PSD #7 Personal Love Toward God.
Personal Love Toward God is the believer's capacity to love God and to respond to God's love based on Bible doctrine in his soul.
Personal Love Toward God is maximum when the believer reaches maturity or occupation with Christ.
The command to have Personal Love Toward God is found in such passages as DEU 6:5, 10:12, 11:13.
DEU 6:5 "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
DEU 10:12 "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
DEU 11:13 "And it shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul,
Without a consistent intake of doctrine, it is totally useless.
The first sign of momentum and progress is a personal love for God ultimately manifested by occupation with the Lord Jesus Christ.
If a believer never reaches the point where he has personal love for God, then he will never receive "All that God has prepared for those who love Him” 1CO 2:9
The word for control is the pres-act-ind of sunecho which means to motivate, to compel, to urge.
The present tense means that the adult spiritual believer is habitually controlled by his love for God.
The active voice, the believer produces the action of the verb which means to motivate, to compel, to urge others because of his love toward God.
The indicative mood says that this is a dogmatic statement of the reality of what takes place when a believer love God.
Loving TLJC motivates us and it compels a person to go forward in the plan of God in spite of the pressure and distractions that he faces.
Always remember that we are talking about a certain type of love, a love that comes from the mental attitude of the soul and therefore a love that is based upon thoughts and knowledge.
There is no real impersonal unconditional agape love toward people until there is first of all, personal love toward God.
When John says "we have come to know," he uses the per-act-ind of ginosko which means to know, to become aware, to perceive, to understand, to be conscious of, to comprehend intellectually.
"We have come to know the love which God has for us" is because "knowing" that God loves you is a process.
Thinking is what separates humans from the animal kingdom.
Thinking doctrine is what separates winner believers from the emotional apostates or the self-righteous legalists.
Virtue is right thinking resulting in right action and by right action I mean a graciousness and power that requires thought.
1JO 4:16 And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.
Agape is used here in the sense of "virtue love" or divine love."
This introduces the love that God used to solve our problems in JOH 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."
JOH 15:16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you,"
This virtue-love called agape in the Greek is a system of thinking, 1CO 13:5, which proceeds from the mind in PHI 2:2.
When love is directed toward God it serves as motivation in the spiritual life, 2CO 5:14, For the love for Christ motivates us,
In fact, personal love for God motivates the believer or it is a motivational virtue that will keep you going forward in the plan of God in spite of the distractions to take you away from God's plan.
On the other hand, impersonal unconditional agape love is directed toward mankind is a functional virtue.
Love toward God is a motivational virtue, love toward mankind is a functional virtue.
Agape love is a certain type of love or a certain way to love.
PHI 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment.
When God's love is in view, agape love is simply a mental attitude love requiring the thoughts in the Bible concerning how to handle different situations.
It is a way in which God loves and a way in which we are to love.
Agape love has power and is graceful as God's love but agape love is not automatically the love of God.
JOH 3:19 "And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved [agaped – or loved in their mental attitude] the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil.
JOH 12:43 for they agaped [loved in their mental attitude] the approval of men rather than the approval of God.
The point is that agape love is not automatically the love of God, it is a certain way to love and that way to love is defined for us in the Bible.
1CO 13:4 Agape is patient, agape is kind, and agape is not jealous; agape does not brag and agape does not get arrogant,
1CO 13:5 Agape does not act unbecomingly; agape does not seek its own, agape is not provoked, agape does not take into account a wrong suffered,
1CO 13:6 Agape does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but agape rejoices with the truth;
1CO 13:7 Agape bears all things, agape loves all things, agape hopes all things, agape endures all things.
1CO 13:8 Agape never fails;
When we talk about agape love we are talking about that impersonal unconditional love which is a certain way of loving, and it all has to do with thought not feelings or emotions.
When someone says I don't love you anymore, they better be talking about phileo or personal love not agape.
To say you don't agape someone is to say that you have mental attitude sins in your soul toward that person and you're the problem not him or her.
Not love for people but as we will see love for God first followed by impersonal unconditional agape love toward all.
All losers and winners have the perfect righteousness of God given to them at the moment of salvation.
This perfect righteousness draws from the justice of God logistical grace support which is everything you need to advance in the Christian life.
He gives us all some measure of prosperity from His love or from His agape.
When you and I love with this impersonal unconditional agape love, we are literally loving with the very nature of God.
2PE 1:3 Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to this life and the spiritual life, through the epignosis knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and virtue.
2PE 1:4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them [His promises and doctrines] you might become partakers of the divine nature.
As you understand that God loves you and why He does, you will be truly free.
PSA 32:5 I acknowledged my sin to Thee, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord"; And Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. Selah.
Free from worry; 1PE 5:7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you!
Free from condemnation; ROM 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
ROM 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
ROM 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The love that God "keeps having for us" in 1JO 4:16 is the pres-act-ind of echo which means He keeps on having and holding agape love for us.
1JO 4:16 And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
The present tense means this is habitual.
In 1JO 4:8 and 1JO 4:16, God is love.
The active voice means that God produces the action of the verb because of who He is, nothing to do with who we are.
The indicative mood is that God is inn reality a God of love.
If we could do something that causes God to love us then the verb would be who in the middle voice or the passive voice.
Added to the fact that God loves us, we are also Royal Family and we are under the double portion principle of DEU 21:17 where the first born would receive a double portion.
We have the righteousness of God the Father,
ROM 3:22, and the very righteousness of God the Son, 2CO 5:21.
ROM 3:22 We receive the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;
2CO 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
We have a double righteousness which means we are royal family!
God's love is essentially the problem solver of His virtue.
Operating in impersonal unconditional agape love solves the problems of life.
We will also see that this same love is a problem-solver especially for us in the Church-age.
The holiness of God is composed of two factors, His justice and His perfect righteousness.
ROM 11:32 God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all.
God is love and God uses His love to solve man's problems.
God wants believers to have the same type of love so He has devised a plan for this love to exist and to be developed.
Because if you do not have impersonal unconditional agape love in your life as 1CO 13:2 says “You are nothing.”
1CO 13:2 And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
Impersonal is an adjective which means without personal reference or connection, not primarily affecting or involving the emotions of a person.
When personal love is used, personal is an adjective which refers to a love and rapport carried on between two individuals.
Impersonal unconditional agape love is the love of 1CO 13:8, the Love which never fails;
It means that when you love with impersonal unconditional agape love, it never fails you!
It is a problem solver that will protect you from becoming bitter, or angry, or jealous or vindictive.
God's love as a virtue from Him to you was designed to solve your problems.
God's love is not an instinct, or feeling, it is a system of thinking with virtue.
1CO 13:13 But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
The first purpose of this impersonal unconditional agape love is for problem-solving.
The second purpose of love after problem-solving is to give the believer perfect happiness and contentment.
Agape love does not think with evil thoughts, 1CO 13:5.
1CO 13:5 God’s love does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
Impersonal unconditional agape love is meant to solve problems, personal love, phileo, creates problems.
Personal love produces problems when it is directed toward man.
It is agape or impersonal love which solves problems with mankind.
And agape love or virtuous love can only be developed in your life by personal love toward God or personally falling in love with TLJC.
That's why you have verses like…..
MAR 12:30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.
MAT 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you."
ROM 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
Personal love for God will give you impersonal love for all mankind.
God gave love as a problem solver not as a basis for your social life or your sexual life.
Many believers who become psychotic or neurotic or peculiar in some way, have become so because they don't understand what love really is.
This virtue love is a result of a maximum love from metabolized doctrine in the field of soteriology, Christology and all things pertaining to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Personal love always emphasizes the object of love, I (subject) love you (object).
Impersonal love always emphasizes the greatness and virtue of the subject, "I" love you!
Personal love in the human race is always conditional; there are always strings attached.
But impersonal love is unconditional, no strings attached.
- Personal love emphasizes the attractiveness of the object. Impersonal love emphasizes the virtue of the subject.
- Personal love is optional in the Christian life; it is not commanded. Impersonal love is the imperative of the Christian life, the divine mandate for the function of the PPOG.
- Personal love emphasizes rapport with an object; impersonal love emphasizes the virtue of the subject.
- Personal love is conditional; impersonal love is unconditional.
This means that no merit is assigned to the object. No characteristic of the object, whether attractiveness, rapport, or worthiness, is the motivation for impersonal love.
- Personal love is virtue dependent for its effectiveness; impersonal love is doctrinally dependent for its effectiveness. Impersonal love is sustained by Bible doctrine.
- Personal love is subjective and possessive; impersonal love is objective and grace oriented.
- Personal love is the expression of the believer's ego; impersonal love is the expression of the believer's doctrinal orientation (metabolized doctrine in the stream of consciousness).
- Personal love is directed toward a few; impersonal love is directed toward all mankind.
- Impersonal love is a virtue from God, attained from the fulfillment of the PPOG. Personal love is the expression of man's ego and does not require virtue.
- Impersonal love is manufactured inside the PPOG from metabolized doctrine. Personal love is manufactured from the mentality, emotion, self‑consciousness, lust arrogance, good and evil desires, and the wisdom or vanity of mankind.
- Impersonal love is a virtue directed toward the entire human race, friend or enemy, known or unknown. Personal love is directed toward a few.
- Impersonal love requires the fulfillment of the PPOG. Personal love requires nothing.
- Impersonal love is a problem-solving device as well as the base for great human relationships. Personal love is a problem making device, and a good way to break up any good relationships.
- Impersonal love solves problems. Personal love manufactures problems.
- Impersonal love is a relaxed mental attitude toward all mankind. Personal love is an intense and possessive attitude toward a few.
- Our Lord said LUK 6:35 "Love your enemy." This obviously refers to impersonal love. When you can love an enemy impersonally, you're prepared to be a great leader in any area, a professional able to handle the public.
- Impersonal love is the function of spiritual independence which is unconditional toward the object.
For one of the great functions of impersonal love is tolerance.
Once you have spiritual self-esteem, you'll drop all former standards of superiority or inferiority regarding people and yourself.
- While personal love for people can be a distraction to your relationship with God, impersonal love for all mankind is a manifestation of your personal love for God the Father, and your occupation with the person of Jesus Christ as the highest motivation in life.
- Relationship with self is stabilized and poised through impersonal love, while relationship with self is disconcerted and upset by the traumatic experiences of personal love in either romance or friendship.
- In application, if you are truly professional, you do not reveal your personality. You are so keen on doing your job that what is seen is far greater than personality; it is virtue.
For some people are emotional and gushy; others are hard and tough; others are kind and thoughtful.
You will never be relaxed in human relationships until you acquire impersonal love which is unconditional.
The only love that solves the problems of human interaction is impersonal unconditional agape love whereby the object can be acceptable or unacceptable, attractive or unattractive, obnoxious or pleasant.
Personal love is directed toward a few people in friendship, romance, and hopefully in marriage though that's not true in many cases.
TIT 2:4 Older mature women are to teach the younger that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,
The word for love comes from phileo which is philandros meaning to teach the younger women how to love their husbands with a personal love.
Personal love is directed toward a few people in friendship, romance, and marriage.
On the other hand, impersonal love is directed toward all mankind.
Personal love toward human beings has no built-in virtue, and it has no virtue guarantee.
Impersonal love contains built-in virtue and therefore has capacity for true love in friendship, romance, marriage, and all other human interaction.
Whether it's personal or impersonal love we will see that concentration is needed.
1JO 4:16 And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.
ROM 5:5 The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who was given to us.
PHI 1:9 In fact, I pray this, that your virtue-love may excel to the maximum still more and more by means of metabolized doctrine resulting in all spiritual discernment,
1Th 4:9 Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are "taught" by God to love one another;
Personal love is based on attractiveness and rapport with the object.
However, impersonal loved is based on the virtue of the subject.
Personal love is a possessive and subjective attitude toward a few.
Impersonal love is an objective and relaxed attitude toward the human race.
Personal love is the expression of man's ego.
Impersonal love is the expression of man's virtue.
Personal love is vulnerable to arrogance and hypersensitivity.
Impersonal love is free from arrogance, including jealousy, hatred, bitterness, vindictiveness, guilt, self-pity, implacability, and revenge.
Personal love only has virtue as it relates to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
The virtue of impersonal love is the great problem-solving device toward people.
Personal love in friendship, romance, or marriage must depend on something outside of that love for its virtue.