Believing In Jesus vs Loving Jesus

[JesusIsLord]

Hey everyone,

I have a question about the basic tenet of being saved. I understand John 3:16 to say all that is required is to believe in Jesus; that is that He is the Son of God, that He died for our sins and that He has risen from the dead. Elsewhere in John (I cant remember where), we are required to do the one work of God: To believe in the One whom He sent. Other similar passages are Romans 10:9, 1 Corinthians 12:7, Ephesians 2:8-9, mARK 16:16, Joel 2:32, etc. So, what does it really mean to believe? I think it is simply trusting that what He said He accomplished is true, and expecting what He said about the future WILL come to pass.

But then there's other passages talking about loving God and obeying Him (1 John 1:6-7, 1 John 2:4, James 2:14, James 2:20-24). Jesus says that if we love Him, we will obey His commandments. I ask this: Can one be a believer without loving Him? Can one absolutely be saved by believing every aspect of what Jesus came to do without obeying His commandments? I have plenty of friends who completely believe in Him, but do not follow or love Him. To me, this is a strange reaction towards Him, knowing how much He has done for me. But nonetheless, is their lack of evidence of loving God and obeying His commandments an indication that they truly dont believe and are not saved? I just dont believe this is so. The most basic of scriptures (in the NT) that talk about being saved do not directly mention having to love Him, only to believe in Him. Jesus' brother, James, would argue that the person who believes but does not love and obey does not have a saving faith. Paul seems to indicate salvation comes from belief. John indicates both in different passages. I know the Bible is not contradictory, but I am having the hardest time reconciling these seemingly contradictory passages.

Does anyone have a firm grasp on this? I'd appreciate some insight from "smarter" people

[JF12!]

17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
James 2:17–20 (NKJV)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV)

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5 (NKJV)

“Faith, if it hath not works, is dead.” We are not saved by works but faith will produce works. How can I say I love Jesus without showing fruit?
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Galatians 5:22–23 (NKJV)

[mattfivefour]

I'm not "smarter" but I will offer a thought. Believing in Jesus is more than giving mental assent. It is giving a heart-felt assent. In other words, it does not occur in the intellect, but in the heart. The New Testament writers called it "metanoia" which literally means "change of mind". It means that we recognize that we are wrong and reverse our direction, agreeing with God. Interestingly, the word "confess" in Greek is a word which means to "say the same thing". In other words, when we confess sins or confess Christ we are saying the same thing God says about them. With the former it is that what we have done is indeed sin; with the latter, it is that Jesus is God, that He came to save us, and that only by accepting His sacrifice can we be saved.

Now here is where the supernatural reality of God comes into evidence. IF we are truly born again, then following our metanoia, our true heart acceptance of the gift which is Christ, we are instantly born again, born anew in a moment of time. We are then, at that point, a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17) As such we have a new nature indwelling us, the nature of Christ who loved the Father above everything. Therefore, IF, we are truly born again, old things in our lives will begin to pass away as the new things become manifest in us. The Holy Spirit will begin to work out in us what He worked in at that moment of salvation. In other words, there is CHANGE in us. We now hunger and thirst after God and desire to please Him.

Frankly, if we are not changed, then we seriously have to consider whether we are truly born again. Note I have not said we will never sin, or we become perfect, or anything like that. What I have said is that we now have this inner part that loves God and that desires to please Him. Therefore we will indeed seek to "make our calling and election sure" as Peter says in 2 Peter 1:10. If we do not desire this, but go about our lives as if everything is just like it was before the moment we went forward, or said the "sinners" prayer, or made some other profession, then we may be the bad soil Jesus told us about: He sowed the seed but it did not take firm root in us.

We cannot truly have Jesus as Savior if we are not willing to also have Him as Lord. Peter always refers to "Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ". To him, the apostle who knew Jesus best of all, the two terms were inseparable. When Paul refers to Jesus as Savior, he always links it to Him being God or Lord.

In August 1973 I accepted Jesus as my Savior, asking Him into my heart. I then began learning a lot about Him and His Word. But I lived a life of ups and downs, a few victories, many defeats, and while I grew in intellectual knowledge of Him, nothing much changed inside me. Yes, I had a desire inside, but no fruit outside. My teaching and preaching were flat. There was no power. No lives changed. And my manner of life did not reflect the beauty and purity of Jesus Christ. Oh I put on a good act, but I was two people. The church man, and the other guy.

Then in 2005 God—as I began to get real with Him, desiring to truly serve Him—in His mercy brought me to a time of terrible crisis in my life, a time when all I could do is fall on my face before Him. It was a terrible, terrible, horrible period in my life, one I do not know if I could ever face again. But God—I repeat "in His mercy"—engineered those circumstances to bring me to the point where I would finally accept Him as Lord of my life ... with all that entails. That is why my sig is "you are not your own, you are bought with a price". It is not just a scripture I like, but a scripture that speaks to the truth I hold. I KNOW I am no longer my own; but rather I belong completely to Him who bought me. I am His slave.

The upshot is that when I got up from that experience I just told you about, I was truly repentant, truly humbled. Yet for the first time I was filled with faith and my words filled with power to help, and I KNEW—beyond any shadow of a doubt that could ever again arise—that I was saved. And from that point God has been able to use me. In small ways, perhaps; but I don't care. As long as He is using me, that is all I desire ... in any way He pleases.

The point of all that is to say this: in 1973 I asked Jesus into my heart; in 2005 I gave Him my heart. And there is a world of difference between the two.

I hope this helps.

[JesusIsLord]

Mattfivefour

Sounds like it was quite a story. But let me ask you this: Do you feel that if you had died before giving your heart to God in 2005, you would have been saved? The way you told your story sounds like you had a head knowledge of God, but I am still wondering if that is enough.

BTW, I am not worried about this for myself.....but I do have much concern for a few of my friends.

Thanks for sharing.

[myinnuendo999]

Amen mattfivefour and might I add that true Christians receive a person in their lives when the are saved---Jesus.. John 1:12-13 --"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent,[c] nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. <<2 things happen you not only believe but you receive...

You actually receive Jesus in your life when you choose to turn from your sins and open your arms to the Free Gift of God..
I had a very dramatic experience and when God saved me so I can't hold it to others to have the same experience or to compare.. But for me,, I remember I MEANT what I prayed and after the burden of sin was gone I was very aware of the presence of a PERSON in my life and I fell in love with Jesus and became very hungry for the word of God.

I should note that I've prayed MANY times the sinners prayer i'm sure 30 times or more and nothing ever happened until this fear of what God thought about an issue that had arisen in my life entered my heart and I was drawn to God's word to see what HE had to say about right and wrong..

to put it in laymans terms -what would you do with a spouse who said to you, " You know I love you no matter what I do and reguardless of how I live?" Something is wrong..no comittment

so I would ask God to show you the truth if you've truly made a commitment to Him and gone all the way just like when a man makes a commitment to a woman in marriage. not just saying "i love you" and then I can't marry you"-- because that is contradictory. One message is "I love you and I want to be intimate with you and the other message is But I don't love you enough to "commit" myself to you for the rest of my life.

many want an escape route in case it doesn't work... So ask God to show you and he will

[myinnuendo999]

Amen mattfivefour and might I add that true Christians receive a person in their lives when the are saved---Jesus.. John 1:12-13 --"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent,[c] nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

You actually receive Jesus in your life when you choose to turn from your sins and open your arms to the Free Gift of God.



Adrian Rogers speaks way better than I and would answer your questions very well.. I would suggest that you listen to these 2 programs

How to Be Saved and Know It, Love Worth Finding, Dr. Adrian Rogers, Christian Radio Ministry Broadcast
How You Can Be Sure You Are Eternally Secure P2, Love Worth Finding, Dr. Adrian Rogers, Christian Radio Ministry Broadcast

[mattfivefour]

JIL, Adrian Rogers is worth listening to. I would suggest visiting the links posted by myyinnuendo.

As to your question— I do not know whether i was saved before or not. I can find scriptures that would indicate I was. And I can find scriptures that would indicate I wasn't. That's not a very secure foundation! All I know for sure is that I know NOW that I am saved! And I am sure glad that God did not allow me to die during that 32 year period between 1972 and 2005: Had I died and found out that I wasn't saved, my fate would have been sealed for all eternity. I daily thank God for His goodness and mercy!

[Faith]

I think the Gospel is very simple:

For by grace (unconditonal love) you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves (you can't work your way to heaven); it is the gift(you can't earn a gift,but is freely given) of God.

Not of works (only by faith), lest anyone should boast....

When God saves us, He 'changes' us....

We're 'reborn',and a 'new person.'

Works comes AFTER salvation to show we are saved.

Christian character is produced by the HS, not by self-effort.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

We come to Him as a child.

We are babies who gradually learns from studying His Word.

At the moment of salvation, we don't know everything because we are a baby,but we do know we need forgiveness and a Savior....

I am saved by what Christ did on the cross,and not by what I do....

Thank you, Jesus.....

[Adopted Son]

Love is a word which describes a "condition" or state of being, or status of natural response. You can get on a subway car and not know one person aboard, but notice one in physical difficulty and you find yourself concerned and anxious to solve the problem. This is one level of love. You can be looking a a stranger and feel nothing, but learn they just lost a spouse or child, and your natural response is to take away their pain were you able to. This, too is a level of love.

More descriptively, knowledge of an individual generally creates a condition of love. I say generally, because I can hear people mention Hitler, and Mao, and other genocidal maniacs. Yet I suggest should you have been a person in their lives, you would have had compassion to heal them from the demons which drove them to awesome depravity. And that too is a level of love.

And if you are lucky enough to have both natural children and adopted children have you not wondered at the amazing similarities of love for both types? You cannot actually say you love your natural born more than the adopted! This is evidence of the power of love, and knowledge of beings.

The more you know an individual, the more you realize you love them. And this is certainly true with Christ our Savior. If you are saved, then you know Him enough to love Him. But the more you learn about Him, and experience Him, the more you will R E A L I Z E the depth of love for Jesus.

Now I probably said about twenty things wrong here, yet I know the essence of what is in my heart is correct about love. Forgive my human frailties, but understand you love a ton more people than you realize. It's a natural thing, love.

[jesuschangesall]

aehm...I believe we are saved just because we believe IN JESUS and so it is BY GRACE....add nothing...once you are saved you eventually will grow in the faith,in the Lord if you feed yourself with the word of God and learn how to have fellowship with Him in prayer and praise and also learn to love and care for other believers.Now,about loving Jesus,well,we do love Him but our love is so imperfect...at the least mine is...so if i should base my eternal security on how much and how intensely i love back Jesus and obey Him...well,my boat would sink.....and I do love HIM a lot...but as said my love is just like me...imperfect.....unless the Holy Spirit I would fail 100%...my opinion...GRACE is what I needed..GRACE is what I need now....

[mattfivefour]

Yes, however if someone says they believe in Jesus but there is no change at all (I am speaking primarily inwardly in the way they think and in their priorities rather than outwardly), then I suggest that person is not saved. They may have said some words, but their heart is far from Him. Being a new creation means God puts a heart of flesh in us to replace our heart of stone, and we delight to do His will. It may take a longer time to reach the outside in some people than in others, but it is there on the inside from the moment we are born again. I think too many of us forget the parable of the sower and the seed. Jesus was not speaking idly when he talked about the different kinds of soil.

[MikeD]

In keeping with what Mattfivefour stated here, the Bible is very clear in "showing" of a person's heart:

Mat 7:22 On judgment day many will tell me, `Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.'

Yet, Jesus went on to tell these, "depart from me, I never knew you".

Salvation is VERY MUCH a hear thing. If I can be so simple in saying. To me, once someone truly has a taste of the presence, forgiveness, and destiny of Jesus Christ for our lives, NOTHING of this world will matter any longer. Just an overwhelming desire to please Him, be in His presence, STUDY His Word, and KNOW Him, as much as we can in this present world.

HOWEVER!! as the Word goes on to say, ONE DAY, we will know, EVEN AS WE ARE KNOWN! What a day that will be ! ! !

[Shoshi]

aehm...I believe we are saved just because we believe IN JESUS and so it is BY GRACE....add nothing...once you are saved you eventually will grow in the faith,in the Lord if you feed yourself with the word of God and learn how to have fellowship with Him in prayer and praise and also learn to love and care for other believers.Now,about loving Jesus,well,we do love Him but our love is so imperfect...at the least mine is...so if i should base my eternal security on how much and how intensely i love back Jesus and obey Him...well,my boat would sink.....and I do love HIM a lot...but as said my love is just like me...imperfect.....unless the Holy Spirit I would fail 100%...my opinion...GRACE is what I needed..GRACE is what I need now....

I agree with you, jesuschangesall. It has to be all about grace through faith, because otherwise it's about adding our works, which the Bible tells us won't save us. Likewise, it's grace that keeps us saved - we can't lose our salvation by not loving Him enough! (What is "enough," anyway? Can any of us ever love Him "enough"?) Yet He loves us, endlessly.

How can we judge how much someone loves Jesus anyway? We only know what we see on the surface, and we are so bad at judging things properly. One person may show their love very obviously, by serving His people, or helping the poor, in a very public way, whereas another may show their love by spending most of their life on their own, working hard, studying the Bible and producing marvellous lexicons of Hebrew and Greek to aid future scholars - most of these books were produced by hand, without the aid of computers, and took many years to complete. Others may show their love by being good mothers and home-makers, not attracting any recognition from anyone. Still others are housebound and sick, and see no-one, but show their love by dedicating their lives to prayer. Who's to say? Only God knows!

God loved us while we were still lost sinners, before we knew Him or were capable of loving Him. Love springs as a result of salvation by grace through faith.

Shoshi

[mattfivefour]

Yes, Shoshi, it IS all about grace. But that is probably the most misunderstood and misused doctrine in the Bible. The WORK of restoring man to God was done by Jesus at the Cross. It is all sufficient. And ALL of Him. However man still has to reach out and and accept it. And it has to be a HEART belief, not just an intellectual one. (Romans 10:9-10) Jesus and then Peter, Paul, James and John make it quite clear that there are those who believe they are God's, yet are not. They may have done wonderful works in His name, yet Jesus tells us He will say to them, "I never knew you." Paul sought constantly to ensure his walk was true and he himself did not prove to be a castaway. (1 Corinthians 9:27) The word "castaway" here is the same word as used in 2 Corinthians 13:5 where Paul speaks of Christ being in someone unless they be reprobate. It is the same word used in Hebrews 6:8 where Paul is speaking of those who reject Christ and themselves are rejected; and again in Romans 1:28 where Paul is talking about those who have rejected the truth of God and have been given over to a "reprobate mind". The word is ἀδόκιμος (adokimos) and literally means rejected, unqualified, worthless, depraved. It speaks of that which has been closely examined and has failed the test. To tell people that you just have to believe and then go on with your life, without telling them what "believe" really means, is to do them a great and possibly eternal disservice. They may try hard to engage in works, but themselves not be right with God.

It is not changed works but a changed heart we need. And if our heart is not changed, we are still in our sins ... regardless of what words we may have said and what intellectual professions we may have made. Repentance is found in tears that flow from a sincere heart. As David said, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." —Psalm 51:17

Over and over in the Old Testament the conditions that prompt God's grace are given.

"For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, "I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite."—Isaiah 57:15

"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit." —Psalm 34:18

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise".—Psalm 51:17

"The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth." —Psalm 145:18 (emphasis mine)We need to see our own wretchedness, know we need a Saviour and then accept that Jesus is that one and only Salvation. When we do that, we can be assured that God will not reject our approach and will shed His mercy and His forgiveness upon us. That, after all, is why Jesus came.

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners." —Isaiah 61:1

I suggest to you that if we do not find ourselves in that verse, then we will not find ourselves in His salvation.

[anath]

Now here is where the supernatural reality of God comes into evidence. IF we are truly born again, then following our metanoia, our true heart acceptance of the gift which is Christ, we are instantly born again, born anew in a moment of time. We are then, at that point, a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17) As such we have a new nature indwelling us, the nature of Christ who loved the Father above everything. Therefore, IF, we are truly born again, old things in our lives will begin to pass away as the new things become manifest in us. The Holy Spirit will begin to work out in us what He worked in at that moment of salvation. In other words, there is CHANGE in us. We now hunger and thirst after God and desire to please Him.

"Frankly, if we are not changed, then we seriously have to consider whether we are truly born again. Note I have not said we will never sin, or we become perfect, or anything like that. What I have said is that we now have this inner part that loves God and that desires to please Him. Therefore we will indeed seek to "make our calling and election sure" as Peter says in 2 Peter 1:10. If we do nto desire this, but go about our lives as if everything is just like it was before the moment we went forward, or said the "sinners" prayer, or made some other profession, then we may be the bad soil Jesus told us about: He sowed the seed but it did not take firm root in us."

I totally agree with Mattfivefour here.

I would like to add something from one of BG's books, Peace with God.
In John there is a description of the hundreds of people who were following Jesus early in His ministry. The Bible says that "Many believed in His name when they saw the miracles which He did". But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them" (John 2:23-24) because He knew the hearts of all men. This is an example of people who believed with their heads and not hearts.

We may have intellectually accepted Christ and had an emotional experience to boot but have not truly been converted to Christ until there's conversion of our will. In other words surrendering our will to His. After we nail Self to the cross and repent, we invite Christ to come in and take control and commit our total selves to Him. Then I believe regeneration takes place (the HS performs the miracle of a new birth and takes up residency in our hearts). BTW, Praise God, I am still conforming to His will. I am indeed still a work in progress! When Christ lives in our heart, this is a total conversion.

[Shoshi]

I so agree with you both, Anath and Mattfivefour! Very well put.

Shoshi

[myinnuendo999]

amen mattfivefour and all,

When Jesus came into the world his purpose was clearly said, "For unto us a child is born unto us a Savior is given.." If we don’t love Jesus as our Savior then we don’t love him for the primary purpose for why he came to this earth. He came to seek and to save that which was lost.

If Jesus taught anything, he taught that it is absolutely essential for someone who has offended God to turn FROM that sin and repent. In fact, when Jesus began his public ministry, the very first words he preached were” Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand”. There’s nothing more urgent and necessary than repentance if one is going to escape the wrath of God. God calls every human being to repent-----It’s not an option.

many people love a Jesus of prosperity. Many love a Jesus who is their rescuer from hell. Or maybe they received a Jesus as their healer because they love being disease free. They receive him as Creator cause they love a personal universe. Who knows why many love Jesus --"a Jesus" they have created in their own image and not the Only True Jesus of the Bible. Many submit to thier "own god"- fashioned in thier "image". They say O I love Jesus so much.. But Why do you love Jesus? WHY? God clearly said, Thou shalt NOT have any God's before Me".

The ONLY trouble with these kinds of Jesus' is that we part with Him at the grave. Many don't want the Christ who says If you follow ME you must DENY yourself take up your cross and follow me. Delusion and lies set in a person who lives in denial of the truth for they do not want to give up their sins..
But, Jesus says you have to be "born again" to go to heaven

[Love1Another]

I think alot of people have asked themselves this question. Being saved at a young age, throughout my life I've often wondered if I was even saved based on my many mistakes. What eventually "clicked" for me was when I recognized, the devil believes in God too. In fact, the devil knows for a fact that Jesus died for our sins because he tried to talk Him out of it. So, if it's only about belief, then where would the devil stand?

To accept and understand what Christ did for me, is to love Him. To believe what Christ did for me and to not love him, in my heart, would be to reject Him. The devil rejects Christ, but he knows He is alive.

Back to the question though; I believe we all grow in grace and knowledge when we thirst for His word. We ask for understanding, which means we don't have all the answers from day 1. It's a journey and your friend may very well be saved, he just hasn't grasped the need to grow. Maybe you can help him understand how important that part is to a Christian. As we grow, we are able to become a better witness because we want to share Christ's love with everyone.

[Robert]

Hey everyone,

I have a question about the basic tenet of being saved. I understand John 3:16 to say all that is required is to believe in Jesus; that is that He is the Son of God, that He died for our sins and that He has risen from the dead. Elsewhere in John (I cant remember where), we are required to do the one work of God: To believe in the One whom He sent. Other similar passages are Romans 10:9, 1 Corinthians 12:7, Ephesians 2:8-9, mARK 16:16, Joel 2:32, etc. So, what does it really mean to believe? I think it is simply trusting that what He said He accomplished is true, and expecting what He said about the future WILL come to pass.

But then there's other passages talking about loving God and obeying Him (1 John 1:6-7, 1 John 2:4, James 2:14, James 2:20-24). Jesus says that if we love Him, we will obey His commandments. I ask this: Can one be a believer without loving Him? Can one absolutely be saved by believing every aspect of what Jesus came to do without obeying His commandments? I have plenty of friends who completely believe in Him, but do not follow or love Him. To me, this is a strange reaction towards Him, knowing how much He has done for me. But nonetheless, is their lack of evidence of loving God and obeying His commandments an indication that they truly dont believe and are not saved? I just dont believe this is so. The most basic of scriptures (in the NT) that talk about being saved do not directly mention having to love Him, only to believe in Him. Jesus' brother, James, would argue that the person who believes but does not love and obey does not have a saving faith. Paul seems to indicate salvation comes from belief. John indicates both in different passages. I know the Bible is not contradictory, but I am having the hardest time reconciling these seemingly contradictory passages.

Does anyone have a firm grasp on this? I'd appreciate some insight from "smarter" people

The scriptures do not contradict, but COMPLIMENT; that is, they add to what they others say.

Paul's statement in Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." means that works do not get you saved. But if we go to the next verse, we understand a bit better:

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10, KJV)

James' comments compliment this: "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:17-19, KJV) In other words, we begin to show that we live a changed life, and that our "faith" is not just words. This doesn't mean that it will be readily apparent, but that at some point, we will start doing for the Lord what he asks of us.

As for what John says:

"If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:6-7, KJV)

"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. " (1 John 2:4, KJV)

When Christ talked about the commandments, he mentioned these two:

"Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. " (Matthew 22:36-40, KJV, emphasis mine)

As Matt said: it may take a longer time for some to have it work from the inside out, but it does eventually come. But if there is no change, then it was merely words. Love isn't simply a feeling:it's far more than that. Just as those here who have had children may not be very happy about getting up 3 in the morning to feed, burp and change their children when they were young can tell you, love isn't all about feelings. they weren't happy having to do that. but love isn't just when you have warm feelings: it's caring about someone's good and about them when they aren't all that attractive or sweet or pleasant. it's sticking by them in the tough times and the hard times, and sticking by them through grief, loneliness and pain. It's easy to say we love God, but when the times of trial come (and they DO come), do we stick by him or book and run.

This is what I think James and John meant, as well as Jesus. It's easy to say we believe, but for what Jesus has done, to believe means we TRUST in him our salvation. And how can we NOT love someone who has given their very LIFE to save us? We weren't all that lovely to god, but he loved us all the same, and died for us to redeem us, even though we were a bunch of backstabbing, rebellious, snotty-nosed whining brats that deserved hell for our antics.

I hope this has in some way answered your question, and I apologize if it hasn't. Also, if any of you note anything amiss in my post, please let me know. Sometimes in my fervency to post i can get carried away or not say an important point.

[Obadiah]

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