Restoring First Love in the Christian Life and Ministry
The concept of "first love" in Christian life and ministry primarily draws from the admonition given to the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2:4, where they are told, "You don’t love me or each other as you did at first" [5]. This passage indicates that while the Ephesian church maintained correct theology, diligent action, and even endured suffering, their initial fervent love for Christ and for one another had diminished [5].
The absence of this dynamic love renders Christian life an "empty shell," even when accompanied by correct doctrine and good works, as highlighted by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 [5]. The call to restore first love is therefore a call to return to the foundational affection that characterized the early church [5]. This love is not merely an emotion but a willingness to prioritize the good of others over one's own desires, as exemplified in passages like Philippians 2:4-8 and Romans 15:3 [9].
The command to "love one another" is presented not as a new instruction but as one that Christians have had "from the beginning" [1, 2]. This emphasizes its foundational and enduring nature within Christian teaching. The apostle John, in his second epistle, reiterates this command, underscoring its timeless relevance [1, 2]. Similarly, the author of Hebrews urges believers to "let brotherly love continue," referring to love among those who share a spiritual relationship with God and are part of the same church community [6]. This brotherly love is distinct from general love for all humanity, focusing specifically on fellow believers [6].
The restoration of first love often involves a process of remembrance and repentance. John Gill, commenting on Revelation 2:5, notes that believers, while unable to fall away entirely from grace, can fall from a degree of grace and its exercise, particularly in their love for God, Christ, and one another [8]. Therefore, they are called to "remember therefore from whence thou art fallen" to prompt conviction, acknowledgment of their state, and a renewed desire for their former spiritual fervor [8]. Matthew Henry, in his commentary on Exodus 34:1, draws a parallel, stating that "backsliders must repent, and do their first works," referencing Revelation 2:5 [7]. This suggests that returning to one's first love involves active steps, not merely passive longing.
The origin of this love is rooted in God's prior love for humanity. As 1 John 4:19 states, "We love him, because he first loved us" [10]. This divine love is eternal and precedes human love, manifesting in God's choice of believers in Christ before the foundation of the world and the covenant of grace [10]. This understanding underscores that human love for God and others is a response to, and a reflection of, God's initiating love [10]. The believer's regeneration, described as being "begat... by the word of truth," is a direct result of God's will and good pleasure, demonstrating that only good proceeds from Him [4]. This spiritual birth, a "once-for-all accomplished act," provides the foundation for a life characterized by love [4].
The pursuit of love is not merely a suggestion but a command. Paul exhorts believers to "Earnestly pursue love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy" (1 Corinthians 14:1) [3]. This places the pursuit of love as a primary spiritual endeavor, even above the desire for spiritual gifts [3]. The call to restore first love, therefore, is a call to re-prioritize this fundamental aspect of Christian discipleship, recognizing its divine origin and its essential role in authentic Christian life and ministry.
Sources
- 2 John “Now I beg you, dear lady, not as though I wrote to you a new commandment, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. -- 2 John 1:5”
- II John “II John 1:5 (BSB) — And now I urge you, dear lady—not as a new commandment to you, but one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.”
- I Corinthians “I Corinthians 14:1 (BSB) — Earnestly pursue love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.”
- James (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on James 1:18: (Joh 1:13). The believer's regeneration is the highest example of nothing but good proceeding from God. Of his own will--Of his own good pleasure (which shows that it is God's essential nature to do good, not evil), not induced by any external cause. begat he us--spiritually: a once-for-all accomplished act (Pe1 1:3, Pe1 1:23). In contrast to "lust when it hath conceived, bringeth forth sin, and sin . . . death" (Jam 1:15). Life follows naturally in connection with light (Jam 1:17). word of truth--the Gospel. The objective mean, as faith is the ap”
- Revelation (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Revelation 2:4: 2:4 You don’t love me or each other as you did at first: When the church was first established, their love for Christ and for each other had been strong. Struggles with false teachers and persecution had caused that original love to grow cold. Correct theology, action, and even suffering (2:2-3) are just an empty shell of Christian life if dynamic love is absent (1 Cor 13).”
- Hebrews (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Hebrews 13:1: Let brotherly love continue. The Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions add, "in you"; or among you, as a church and society of Christians; for this is not to be understood of love to all mankind, or to those of the same nation, or who are in a strict natural relation brethren, though they are all in a sense brethren, and to be loved; but of love to those who are in the same spiritual relation to God, as their Father, to Christ, as the firstborn among many brethren; and are in the same church state, at least partakers of the same grace: and which love ought to be universa”
- Exodus (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Exodus 34:1: The treaty that was on foot between God and Israel being broken off abruptly, by their worshipping the golden calf, when peace was made all must be begun anew, not where they left off, but from the beginning. Thus backsliders must repent, and do their first works, Rev 2:5. I. Moses must prepare for the renewing of the tables, Exo 34:1. Before, God himself provided the tables, and wrote on them; now, Moses mus hew out the tables, and God would only write upon them. Thus, in the first writing of the law upon the heart of man in innocency, both the tables and the wri”
- Revelation (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Revelation 2:5: Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen,.... Believers cannot totally and finally fall away from the grace which they have received; but they may fall into sin, and from a degree of grace, and the exercise of it, as these first and pure churches did, from some degree of their love to God, and Christ, and one another; and therefore are called upon to remember, mind, and observe from what degree of it they were fallen; in order to bring them under a conviction and acknowledgment of their evil, and a sense of their present state, and to quicken their desires af”
- 1 Corinthians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Corinthians 13:4: 13:4-7 This description of Christian love emphasizes the willingness to give up one’s own desires for the good of others (see also 8:1–10:33; Rom 5:6-8; 15:3; 2 Cor 8:9; Phil 2:4-8).”
- 1 John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 John 4:19: We love him, because he first loved us. Lest love to God, and so to one another, should be thought to be of ourselves, and too much be ascribed unto it, the apostle observes, that God's love to us is prior to our love to him; his love is from everlasting, as well as to everlasting; for he loves his people as he does his Son, and he loved him before the foundation of the world; his choosing them in Christ as early, and blessing them then with all spiritual blessings, the covenant of grace made with Christ from all eternity, the gift of grace to them in him before the w”