The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Questioning God’s Greatest Commandment

Is it possible for me to love the Lord my God with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my might in this life? If it is not possible, what is the root cause that prevents this from being possible? If it is possible, can I maintain this amount of love “all the time”? Why or why not? ("this amount" is referring to "with all my...")

The Fall is the 'root cause' for when Adam sinned ALL died (spiritually) and one of the two punishments resulting from Adam's transgression was the inheritance of a corrupt nature. Even after regeneration, there is a remnant of the old sin/corrupt nature that prevents a true Christian from being perfect in thought, word and/or deed. (cf. Rom 6:6ff, 7:14-25; Eph 4:22-24)

Moot, since it is impossible for any human being to love God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength in this earthly life. Only the LORD Jesus Christ fulfilled that commandment and it is his obedience (active) which is imputed to those who believe with a true living, Spirit-wrought faith in Him.

Pilgrim gave great answers to your questions; but correct me if I am wrong but I get the impression that you have another purpose in asking those questions.

Some might conclude that they shouldn't even make the effort to obey. Is that your conclusion?

Tom

Thanks for responding to my question. I do have some questions/comments related to those responces. They are as follows:

"Even after regeneration, there is a remnant of the old sin/corrupt nature that prevents a true Christian from being perfect in thought, word and/or deed. (cf. Rom 6:6ff, 7:14-25; Eph 4:22-24)"


I know God is sovereign and I believe nothing happens in this life unless it is according to his will. When Jesus first taught his disciple to pray (Matt 6:9) he said to His Father ”Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” since we know this is true, how can it not be possible for me to love him perfectly (with my all…) in this life? I also know from 1 Jn 5:14-15 that praying according to God’s will is absolutely essential. Does your response mean I should not even pray for the ability to love Him perfectly (with my all…) in this life? With regard to praying for the ability of loving God perfectly (“with my all..”), I believe Matt 7:9-12 is applicable.


The reference to Rom 6:6 says ”our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin”.

The reference to Rom 6:14-25 includes verse 25 which says “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I of myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” Isn't verse 25 clearly expressing gratefulness for a solution to the problem described in vs 14-24?

The reference to Eph 4:22-25 says “Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Doesn't the direction to “put off” imply ability to put off? What are your thoughts about this ability?

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"Some might conclude that they shouldn't even make the effort to obey. Is that your conclusion?"

I do not believe I can be successful at an effort to love God perfectly (with my all…). I believe “loving God perfectly” is something only God’s grace can do. Grace is defined as undeserved kindness. The greatest example of God’s grace is the fact that God sent His Son into the world to redeem those that were undeserving of redemption. But God’s grace does not stop there. Paul describe the benefit that comes as a result of "the love of Christ” in Eph 3:17-19 as follows (in the Amplified Bible):

“May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God's devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!“

Wayne

One must distinguish between God's decretive will, i.e., that which God has eternally foreordained, much of which has not been revealed, and God's prescriptive will, i.e., that which God has revealed and which pertains to a person's duty.

It is assuredly not God's eternal decretive will that anyone in this life should be perfect except for the perfect righteousness of Christ which has been imputed to the true believer. This perfect righteousness is judicial in nature and not actual in nature. The passage in Romans 7 shows that although Paul was forensically declared righteous on the basis of Christ's imputed active obedience, he confesses that although he knows what he should do, he doesn't do. And that which he knows he should not do, that is what he does. Thus, he exclaims that he will serve the law of God with his mind (he knows what God has prescriptively revealed), but the old man, his remaining sin nature, aka: the flesh, wars against this knowledge and causes him to sin. Paul's words in Philippians 3:4-14 are most instructive. For there he admits that he is not and cannot be perfect in this life, yet he presses on toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

In short, sanctification is a gradual progression which every true believer experiences and struggles with yet knowing that the perfection of holiness desired will only be attained in glorification. This truth humbles the true Christian constantly as he realizes just how corrupt and sinful he is in himself AND he proportionately becomes more and more dependent upon the indwelling Spirit to accomplish that which God requires, AND consequently, Christ becomes all the more lovely and His righteousness embraced by faith.

1. See above re: decretive will vs. prescriptive will. The true Christian is to always pray that God will provide all that is necessary through the indwelling Spirit to be holy as God is holy. John in his first Epistle also wrote:

IF, one could love God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength, then he would be essentially sinless, for that command is a summary of the first table of the Ten Commandments. IF, one could possibly do this then there would be no further need of Christ and His perfect righteousness.

The true Christian, having the indwelling Spirit who also resurrected the sinner's spiritual dead soul and in doing so created a new nature which is predisposed to love God and all that is good, does have a genuine desire to do that which he now knows is God's perfect (prescriptive) will for him. However, it is that remaining remnant of that sin nature which is not totally eradicated that prevents the knowledge of holiness and desire to be holy from doing it perfectly. Every single thought, word and deed in this life is still tainted with sin. So yes, there is an ability given in regeneration but ability does not equate with perfection.

Secondly, although ability in the Eph 4 passage is certainly implied, it makes no difference whether a person has the ability or not in regard to responsibility. ALL MEN are responsible to repent of their sins and believe upon Christ and to live a life of perfect holiness. Yet, only the elect of God whom the Spirit has made alive in Christ have the ability to even comprehend what that means. Again, sanctification is progressive and in this life is unattainable due to the remaining sin nature.

Do you believe God is OK with me not loving Him perfectly? Many would say the Bible teaches the chief end of man is to bring glory to God. Matt 5:16 is a good example of a disciple’s “good works” bringing glory to God. Therefore, if by God’s grace, I love him perfectly for a moment, wouldn’t that moment bring Him more glory than other moments when I loved Him imperfectly?

Wayne

1. God is not "OK" with any imperfection.

2. No creature can "bring glory to God", as if to suggest that somehow without man exerting some effort God would be lacking, since He is already perfectly glorified by and in Himself. Do you know the term "aseity"?

3. Glorifying God isn't adding anything to God whatsoever. The phrase simply means to emulate God in everything which He has revealed to man, aka: prescriptive will, as man is capable of doing.

4. In this life you will not and cannot EVER "love God perfectly" even for a nano second. You are deluded if you think you can or that it is even theoretically possible. Why? Because you are a sinner and there isn't one single thought, word or deed that you do that is even remotely perfect. However, the LORD Christ was absolutely perfect and glorified God in the true sense (Jh 1:14; 2Cor 4:6; Col 1:1-19; Heb 1:1-3).

5. Remember, what God holds you responsible to do does not necessarily equate with the ability to do it. Do you understand the concept of Christ's imputed active obedience? and it's absolute necessity that a person have this in order to be saved from the eternal wrath of God?

6. Lastly, "love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself" is a SUMMARY of the Ten Commandments. Love is the motive that must underlie the doing/obedience of the commandments. I have written to you about this in the past. Love, does not stand alone but must be expressed. And that expression (duty) must be in complete accord with God's law and revealed will. And this is summed up in "Be ye holy," for God is holy (Lev 20:7; Isa 6:3; 1Pet 1:15, 16).

Your last reply has helped me understand you!

Now I would like you to understand me more completely. This may be difficult but please bear with me and consider, for a moment, three states of spiritual development. These could be called the “knowing” state, the “doing” state and the “being” state. Now let’s apply these three states to “the role of a servant”. In the knowing state the servant would only “know the tasks” that a servant should do. In the doing state, he would not only know what to do but he would also “do the things a servant is supposed to do”. In the being state the person would not only know and do what a servant does but he would also "desire to be a servant”. In this last state he would have what could be called “the spirit of a servant” or “servant’s heart”. David was said to be a man after God’s own heart. God’s priority for me is to have the desire to do His will. Love is unique in that it brings with it a “desire to do” and a “want to do”. This is why Paul calls love “the most excellent way” before the beginning of I Cor 13. It is also the most excellent way to accomplish the duty you talk about. Sure, I can “do the duty” without love but I may be labeled a Pharisee by God who watch me do the duty and correctly see my heart.
Consider the wisdom of God at work in I John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.” Here it is clear that if I am going to love God as He would want me to, I have to first develop a deep understanding of His love for me. I need faith in the fact! My faith needs to be the kind that move mountains!

The divine plan then is for “love to beget love”. This is why I am to love my enemies. Love is not just “expressed duty” as you have defined it, it is the “means to” and the “most excellent way to” an end. Imagine what love can accomplish in the face of opposition….”And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”

When it comes to duty and love, I must avoid getting the “cart before the horse”.
“It is better to have the want and not do the duty then to have done the duty without the want.”

Wayne

Wayne,

Methinks you have simply iterated what you have been trying to advocate here from day one... "love" trumps all and is not inextricably bound to the intellect or will. This is where we differ and are miles apart in our understanding of Scripture and more specifically to the doctrine of sanctification and possibly the entire doctrine of salvation.

1. I contend that Scripture (God) teaches that true faith, that faith which is wrought in the soul by the Spirit in regeneration is 'fiducia', i.e., a faith that has true knowledge, a genuine heart-felt desire/affection for God and all that is good, and the ability/will to do what is required to live a life of holiness before God. In short, the intellect, the affections and the will are inseparably bound together albeit they don't always appear compatible due to the remaining sin nature of a true Christian.

2. To truly 'love' God is to obey Him; the keeping of His commandments (Jh 14:15,21; 15:10; 1Jh 15:2-4). One cannot claim to 'love' God and not strive after holiness. And one cannot 'love' God in ignorance of who God is and not desire to do that which is most pleasing to Him (Ps 1:2; 40:8; 119; Prov 18:2; Isa 55:1-13; Jer 9:24; Rom 7:22).

3. Man is to 'love' as God has revealed His love; what He desired is that is what He determined to do (Jh 3:16; Rom 8:29,30; Eph 2:4,5; 2Thess 2:13-17; 1Jh 4:10,11; Rev 1:5). Throughout the OT, the prophets continually reminded the Israelites of God's love and mercy toward them by iterating all that God had done for them. It wasn't that God simply had an alleged affection for them yet did nothing for or to them. No, God's love is and must be expressed else it cannot be called true love. Likewise, one cannot claim to have a love (desire/affection) for God and not express that love through obedience and an increasing of knowledge of God (Eph 1:15-23; Col 1:9,10). Those who profess to 'love' God and yet do not learn what it is what God requires and do it will not inherit eternal life (Matt 7:21-23; 25:1-11; Lk 6:43-49).

Lastly, I really feel compelled to remind you that "love" is NOT the primary nor predominate attribute of God, albeit statements which clearly say "God is love". If it is proper to segregate and prioritize God's attributes, then without any question, HOLINESS is the overwhelming attribute of God. All one needs to do is consult a concordance and see the sheer number of times "holy" appears in relation to God vs. "love. If a man truly loves God, then he will desire, seek after holiness (Heb 12:14). It was Jesus' prayer that His own, those for whom He would sacrifice His life, that the Father would sanctify them in love:

Pilgrim: "Methinks you have simply iterated what you have been trying to advocate here from day one... "love" trumps all and is not inextricably bound to the intellect or will."

Wayne: Scripture does not tell me that “love trumps all” but it does tell me:
1. It is the most excellent way (1 Cor 12:31)
2. I am nothing without love (1 Cor 13:1-3)
3. Love never fails (1 Cor 13:8)
4. Love is greater than hope and greater than faith (1 Cor 13:13).
5. Love is a one word commandment that fulfills God's Law (Matt 22:37-40 & Rom 13:8,10)
6. Love is a motivating force that drives us to act a certain way (Luke 10:39, 2 Cor 5:14 & John 15:13)
7. Perfect obedient comes out of perfect Love (John 14:15, 21, 23, 24, 1 John 2: 5 & 1 John 4:12, 2 John 1:6)
8. God is Love (1 John 4:8 & 1 John 4:16)
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Pilgrim: "This is where we differ and are miles apart in our understanding of Scripture and more specifically to the doctrine of sanctification and possibly the entire doctrine of salvation."

Wayne: I would agree we are miles apart on our understanding of sanctification. However, I do not see how “miles apart” could be used to describe our understanding of salvation.
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Pilgrim:"I contend that Scripture (God) teaches that true faith, that faith which is wrought in the soul by the Spirit in regeneration is 'fiducia', i.e., a faith that has true knowledge, a genuine heart-felt desire/affection for God and all that is good, and the ability/will to do what is required to live a life of holiness before God."

Wayne: I would contend that what makes faith “truly Christian” is the object of the faith. The object of my faith is the finished work of Christ.
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Pilgrim: "In short, the intellect, the affections and the will are inseparably bound together albeit they don't always appear compatible due to the remaining sin nature of a true Christian."

Wayne: I do not agree or disagree with this and do not see the Bible giving clear knowledge of these being inseparable. I do see clear connections between the mind, will and intellect and I do see clear connections between the heart and emotions. (Things get less clear when I begin to consider the soul and the spirit!)
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Pilgrim: "To truly 'love' God is to obey Him; the keeping of His commandments (Jh 14:15,21; 15:10; 1Jh 15:2-4). One cannot claim to 'love' God and not strive after holiness. And one cannot 'love' God in ignorance of who God is and not desire to do that which is most pleasing to Him (Ps 1:2; 40:8; 119; Prov 18:2; Isa 55:1-13; Jer 9:24; Rom 7:22)."

Wayne: I believe true love is more than obedience. It is both a cause and an effect. While “in love”, I will want to be patient, I will want to be kind, I will not want to envy, I will not want to boast, I will want to be without pride, I will not want to be rude, I will not want to be self-seeking, I will want to not be easily angered, I will not want to keeps record of wrongs, I will not want to delight in evil, I will want to rejoices with the truth, I will always want to protect, I will always want to trust, I will always want to hope, I will always want to persevere. (1 Cor 13:1-7)
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Pilgrim: "God's love is and must be expressed else it cannot be called true love."

Wayne: I agree but I would add that “this expression” could be an expression “in the heart”.
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Pilgrim: "Lastly, I really feel compelled to remind you that "love" is NOT the primary nor predominate attribute of God, albeit statements which clearly say "God is love"."

Wayne: Thanks for the reminder! I do not claim to know God’s primary attribute. He is perfect and infinite in every way!
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Pilgrim: "If it is proper to segregate and prioritize God's attributes, then without any question, HOLINESS is the overwhelming attribute of God. All one needs to do is consult a concordance and see the sheer number of times "holy" appears in relation to God vs. "love"."

Wayne: I did a quick check and found out that the word love (and its different forms) appears almost as many time as the word holy (and its different forms). Both appeared over 500 times!
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Pilgrim: "If a man truly loves God, then he will desire, seek after holiness (Heb 12:14). It was Jesus' prayer that His own, those for whom He would sacrifice His life, that the Father would sanctify them in love:"

Wayne: Thanks for reminding me about this aspect of love!
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Wayne: You never responded to my observation in Rom7:25. Here, I believe “the occasion for rejoicing” is the new found ability to separate “my mind” from “my sinful nature”. Once this is done, I can reckon my sin nature dead and buried. What then can the mind do? It can plan its way with the help of the will. I contend that Paul provides 6:1-7, 6:8-14, 6:17-23 and 7:4-6 as the foundation for his rejoicing in Rom 7:25. I do agree that there will be times when I will fail to have faith and it will be at those times that I yield to sin (Rom 14:23). But as a new creature in Christ, (2 Cor 2:17) I can now use my will to replace bad habits with good habits. The process is similar to what a farmer must do once he has a seed. I must remove rocks and weeds from the soil and lay fertilizer and water in its place (Gen 3:17-19). And, motivated by love, I must also work hard as a “gate keeper” of my heart (Pr 3:1-3); letting the good in and keeping the bad out. Then, believing that “all things are possible with God” (Mark 9:23, Mark 10:27), I must pray for fruit to develop and good works to be done (Matt 5:16) by the power of His Spirit and not by the letter of the Law (2 Cor 3:6).

But I would insist that one's view of sanctification reflects one's doctrine of salvation. Why? Because justification and sanctification are inseparable. Sanctification is a reflection and the necessary fruit of justification. As one Puritan wrote: "Justification qualifies us for heaven and sanctification prepares us for heaven." Sanctification is the conforming of a sinner to that which God has judicially declared him to be. And what is it that God declares of a sinner in justification? It is NOT that the sinner is "love" but "righteous", i.e., the sinner is deemed "holy"; without sin.

This is easily seen in numerous passages of Scripture, e.g., in Eph. 1:4, "even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love:" Paul was not inspired to write, "that we should be love..." (cf. Lk 1:74,75; Rom 8:29,30; Eph 5:27; Phil 2:15; Col 1:22, 3:12; 1Thess 4:7; 2Tim 2:19; Titus 2:11,12; Jam 1:27; 2Pet 3:14; et al).

In summary, it is God's purpose in salvation that all the elect be not only declared righteous/holy, but that they should be made holy.

Perhaps I should have been a little more instructive in my suggestion to consult a concordance in regard to "holiness" vs. "love"? What I wasn't suggesting is to simply compare the number of times each word appeared in Scripture. But rather, to search a concordance to see HOW each word is used in Scripture, i.e., the CONTEXT where those words appear, specifically in regard to the nature of God. Let me illustrate with just a few of the myriad occurrences where God's main attribute appear:

• Adam and Eve cast out of the Garden of Eden. (Gen 3) Why were our first parents cursed and cast out of the Garden? Was it because God is love? or because God is holy?
• Did God bring the flood upon the earth because He was "love"? or because He was holy? [I cannot imagine that Noah unfurled a banner on the back of the ark that read, "Smile! God loves you."]
• Was Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed because God is love? or because He is holy?
• When Moses was in Horeb and upon the mountain, what did the voice out of the burning bush exclaim to him (Ex 3:1ff)? What the voice did not say was, "Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is loving ground." It was "holy" ground. And why was it holy? Because it is where God had appeared in a theophony.
• The entire sacrificial system of the OT including the articles used in it conveyed not that God was "love", but to the contrary, it vividly proclaimed God was "holy". And, it was absolutely necessary that the people of Israel perform the rituals and sacrifices not because they lacked "love", but because they were "unclean", i.e., they were not holy.
• When Isaiah was given a vision of God (Isa 6:1-3), what is it that the seraphim cried out? Of a truth, they did not cry, "Love, love love is the LORD of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His love." No, no and again no... they cried out, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory."
• What name is given to the coming Messiah (Jer 23:6)? It was not "The LORD our love", but rather "The LORD our Righteousness" [to be righteous is to be holy; without sin].
• The prophet Habakkuk wrote (Hab 1:13a), "Thou that art of purer eyes than to behold evil,". He did not write, "Thou that are of loving eyes..."
• The inspired writer of Hebrews tells us (Heb 12:14, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:". He did not write that "without love no man shall see the Lord."
• Does God judge men and condemn them to an everlasting hell because He is "love"? or because He is "holy"? [As an aside, I once was given the responsibility as a judge for theological presentations given at an annual gathering of home schooled students. One of the most disappointing presentations was given by a young girl whose premise was, Because God is love there is a hell; an untenable proposition if there ever was one.]

My apology for forgetting to respond to your question. I shall briefly do so now.

I must disagree with your conclusion that Paul rejoiced (gave thanks to God) because of some alleged ability to separate his mind from his sinful nature. Why? because the text says no such thing. Paul does not speak of an "ability" but rather of the "reality" of the war which exists within him consequent to his regeneration, i.e., the war between the old nature (remaining in part) and and his Spirit-wrought new nature. In fact, he laments that the things he should do and desire to do he did not. And the things he knew he should not do and desired not to do, that he did. His new nature gave him a renewed knowledge (3:10), i.e., a true understanding of God and His revealed will; Scripture vs. what he previously held to be true as an unregenerate Pharisee (Rom 7:7-12).

Secondly, his giving thanks was due to his being delivered from his former life; a life as a blind bondservant to sin, his old nature. This is shown in the very next chapter, Rom 8:1-14.

May I share a nugget from the book that I am currently reading (very slowly... it is very heavy and I often wonder if I have bitten off more than I can chew):

"... An important passage in this connection is Colossians 3:14. Here love is called "the bond of perfectness." We would probably be overstating the matter if we would call this a definition of love; yet it would seem to approach the nature of a definition. By "bond of perfectness" I understand a bond or union that is characterized by perfection in the ethical sense, such as truth, righteousness, and justice. According to this phrase, then, love is a bond that can exist only in the sphere of moral perfection. There is no love in the sphere of darkness. They who love darkness cannot love one another in the true sense.

Love is profoundly ethical. If, as we have gathered, love is the bond or fellowship that is caused by the mutual delight of two parties in each other, by their longing for each other and seeking after and finding of each other, then we learn from Colossians 3:14 that the cause of this delight and longing must be found in the ethical perfection of the loving parties. He who loves in the true sense has his delight in ethical perfection, in moral goodness, and in truth and righteousness, and he moves in the sphere of the light. Both he who loves and he who is loved must be perfect. Since love is the bond of perfectness, it is the bond that unites ethically perfect parties only. Love is an ethical and, therefore, a personal virtue. It can exist only between personal beings, and these personal beings must be perfect.

It is true that the word is used in Scripture as referring to the very opposite of ethical perfection for its object when Scripture speaks of men who love darkness rather than light (John 3:19) and who love the glory of men more than the glory of God (John 12:43). But this merely emphasizes the perversion of love in the natural man, even as it is not love, but adultery, when a husband is unfaithful to his wedded wife and is said to love another woman.

...
We may define love as the spiritual bond of perfect fellowship that subsists between ethically perfect, personal beings, who, because of their ethical perfection, have their delight in, seek, and find one another. The love of God is the infinite and eternal bond of fellowship that is based upon the ethical perfection and holiness of the divine nature and that subsists between the three persons of the holy Trinity."

(from Herman Hoeksema, Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 2, pp. 151-153)

If what Rev. Hoeksema says is correct, then love is not strictly an attribute of God but a perfect state of fellowship within the ethically perfect (holy) persons of the Godhead. Alternatively, it can be regarded as a secondary attribute of God, because its definition depends on the the primary attribute of holiness.

That would explain why God presses the pre-eminence of holiness; if we are not holy, we cannot love or be loved in the strictest sense.

Goldenoldie,
Thanks for teaching me about love being "the perfect bond on unity".

Pilgrim,
I am having a hard time believieng I cannot love God "with my all". With God, all things are possible. In addition, I just don't see the Word teaching this to mature Christians.

The Fall is the 'root cause' for when Adam sinned ALL died (spiritually) and one of the two punishments resulting from Adam's transgression was the inheritance of a corrupt nature. Even after regeneration, there is a remnant of the old sin/corrupt nature that prevents a true Christian from being perfect in thought, word and/or deed. (cf. Rom 6:6ff, 7:14-25; Eph 4:22-24)

Rom 6:6-7 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. NASU
Gal 2:20-21 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. NASU
I looked up your reference to Rom 6:6 and read verse 7 to see context. This passage is clearly telling me that the purpose of crucifying my old self is that I no longer be a salve to sin. It doesn’t say I should be “less of a salve to sin”, it plainly says I should “no longer be a slave to sin”. As a result, I do not see the Fall as something that disables my ability to Love God. Gal 2:20 sheds more light on Paul’s point of view of being crucified in this life. Look what he says! When he is crucified he no longer lives. Instead, it is Christ who lives in him. In other words, it is Christ who is taking possession of his physical life when his old self is crucified. I want the closeness to God that Paul had and I am willing to crucify my old self so that I no longer be a slave to sin. This is what I believe is required to be able to love the Lord my God with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my might in this life. “With God, all things are possible!”


Rom 7:14-25 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. NASU

To understand this passage one must understand why Paul speaks this way to them. He speaks to them “in human terms” because of the “weakness of their flesh” (Rom 6:19). In Romans 7 he is getting in the trenches with them, admitting there is a battle with the flesh pulling him away from God’s will for him. But he does not give up because there is a reason for thanksgiving! He then says what the reason is: “I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin”. Is it obvious that his flesh (the old self in Rom 6:6-7) is in the way of God’s will and as can be seen in Gal 2:20, he can crucify the old man to be set free from this death. So then, I to can give thanks! For it is with my mind that I will be able to love the Lord my God with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my might in this life.


Eph 4:22-24 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. NASU
Again, I am using your reference and again we see the importance of the mind. It makes a decision to lay aside the old self and put on a new self which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. I do not see anything here that would cause me to conclude that loving God “with my all” has been put out of my reach.

I will admit that loving God "with my all" "all of the time" is something I have not been given the grace to do. Nevertheless, I still pray for it often and, while I am at it, I pray that I would be "filled with the Spirit" "all of the time". With man this is impossible but with God, all things are possible.

I think it is safe to say. though, that as long as we live in these corruptible bodies, deteriorating because of the Fall, that our worship falls short of what even we wish it to be. Our minds wander, our noses itch, our stomachs grumble. We are supposed to be meditating on a portion of scripture and all of a sudden we're wondering what the score of the Braves' game is.

Because of the Fall, and because we live in bodies made of dust from the cursed ground, eating food made of dust from the cursed ground, etc., we cannot love God as we long to do. Our hearts groan for the day when we will be free from corruption, free from the presence of sin; free to love as we ought, unencumbered by corrupted flesh.

New creation (2 Cor 5:17) is one of those "already and not yet" things that can confuse or frustrate us. One one hand, "old things have passed away and new things have come," but on the other, "it does not yet appear what we shall be; but when He appears we will be like Him (1 John 3:2)."

I don't think the popular idea that believers have "two natures" is accurate. I would think it clearer to say believers have one single new nature - spiritual and perfect, born of God; dwelling in corrupt, weak, decaying, sinful bodies that cannot accommodate the desires of the regenerate heart.

It is sad that you are having a difficult time understanding that anyone can "love God with my all". Perhaps it would be best if I spend just a brief moment dealing with the experimental side of the matter rather than correcting your misunderstanding of the texts you want to use in an attempt to prove your position.

1. When a sinner, who is born with a corruption of nature, i.e., every thought and imagination of the heart is evil continually (Gen 6:8, 8:21, et al) is regenerated, there are two fundamental and indispensable revelations which occur; one's understanding is given to know a) the greatness, majesty, love, holiness and justice of God and b) the greatness, depth, and guilt of sin. Calvin wrote that he was not sure which came first, but one thing is certain, both are revealed to the sinner's mind, heart and soul.

2. The knowledge of God to whom all are bound to worship in spirit and truth is not primarily based upon what God has done, but rather who God IS. This knowledge of God is revealed both in nature and within due to the fact that all men are created in the image of God (Rom. 1:19,20). The eternal power and divinity are inherently known and thus it is a person's innate duty to worship and obey Him as Creator of all things.

3. The knowledge of sin with a deep conviction of it is the first thing given to the regenerated sinner by the Holy Spirit (Jh 16:18). This heart-felt and overwhelming sense of sin and guilt and that one is worthy of God's eternal wrath and judgment is what drives a sinner to Christ and plead God for mercy in Him. Yet, this initial conviction of sin is but the beginning for as a regenerated sinner, this conviction of sin increases throughout the believer's sanctification along with an increase in the knowledge of God and His ineffable holiness. Thus, Paul toward the end of his life exclaimed, "For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing..." (Rom 7:18), and "Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief:" (1Tim 1:15).

4. A true believer KNOWS in his mind and in the inner most recesses of his heart that it is utterly impossible to love God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength because he is hopelessly sinful. This does not discount the fact that the believer has been given a new nature, i.e., a spiritual disposition out of which flows faith in Christ and a love for God. But that faith and love is tainted with sin and if it wasn't for the believer being clothed in the righteousness of Christ, God would reject that faith and love and immediately cast him into eternal damnation.

5. When in the epistles it is written concerning the "flesh", in most cases it is not referring to one's physical body, but rather to that sin nature which remains in a spiritually alive believer. The 'body of flesh' is that resident sinful predisposition toward sin. The physical body is a glorious thing which God created for a man's soul, and though it is in and of itself incapable of committing sin, because it is inseparable from the soul, it too is subject to the penalty of corruption due to sin; "death passed unto all men, for that all sinned" (Rom 5:12). Thus Paul in Romans 7 isn't denigrating his physical body when he writes about his "flesh" but rather that remaining sin nature that wars against his new spiritual nature (disposition) within.

6. All the other passages which you referenced show that although one may know intellectually what is right, pure, holy and good, that remaining sin nature won't allow the person to actually DO what he knows is required. But even the renewed mind is tainted with sin and the truth is too often rejected for that which one wants in order to satisfy his lusts for the world and the flesh. Added to one's own tendency to sin, there is the influence and power of Satan and his fellow fallen angels that lead one into error and sin.

7. Lastly, an adopted child of the most holy God will truly love God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength, but not in this life. That will happen and can only happen when the redeemed are glorified and delivered from all sin. Until then, all our attempts to be perfect in this life will fail and that miserably according to God's perfect standard of righteousness. Thus, as the true believer grows in grace, the knowledge of his own personal sinfulness will increase which results in an increase in faith of the person of the LORD Christ... his only hope for eternal life with God.

The Bible nowhere even hints of any form of perfectionism. But it is God's prescriptive will that ALL men be perfect and holy as He is perfect and holy (Matt 5:48; 1Pet 1:15,16). It is God's eternal will/decree that the elect be made holy (Eph 1:4ff) but that doesn't mean that immediately after the Spirit regenerates a sinner's dead soul that this occurs. The life-long process of sanctification gradually prepares the soul for heaven but it is not completed on this earth.

QUESTION: Why can't you love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength?
ANSWER: Because you are a sinner and incapable of doing one good thing perfectly.

For a true believer, loving God perfectly is done by faith in the Son of God who loved God with all His heart, mind, soul and strength, He being perfectly righteous and holy in doing all that God required of Him and that most willingly and whose love of God is accredited to the believer's account and whose perfect righteousness is the believer's raiment making it possible to even know God and communicate with Him.