Manifestations of Love
Deuteronomy 6:5 “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
Christians are commanded to love the Lord God with with all our heart, soul and mind (Mar 12:30 ESV). It is a command, not an instruction. For most of us, love is synonymous with feelings; without the feelings, there is no love (or so we think). To that end, outward expressions have become part of many Christian lives and manifest itself in shaking, falling backward, laughing uncontrollably and crying. Yet, none of these manifestations are found in God’s people in the scriptures. Is God commanding His people to have a feeling? The first occurrence of this command is found in Deuteronomy 6:5 “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” In the Hebrew word āhaḇ communicates not so much an emotional idea but it conveys an idea as one of a covenantal commitment.
What is Biblical Love?
God is not commanding His people to have feelings. He is commanding His people to have a commitment with Him with all their heart, soul and might. In Hebrew, the heart was considered to be the seat of the mind or intellect. In the Greek, agapáō (the Greek word used in Mark 12:30) indicates a direction of the will and finding one’s joy in something or someone as opposed to philéō which indicates feelings of warmth or affection.
What does Loving the Lord Mean?
Loving the Lord is a command to have a commitment to the Lord God. The commitment to Him is to be above all else. Scripture instructs us in how we demonstrate our love to the God.
Keep His Commandments: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (Joh 14:15 ESV)
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Mat 22:37-39 ESV)
Loving God with our whole being means to obey His commandments, the pursuit of understanding God through His revealed Word and to desire Him above all (Psalm 73:25).
Can There Be Outward Display of Affection?
God’s people displayed joy with dancing, playing of the tambourines, songs of joy rejoicing and use of musical instruments.
Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly! Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King! Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre! For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation. Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds. . . . This is honor for all his godly ones. Praise the LORD! (Psa 149 ESV)
In the end, to love the Lord is to seek Him, obey His commandments, spend time in prayer and in His Word. It is putting Him first and foremost, turning off the television sets, setting aside the newspapers or novels, the cares of the world and taking up our cross and following Him. We love Him not through our words but our actions. While we sit in front of the television or while we spend time on the telephone or with friends and finally lay down at the end of the day without opening His Word to hear from Him or falling asleep while saying our prayers, our love of our pleasures takes precedence over our love for our Redeemer. To love the Lord is not a command to conjure up feelings but is a command to place Him first.
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1Pe 1:8-9 ESV)
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1 comment
DAGIOLIO
October 2, 2009 at 10:53 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I’m guilty! I’m already putting on my convict’s clothing. A very convicting and compelling argument. The last sentence sums up our responsibility completely.