The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum What is essential

QUESTION: Is it your opinion that a true Christian has the ability, in this life here on earth, to love God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love his neighbor as [he loves] himself? And, by doing this he will inherit eternal life... according to the words of the Lord Christ in Luke 10:25-28?

The problem I am having with the above remains, despite your sincere effort to explain yourself. Why? Because IF you have sought God and the Holy Spirit has "helped you develop it", and likewise, I have prayerfully sought God's infallible Word for a true understanding of what the Holy Spirit wrote through the instrumentality of holy men of old, but I have come to an understanding that is contrary to yours, what conclusion do you think one must make?

I am thankful, as I am quite sure most everyone else is too, that you have now realized the grievous error in stating that "love is the Holy Spirit". However, it is not my/our forgiveness that you should be seeking but rather God's forgiveness in Christ. As I have tried on several occasions to express my deepest concern for the modern church over its woeful lack of sound doctrinal teaching and its practice, you have unconsiously helped to illustrate my concern most vividly. And, as I have also tried to convey to you that although I would never deny that "love" is an essential quality of the renewed heart, that love cannot exist without proper expression. Love's expression is defined and directed by one knowing and then doing all the preceptive will of God as found in Holy Scripture. One cannot possibly love God rightly without a proper knowledge and understanding of God himself. (Col 1:9,10, et al) The more one increases in a true knowledge of God, the more one will love Him. Doubtless, there are those who have a vast intellectual knowledge of God but whose hearts are far from Him, for they are yet spiritually dead (Jh 4:22-24; Acts 17:23-31). Such is the current state of the modern church... there are those who are full of intellectual knowledge, both true and false, who are teaching these things to the masses who without little question receive this false preaching/teaching and both clergy and laity assure themselves that they "love" God, yet they lack what is most necessary; to be born anew from above by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 1:16-17 (ASV) "For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith: as it is written, But the righteous shall live by faith."