Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Loving God aright

From Jonathan Edwards' first lecture in Charity and Its Fruits:
When God and man are loved with a truly Christian love, they ate both loved from the same motives. When God is loved aright, he is loved for his excellency, and the beauty of his nature, especially the beauty of the holiness of his nature; and it is from the same motive that the saints are loved-for holiness' sake. And all things that are loved with a truly holy love, are loved from the same respect to God. Love to God is the foundation of gracious love to men; and men are loved, either because they are in some respect like God, in the possession of his nature and spiritual image, or because of the relation they stand in to him as his children or creatures-as those who are blessed of him, or to whom his mercy is offered, or in some other way from regard to him (5-6).
If we love, or are loved, we should thank our gracious and merciful heavenly Father as all true love is related to God.

No comments:

Post a Comment