“I love Jesus.” Among my more charismatic friends, this is a very common phrase. But you will even hear it from more reserved Presbyterian brothers, like myself. Chances are you’ve said it. “I love Jesus.” But what does it mean? How does one do that? Pulpits across our continent exhort the church to love Jesus. The phrase is no stranger to counselling and pastoral situations either. The man struggling with porn is told to love Jesus. But, how?
We Love Three Persons, Not One
Whom are you to love? You are to love Jesus who is the second person of the Godhead. The son of God, who was eternally begotten. At the outset, this can sound dry and a little too rational. We are to love the second person of the Trinity. However, over Christmas we celebrated that Jesus is both fully God and fully human. He identifies with us, in our humanity (Hebrews 2:14; 4:15).
Yes we should love Jesus, but not separate from the Father and the Son.
But Jesus’ humanity does something else. It makes him an all too easy target of our language and love. Because we know how to love humans by experience – from family to friends, spouses to children – Jesus seems like an obvious pick to be the object of our love. Here we must be very careful. Careful that we don’t forget that God is three persons, not one. This means we can’t worship Jesus but ignore the Godhead. We mustn’t make Jesus the object of our love and forget the Father or sideline the Spirit.
Yes, we should love Jesus, but not separate from the Father and the Son. When we think about loving Jesus, it should be to love God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
Facts Aren’t Affections
In addition to the above section, knowing facts about a person is different to loving them. Knowledge about Jesus Christ is not affection for Jesus Christ. You can be very well-informed about Jesus and able to write down his attributes, citing various Bible passages. Many can narrate Jesus’ whole story from memory. You might even be able to affirm the confessional standards or statements concerning Jesus’ humanity and deity. Children can manage all of that. But when Jesus asked Peter if the latter loved him, Peter didn’t respond with what he knew.
Knowledge about Jesus’ works doesn’t necessarily translate into love for him.
Head and heart aren’t the same thing. Knowledge about Jesus’ works doesn’t necessarily translate into love for him (Revelation 2:4). You can even know the theological implications of those works: his active obedience to the Father throughout his life; Jesus’ death and resurrection, leading up to his ascension; his present interceding at the right hand of the Father or sending of the Spirit; and so on. One can comprehend all of that but still not love Jesus. Your doctrine of Jesus’ saving works is different to loving him.
The True Marks of Love for Jesus
So, how does one know? What we know about Jesus must be translated into works. Love for Jesus or the lack thereof is evident in how we live. If you say that you have affections for Jesus, you must act in a certain way. A young man buys some roses for a lady to demonstrate his feelings. Parents wrap birthday presents for their children to express their hearts. Friends show up at friends’ events to show that they care.
Loving is doing, not merely knowing.
Loving is doing, not merely knowing. “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). This love is comprehensive. As a summary of God’s law (Matthew 22:37-40), it expands obedience to include the affections, the whole person; at the same time it teaches that love and feeling can’t come at the expense of doing. We read something similarly in 1 John 2:5, “whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.”
Affections for Jesus will mean action. This love keeps the law and looks out for others. It pursues greater obedience to God without reducing the faith to rule-keeping. All of this brings us back to the question I started with. What does it mean to love God? It is seen in both great affection for him and faith-filled action or obedience.
