Topical Bible: Love to God: They Who Have are Preserved by Him

◄ Love to God: They Who Have are Preserved by Him ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of love for God is central to the Christian faith, serving as both a commandment and a promise of divine preservation. The Bible emphasizes that those who love God are not only fulfilling His greatest commandment but are also recipients of His protection and care.

Biblical Commandment to Love God

The command to love God is foundational in Scripture. In Deuteronomy 6:5, the Israelites are instructed, "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." This command is reiterated by Jesus in the New Testament as the greatest commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). This love is not merely an emotional affection but a comprehensive devotion that encompasses every aspect of one's being.

Expressions of Love for God

Loving God is expressed through obedience, worship, and a life that seeks to honor Him. Jesus states in John 14:15, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." This obedience is not burdensome but a joyful response to God's love for us. Worship, both private and corporate, is another expression of love, as believers gather to praise and glorify God. Furthermore, a life of love for God is marked by a desire to know Him more deeply through prayer and the study of His Word.

Divine Preservation of Those Who Love God

Scripture assures believers that those who love God are preserved by Him. Psalm 145:20 declares, "The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy." This preservation is not merely physical but encompasses spiritual protection and guidance. Romans 8:28 further affirms, "And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose." This verse highlights the providential care of God, ensuring that all circumstances ultimately serve the believer's good and His glory.

Examples of Divine Preservation

Throughout the Bible, there are numerous examples of individuals who loved God and experienced His preservation. Daniel, who remained faithful in prayer despite the threat of the lion's den, was preserved by God (Daniel 6). Similarly, David, a man after God's own heart, experienced God's protection and deliverance throughout his life, as seen in the Psalms.

The Assurance of God's Love

The assurance of God's love and preservation is a source of comfort and strength for believers. In 1 John 4:19, we are reminded, "We love because He first loved us." This divine love initiates and sustains our love for God, providing the foundation for a secure relationship with Him. The promise of preservation is not contingent on our perfection but on God's unchanging nature and faithfulness.

In summary, love for God is both a commandment and a promise of divine preservation. Those who love God are assured of His protection, guidance, and ultimate good, as they live in obedience and devotion to Him.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 145:20
The LORD preserves all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

"This Then is the Message which we have Heard of Him, and Declare ...
... the circle yet narrower, and contracts the love that is ... it is necessary, to the end
that God and man may have fellowship together, that they come nearer in ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon ix this then is.htm

Robert Hall -- Marks of Love to God
... with the kingdom of darkness; and when they die, they are emphatically ... evils shall
be forever removed from your soul; and the love of God shall constitute ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 3/robert hall marks of.htm

On the Feast of the Holy virgin, St Catherine
... makes them very thankful, so that they rejoice out of love to God. ... cannot easily
ensnare such people by means of sorrow, because they have constant communion ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tauler/the inner way/sermon xxviii on the feast.htm

God's True Treasure in Man
... truth and the love and likeness of God have attained to ... great Father looks upon the
men that love Him as His ... the jewels, the rock in which they were embedded ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/gods true treasure in man.htm

Men are Possessed of Free Will, and Endowed with the Faculty of ...
... And what crown is it to those who have not followed in ... things: now these men [do
it] that they may obtain ... apostle has enjoined us the more to love God, that we ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxxvii men are possessed of.htm

Treatise on the Love of God
... CHAPTER II. THAT DIVINE LOVE MAKES THE VIRTUES IMMEASURABLY MORE AGREEABLE
TO GOD THAN THEY ARE OF THEIR OWN NATURE. CHAPTER III. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/francis/treatise on the love of god/

The Farewell
... is possible for me to adjure you, by the love of God ... dear to him, and had loved him
so faithfully, they would have ... of use to some of the friends of God in the ...
/.../bevan/three friends of god/chapter xxxvi the farewell.htm

God's Purpose for his Church
... The good will of God to men they did not ... The faith that works by love and purifies
the soul could find no place for union with the religion of the Pharisees ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 1 gods purpose for.htm

A People Prepared for the Lord
... without the grace of Christ, which is Love and Charity ... and I think it is a great
mercy of God that, while ... By Germans they meant not only the people who now live ...
/.../kingsley/town and country sermons/sermon xxxviii a people prepared.htm

Then Went the Pharisees and Considered How they Might Ensnare Him ...
... and with all his strength, and that he should love his neighbour ... him, Thou art not
far from the [35, 36] kingdom of God. ... ms., all of them instead of but they. ...
/.../hogg/the diatessaron of tatian/section xxxiv then went the.htm