One of the clearest evidences of genuine salvation is love鈥攍ove for God, love for His people, and love for His word. Today we'll explore why love is such a reliable indicator of authentic faith.
1 John 4:7-8 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love."
RC Sproul once answered the question about assurance this way: "Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ perfectly?" No, I definitely don't. "Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ like you want to?" No, I don't. "Well, do you love the Lord Jesus Christ at all?" If you have even the seedlings of genuine love for Christ, you can have assurance, because apart from the Spirit of God, you can't love Jesus at all.
This was a game-changer for me. I knew I loved Jesus鈥攏ot perfectly, not as much as I wanted to, but I did love Him and wanted to love Him more. That provided me with something solid to stand on.
But it's not just love for Christ that marks genuine faith鈥攊t's love for His people. First John 4:20 says, "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen."
Bottom line: if there's no love for the people of God in your heart, God is not taking residence within you. This hits hard in our culture that almost celebrates bitterness toward the church. You might have to pray to love certain people鈥攜ou know who I'm talking about鈥攂ut there should be a genuine affection for God's people because you've been adopted into the same family.
The third aspect is love for God's word. When someone becomes a Christian, they want to feast on the honey of heaven. David says in Psalm 119:97, "Oh, how I love your law!" God's word becomes a revelation of God to you. You speak to Him in prayer; He speaks to you through His word and Spirit.
Here's what's beautiful about this birthmark鈥攊t's not about perfection but direction. You don't have to love God's people flawlessly or never struggle with difficult passages of Scripture. But there should be a growing affection, a deepening desire to know God more through His word and to be in genuine fellowship with His people.
Sometimes people ask how they can know if they love God enough. The question itself might reveal the answer. If you're concerned about your love for God, if you want to love Him more, if you're grieved by your lack of love鈥攖hat's evidence of the Spirit's work in your heart. Those without the Spirit don't care about loving God.
In our culture that's obsessed with feelings, remember that love isn't just emotion鈥攊t's commitment. It's choosing to obey even when you don't feel like it. It's choosing to forgive when you'd rather hold a grudge. It's choosing to engage with God's word when you'd rather scroll your phone.
1. When you honestly examine your heart, do you see genuine love for Jesus Christ, even if it's not as strong as you'd like?
2. How is your love for God's people demonstrated practically in your life? Where might you need to grow?
3. What evidence do you see of a growing love for God's word in your daily priorities and choices?
Stay dialed in.