Tests of Love to God - Loving the saints

sermonindex Oct 15, 2007

~~[b]~~Tests of Love to God[/b]

9. If we are lovers of God, we love what God loves.

(iv.) We love God’s picture, we love His image shining in the saints. “He that loves Him that begat, loves him also that is begotten of him” (1 John v. 1). ~~[b]~~It is possible to love a saint, yet not to love him as a saint; we may love him for something else, for his ingenuity, or because he is affable and bountiful.[/b] A beast loves a man, but not as he is a man, but because he feeds him, and gives him provender. ~~[b]~~But to love a saint as he is a saint, this is a sign of love to God. If we love a saint for his saintship, as having something of God in him, then we love him in these four cases.[/b]

(a) We love a saint, though he be poor. A man that loves gold, loves a piece of gold, though it be in a rag: so, though a saint be in rags, ~~[b]~~we love him, because there is something of Christ in him.[/b]

(b) We love a saint, though he has many personal failings. There is no perfection here. In some, rash anger prevails; in some, inconstancy; in some, too much love of the world. A saint in this life is like gold in the ore, much dross of infirmity cleaves to him, yet we love him for the grace that is in him. A saint is like a fair face with a scar: we love the beautiful face of holiness, though there be a scar in it. The best emerald has its blemishes, the brightest stars their twinklings, and the best of the saints have their failings. ~~[b]~~You that cannot love another because of his infirmities, how would you have God love you?

(c) We love the saints though in some lesser things they differ from us. Perhaps another Christian has not so much light as you, and that may make him err in some things; will you presently unsaint him because he cannot come up to your light? Where there is union in fundamentals, there ought to be union in affections.[/b]

(d) We love the saints, though they are persecuted. We love precious metal, though it be in the furnace. St. Paul did bear in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus (Gal. vi. 17). Those marks were, like the soldier’s scars, honourable. We must love a saint as well in chains as in scarlet. If we love Christ, we love His persecuted members.

~~[i]~~Taken from A Divine Cordial by Thomas Watson[/i]

I was struck with this little excerpt from A Divine Cordial on the importance of loving the saints ~~[b]~~because[/b] they are saints! And this is a sign of my love to God...oh for more love to Thee, oh God, and for more love for my brothers and sisters in Christ!

H

hmmhmm Oct 16, 2007

I think this love for the saints are very important, or God has spoken very much to me about this in the last couple of weeks, It is very easy to point out our sisters and brothers weaknesses and faults and sins.... to see their nakedness, but we should clothe our brethren and sisters nakedness. Christ clothed us with his righteousness, our was as filthy rags..... how are we to look upon our brethren nakedness? should we not clothe them in love and forgiveness? which is
more Christlike? I do not meen to overlook and ignore someone who lives in open sin and do not seem to be bothered about it. There is need of much wisdom in this an God is more willing to give then we are to receive....

but here are some verses that has been sharp in my heart lately

1Jn 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

and these two verses I believe we have a very important key to see how we should be, walk and live

Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
Heb 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

and one that really has rebuked me lately is this verse

Gal 4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,

Is this reality in my life? do I enter into Gods precance in secret and travail for them? do I groan and weep for their sins and their nakedness? God have mercy upon me... that i may get a greater burden for my brothers and sisters.... whom Christ died for, his blood flowed for them.... should not I who profess to love Jesus then love them that he loved?

These are just my thoughts, thank you sister for this article.... it is a precious one worthy of much time and effort to meditate on and go to God in prayer and ask if my love is as it should be.... I want to love the saints as Jesus himself loves them....

Christian

T

tjservant Oct 16, 2007

You that cannot love another because of his infirmities, how would you have God love you?

Thank you sister.

sermonindex Oct 16, 2007

Roniya said

I was struck with this little excerpt from A Divine Cordial on the importance of loving the saints because they are saints! And this is a sign of my love to God...

I believe it is even more than 'a sign of my love to God', according to John's first epistle's economy of words. I do not quote them to be trite, but because he lays the foundation of our understanding very clearly, in the effect of loving the ~~[i]~~other[/i] person. If we also are loved in the same way, it is the very life of God being confirmed both in us and in the other saint. But all because God loved us first. Amen. This is not a frilly love, which needs feelings and thanks. It is a deep, solid acceptance of the other person because they turned to Christ also. It is a respect for their humility and wisdom by which they also sought rightness with God, as do we. You have no idea how much I speak to myself in this.

1 John 4
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might ~~[u]~~live[/u] ~~[b]~~through Him[/b].
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12 No one has seen God at any time. ~~[b]~~If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.[/b]
13 ~~[u]~~By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us[/u], because He has given us of His Spirit.

sermonindex Oct 19, 2007

dorcas wrote:
I believe it is even more than 'a sign of my love to God', according to John's first epistle's economy of words. I do not quote them to be trite, but because he lays the foundation of our understanding very clearly, in the effect of loving the ~~[i]~~other[/i] person. If we also are loved in the same way, it is the very life of God being confirmed both in us and in the other saint. But all because God loved us first. Amen. This is not a frilly love, which needs feelings and thanks. It is a deep, solid acceptance of the other person because they turned to Christ also. It is a respect for their humility and wisdom by which they also sought rightness with God, as do we. You have no idea how much I speak to myself in this.

Thank you, sister Linn, for bringing more clarity to this and for sharing the passage from 1 John. How little my understanding is of the deep, deep importance of loving the brethren. I confess I have much to learn in this area.

It is a deep, solid acceptance of the other person because they turned to Christ also.

Amen! Acceptance...because of Christ!

"And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8