Is loving God an emotion, a feeling, or a decision? | GotQuestions.org

Loving God as a Commanded Decision

Today's question is, is loving God an emotion, a feeling, or a decision? In this video I'll answer that question from a biblical perspective. Then afterwards, as always, I'll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end.

Jesus said,.

"...the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.". Luke 10, verse 27. Repeatedly throughout the Bible, God commands His people to love Him with all their hearts and serve Him alone.

But how can love be commanded? How can we make ourselves love someone? Since love is commanded, then it must be within our power in Christ to love. Love therefore is a decision we make. Yes, love will often be accompanied by feelings, but emotion is not the basis of love.

In any given situation, we can choose to love, regardless of how we feel. The Greek word for love, used in reference to God, is agape, which means benevolence, delight, preference, or goodwill. This is the kind of love God has for us.

God’s Love, Our Capacity to Love, and the Gift of the Spirit

First John 4, verse 19 says, "...we love because He first loved us.". Since God is love and we are created in His image, we can love as He does. He has placed His capacity to love within our hearts. He then teaches us how to love by demonstrating what real love looks like.

Loving God begins with a decision. It is a purposeful setting of our affections. We cannot truly love God until we know Him. Even the faith to believe in God is a gift from Him. When we accept His gift of eternal life through Christ, God gives us His Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of God dwelling within a believing heart begins to produce the traits of God, the first of which is love. God Himself enables us to love Him as He deserves to be loved. As we grow in knowledge and understanding of who God is, we begin to love the characteristics that define Him, such as wisdom, truth, righteousness, and purity.

And we begin to find the opposite of those traits repulsive. Spending time with God causes our hearts to hunger for holiness, and we find satisfaction only in more of Him, because He is the perfect embodiment of everything we long for.

Learning to worship Him in spirit and in truth allows us to experience the pleasurable emotions.

Of love.

Emotion does not create love, but when we choose to love, the emotion comes. A .W. Tozer said, flowers and bird songs do not make spring, but when spring comes, they come with it. One obstacle to loving God is love of this world's sinful ways.

Worldliness, First Love, and the Battle of the Mind

We cannot serve two masters, and neither can we love God and the world at the same time. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 1 John 2, verse 15.

Many believers today need to heed the word given to the Ephesian church, You have forsaken the love you had at first. Revelation 2, verse 4. The call is for a conscious returning of the affections to God alone.

Another obstacle to loving God is the mind. Our minds continually set themselves up against the knowledge of God and challenge the faith that has made its home within our spirit. Doubt, anger, misunderstanding, and false doctrine can all rob us of life's highest pleasure—intimacy with God.

These obstacles can be overcome through repentance and a determination to seek God above all.

Else.

Humble Submission to God and the Closing Resources

In order to truly love God, we must stop insisting that God explain Himself to our satisfaction. We have to crucify our pride and our right to approve of His ways and allow Him to be God in our lives.

When we humbly recognize that He alone is worthy of our love and worship, we can abandon ourselves to loving Him for who He is. Want to learn more? Subscribe so you don't miss the next video! Visit GotQuestions .org for more great content.

And check out the details section below this video, there you'll find one book I recommend, along with links to several related questions. If you'd like to learn about Bible Munch, or if you're interested in Bite-sized devotionals, subscribe to Bible Munch on YouTube, it's linked right here.

Now remember,. Got questions? The Bible has answers, and we'll help you find them!