i.e. the Word of God made flesh who gave himself so that we would have life) and the essence of his commandments is explicitly stated in the command to love as he loved us. I would say, one must have a fairly anemic account of what "love" and "belief" mean in order to say we need only believe in Jesus and not love him.

Well this is the only forum here to defend your faith, so I think it's appropriate.

I agree, there are lots of good in the teachings by Jesus. But I see very little love from God in the Old Testament, that I think you were replying to.

 

[public hermit]

But I see very little love from God in the Old Testament, that I think you were replying to.

I understand. I consider the Bible as an aid to faith, not the object of faith. My faith is in the incarnated, risen, and glorified Jesus Christ and God as revealed through him. The Bible speaks to all that but is not identical with it. I'm not a fundamentalist, nor I do I hold that the scriptures are inerrant. I read the scriptures through the lens of what I know and trust in Jesus Christ, if it doesn't fit that it's not for me.

 

[ximmix]

I understand. I consider the Bible as an aid to faith, not the object of faith. My faith is in the incarnated, risen, and glorified Jesus Christ and God as revealed through him. The Bible speaks to all that but is not identical with it. I'm not a fundamentalist, nor I do I hold that the scriptures are inerrant. I read the scriptures through the lens of what I know and trust in Jesus Christ, if it doesn't fit that it's not for me.

I understand, sounds like a sound approach to religion.

 

[bling]

I think you are only addressing the time before the person is saved. If you think about it the hell bound person has no logical reason to Love Christ, he is hell bound. The atheist might think “God is sending me to hell so why should I Love Him”, but hell is not where God wants anyone to go, but if they do not want to go to heaven, there is only hell left with eventual annihilation to go to.

Sinful man would not come to God out of Love for God, but for purely unrighteous selfish reasons. If sinful man was really macho, he would hang in there as a good soldier, be willing to pay the piper, take the punishment he fully deserves and not bother his Father with undeserving requests. It is only the wimps, those who give up and those who surrender to the enemy they hate, while they still hate God, with only an unrealistic hope (faith) that God’s Love is great enough to give them undeserved charity and so they are just willing to humbly accept pure undeserved charity from their enemy.

That willingness to just accept pure undeserving charity from god their enemy allows God to shower them with unbelievable wonderful gifts. If they truly accept those gifts which includes forgiveness of an unbelievable huge debt created by sin, automatically results in an unbelievable huge Love (Godly type Love) which means they automatically Love God back after He first Loved us by forgiving us. Jesus taught us this truism which we see around us “…he that is forgiven much Loves much…” Luke 7.

So yes! You do not have to Love God back to receive His Love forgiveness and salvation, but you will automatically Love God back if you truly accept His Love in the form of forgiveness.

 

[Sketcher]

[STAFF EDITED DELETED QUOTE]
Jesus' sacrifice is the amnesty plan for those who deserve judgment. Those who become Christians are very aware of this, and will be grateful. Take it or leave it, I do not care which you pick.

 

[thomas_t]

Yes, the God of the Old Testament is so lovable...

Yes.
BTW I hope that you still appreciate this thread and its discussion?

While I hold that the scriptures are inerrant and I try to do the same even if something doesn't fit my preconceived view of how Bible should look like... I read of a God being able to be angry at times.
Oh - God even drowned the earth in the flood. Does that match my view of a soft-God?
Is an artist allowed to destroy his own piece of art? yes. So is God, I think.
God has a right to be angry when people start to abuse his creation, I think, as was the case in the pre-flood era, see Genesis 4:8.
Regards,
Thomas

 

[ximmix]

Yes.
BTW I hope that you still appreciate this thread and its discussion?

While I hold that the scriptures are inerrant and I try to do the same even if something doesn't fit my preconceived view of how Bible should look like... I read of a God being able to be angry at times.
Oh - God even drowned the earth in the flood. Does that match my view of a soft-God?
Is an artist allowed to destroy his own piece of art? yes. So is God, I think.
God has a right to be angry when people start to abuse his creation, I think, as was the case in the pre-flood era, see Genesis 4:8.
Regards,
Thomas

Well you say He is angry sometimes, and I don't understand why. He knows beforehand what is going to happen. He gave people free will, and then is angry if they don't do exactly as He expects?

Edited for spelling.

 

[thomas_t]

He gave people free will, and then is angry if they don't do exactly as He expects?

well yes. I mean what's the alternative for God? Not being angry when people kill and rape? God is not evil.
However, personally I don't support the "exactly" in your statement.
Let's compare it to soccer: all soccer players have free will. The referee is there to make sure that the players don't take the ball with their hands to hurl a goal...
But if they would... the referee gets angry of course. This is not soccer when people do this. Using free will in soccer to hurl goals is nonsense.
But free will used according to the rules can produce great goals, I think. Think of ... (just kidding).
But provided that all players play according to the rules of the game... the referee will stay calm and just use his whistle when there is a goal.
Thomas

 

[ximmix]

Not being angry when people kill and rape? God is not evil.
However, personally I don't support the "exactly" in your statement.

Ok, we all are outraged and angry when we hear about rape and killings. But how can God be? He knew it was going to happen, and did nothing to stop it. In my country that's a crime...

 

[ximmix]

Let's compare it to soccer: all soccer players have free will. The referee is there to make sure that the players don't take the ball with their hands to hurl a goal...

Is the referee all knowing of past and future?

 

[ximmix]

-

 

[Radagast]

No. This is at least my stance.
All you have to do is believe and proclaim Jesus as Lord. See Romans 10:9-10.
Recently an atheist wrote "Jesus is at the door, knock knock, let me in. Why? So I can save you. From what? From what Im going to do to you if you don't let me in."
Letting Jesus in is nice or loving him back... but not required for salvation, I think. See the Romans verse.
If you are sent to hell (hades/ sheol) it's because of what you did - the sins.
For instance, if you committed crimes that were left unpunished, it's because of them that Jesus might send you to hell.
A sinner has done more mistakes than solely not having let Jesus in, I think.

Why are you asking atheists this question? Did you just post this in the wrong place?

 

[Hazelelponi]

No. This is at least my stance.
All you have to do is believe and proclaim Jesus as Lord. See Romans 10:9-10.
Recently an atheist wrote "Jesus is at the door, knock knock, let me in. Why? So I can save you. From what? From what Im going to do to you if you don't let me in."
Letting Jesus in is nice or loving him back... but not required for salvation, I think. See the Romans verse.
If you are sent to hell (hades/ sheol) it's because of what you did - the sins.
For instance, if you committed crimes that were left unpunished, it's because of them that Jesus might send you to hell.
A sinner has done more mistakes than solely not having let Jesus in, I think.

Love is NOT a requirement to be saved as we don't save ourselves from God wrath as we have no ability to do so. So belief/faith in Him and His work (life, death, resurrection - what is often coined saving faith) on your behalf, as well an open declaration of His Lordship is the requirement to be saved. This belief isn't something you do, it's something you have....

The result of this saving faith is love. When your changed in the space of a heartbeat from a man under Gods wrath to a beloved son with an inheritance, love of God is the result.

Love of Him who loved you enough to take upon Himself your just punishment.

And if you don't have this love as the side affect of salvation, you were never saved.

It's kind of like an epidural. If they give you an epidural before a medical procedure, and your legs don't go numb they either did it wrong or they didn't do it at all because epidurals have an effect, and that effect is numbness.

Same with salvation, that effect is love of the God who saved you, and called you His child when you weren't even family and gave you an inheritance not due you... the heart of a son, not a stranger, is love.