Believing In Jesus vs Loving Jesus

[GlennO]

About believing in Jesus vs. Loving Jesus

Although I'm not one of the smarter members, I offer a couple of profiles within in His band of disciples that encourage me. Peter - crusty and impetuous, yet even before he promised to never fail Jesus and before he whacked off a guard’s ear with his sword, he spoke up for himself (and maybe the group) when he responded to the Lord’s question to the group.

John Chapter 6
65And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father."
66As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.
67So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?"
68Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. {these words stir me}
69"We have believed and have come to know [it’s a process] that You are the Holy One of God." [this touches on the love part of your post I think]

Also in John’s gospel, Thomas grabs me too…

John Chapter 20
24But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25So the other disciples were saying to him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."
26After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."
27Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing."
28Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"
29Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."
[This touches on the believing part of your post I think]

I would be remiss if I did not add Mark Chapter 9 regarding the father of a spirit possessed son:
22"It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!"
23And Jesus said to him, " 'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes."
24Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief.”.

I guess we all have bouts with our unbelief; as well as bouts with loving ourselves more than our Redeemer. You posed the question as: Believing VS. Loving. I think it is both Believing AND Loving Him made possible by an unlimited sea of Grace purchased by His blood.

In closing, may I suggest re-visiting John’s gospel starting at Chapter 14:23 through 15:17 and you’ll find a key ingredient mentioned more than ten times.

Hope I haven’t missed your point.

Glenn

[jesuschangesall]

LOVING GOD?LOVING JESUS?
I have not the faintest idea,the most remote concept of love,imagine loving GOD.
Is LOVE a "FEELING"? or an "ACTION"? or both?
I am convinced that LOVE is a PERSON.....in fact GOD IS LOVE....so THE FATHER THE SON THE HOLY SPIRIT, HE IS LOVE.

So,when I became BORN AGAIN by HIS GRACE ( I didn't know any verses of the Bible,except I used to remember a stereotype image of Jesus that was on the front cover of a pocket Gospel of my "hour of religion" and read: "EGO SUM VIA,VERITAS ET VITA in Latin,meaning "I AM THE WAY,THE TRUTH and THE LIFE),the most amazing thing happened to me,I started to feel Love,talk Love,,be overwhelmed by Love,all I wanted do was read the bible,pray,praise,testify,witness,bring other to Jesus,spend hours in worship and adoration of Him,and...I became INVINCIBLE....the first week of my conversion,the devil sent me all the cult people you can think of...besides the Roman Catholic ( I was one of them before) the Mormons,the Jehovah witness,the Children of God,the Moonist,the Orange people,the New agers,man,it was a continual attack,but I still didn't know verses to counterattack,but i would speak in tongues and praise Jesus and they would run ...run man...I was INVINCIBLE,not me really,BUT NOW a PERSON was in ME,JESUS and so LOVE and POWER,JOY and VICTORY...addictions fell from me like the dead leaves from a tree in autumn..........
Yes,LOVE IS A PERSON,JESUS IS TRUE LOVE.....I found out that the love I give back to HIM,after 38 years in the faith is a small thing,it is absolutely a puny thing...but I LOVE HIM and I LOVE HIS PEOPLE,my FAMILY in CHRIST at the best I can....but it is not good enough....from my point of view...
HIS LOVE towards me ( as toward ALL HIS children) is absolutely PERFECT...He is never late,never early,always in perfect time,His Time....He is leading me (us) towards the final goal of BEING WITH HIM for eternity, notwithstanding my sins,my imperfections,my silly puny brain,my religious spirit...HE HAS SAVED ME ETERNALLY BY HIS PERFECT SACRIFICE,BY HIS BLOOD,HE CAME TO SEEK ME( I was NOT seeking HIM,I can prove it) and FOUND ME and got me out the very pit of Hell and put my feet on THE ROCK....

If I should ground my salvation on "my" Love for HIM.......I would be falling in the pit....I CANNOT LOVE GOD the way HE SHOULD BE LOVED,....impossible...but I LOVE HIM and HE KNOWS THAT ...PRAISE JESUS!
as a young Christian,at the youth service,the leader used to scare the living light out of me,he used to preach that UNLESS we are perfect we are done!
I would go home,shaking in my boots and fall on my knee and cry to The LORD:"Mercy,I am not PERFECT MY LORD....forgive me etc.." until HE taught from the Scriptures that I am RIGHTEOUS LIKE JESUS because of BELIEVING IN HIM and HIS PERFECT GRACE.
I am sooooooooooooo tired of preachers ( I am sure well intentioned) that ADD WORKS to GRACE...

I couldn't save myself if I tried in a zillion years,and i couldn't keep myself saved 5 microseconds...

The BOOK of ROMANS helped me to understand....and EPHESIANS nailed it...I AM SAVED ETERNALLY BY GRACE THRU FAITH,fullstop!
HE DID IT and HE IS WORKING in ME HIS PERFECT WILL because of JESUS PERFECT OFFERING...and one day,soooooooooonnnnnn I pray,when HE COMES TO GET US ( in THE RAPTURE) or eventually calls me before via death,HE IS GOING TO ZAP me into PERFECTION for ETERNITY!!!!
PRAISE HIS NAME!!!!THANK YOU JESUS!!!!

[CrossReference]

If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema. (1 Corinthians 16:22)

Which simply points up the fact a 'professing' Christian, one whose Christian walk is based upon emotion, cannot be one who loves the Lord. Only a 'confessing' one is able of loving because Christ has been established in him by revelation..