Do You Really Love the Lord Jesus?
What the Bible Tells Us It Means To Love Our King
Mainstream “Christianity” has a distorted view of what it means to love the Lord, Jesus Christ. It’s bloated with infatuation and a stirring emotion.
But, the scripture shows this to be incorrect. Christ himself has told us what we would do if we love Him.
If ye love me, keep my commandments. [John 14:15 KJV]
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. [John 14:21 KJV]
The word the love in these passages is ἀγαπάω (agapaō). The Strong’s concordance says this word means to love is in a social or moral sense.
When we check Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, we see other concepts connected with this word. Such as, “a preference for”, “to prize the object above others”, and “to be unwilling to abandon or do without the object”.
Cleary the love we are to have for Christ is not one of infatuation or one of pure emotion. We are to prize our King above all others. We must be unwilling to abandon Him or live a life without Him.
Imagine you are drowning and a king comes by to rescue you from your absolute peril. Would you not love him in this way?
It’s unlikely that you, as another man, would have an infatuation with him. You’d likely devote your life to him, serve him, and do as he commands you to do.
What Is Christ’s Love For Us?
Then there is John 15:10, where Christ tells us:
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. [John 15:10 KJV]
This is the love that Christ gives to those that follow him and his commands. It’s the ἀγάπη (agapē) love which is referred to as affection, good-will, and benevolence by Thayer’s Greek Lexicon.
The love our Lord and King has for us is different the the love we are to have for him. Romans 8:35 and Ephesians 3:19 use this exact same word when talking about the Love Christ has for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? [Romans 8:35 KJV]
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. [Ephesians 3:19 KJV]
Christ’s love for us is different than our love for him. For starters, we will strive to do what he commands when we love him. Our love for him is the unwillingness to abandon Him and His mission.
Where Christ’s love is benevolent and affectionate. It’s this love that brought Him to the cross to save us from our sin.
Neither of these are an infatuation or an emotional stirring. The modern Church must get a way from the feel good love it promotes and get back to Biblical standards.
Brothers, I urge you to go and do for our King Jesus Christ. Build something for Him, train your families for Him, and live your life in line with his commandments.
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