fhansen
Oldbie
This is true. There's a subtle nuance to it all though. We can't make ourselves love, and yet love of God and neighbor is really the most basic command. That's what makes us most like God, and that's what He's wanted from-and for-us from the beginning. Love is the heart of the Christian faith, the reason Jesus came and died, the image of God we're to be transformed into, and the right motivator for our own right actions, such as those done for "the least of these" as per Matt 25:31-46, those works prepared for us in Christ as per Eph 2:10, because love defines justice for man.Matthew 22:37-38
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.”
We actually must PROVE our LOVE for the LORD …
1 John 2:5, NLT
“Those who obey God’s word truly show
how completely they love Him. That is how
we know we are living in Him.”
BACs who have “no condemnation” are “in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
1 John 5:3, NLT
“Loving God means keeping His commandments,
and His commandments are not burdensome.”
John 14:15-24
“If you love Me, obey My commandments
… He who has My commandments and obeys them, it is he who loves Me
… If anyone loves Me, he will obey My word
… He who does NOT love Me
does NOT obey My words”
Does anyone get to heaven who does NOT love Jesus?
Those who love Jesus will obey His commandments!
IF you PROVE that you LOVE Jesus, then you have
met one of the qualifications for salvation …
Romans 8:28-30
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
Another way to PROVE your LOVE for the LORD …
James 1:12-15
“Blessed is the man who endures temptation;
for when he has been approved, he will receive
the crown of life which the Lord has promised to
those who love Him … But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived,
it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
Love Jesus >>> endure temptation >>>
do not sin >>> crown of (eternal) life
John 15:9-14
“… abide in My love.
If you obey My commandments,
you will abide in My love
… You are My friends,
if you do whatever I command you.”
Those who are Jesus’ friends will obey His commandments!
Does anyone get to heaven who is NOT Jesus’ friend?
John 15:6
“If anyone does NOT abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”
So we don't obey in order to love, in order to be right and pleasing to God; rather we obey because we love. Love must come first as the right order of things, or else we're back to trying to prove our righteousness by a mere external show of it. And this kind of love is only available to the extent that we abide in Him, 'Apart from Whom we can do nothing'. The inside, the heart, must change first, then the outside follows suit.
Anyway, maybe nothing new here-just wanted to highlight this subtle but critical distinction. Either way, it's important to know that we have that one very real obligation: to love.
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