The Connection between Vertical and Horizontal Love in Christianity
Christian theology consistently links the love for God (vertical love) with the love for one's neighbor (horizontal love), presenting them not as separate commands but as intrinsically connected aspects of a single divine principle. This connection is deeply rooted in biblical teaching, particularly in the words of Jesus and the apostolic writings.
The Apostle Paul, in Romans 8:39, speaks of the immeasurable nature of God's love, stating that "nothing which is made, will be able to come between us and the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" [1]. This divine love, experienced by believers, is described in Ephesians as having dimensions of "how wide, how long, how high, and how deep" [2]. This profound experience and personal knowledge of God's grace and love in Jesus Christ form the foundation of the Christian life [3]. It is a love that surpasses ordinary human understanding and is meant to fill the believer, conforming them to God's image and enabling them to reflect God's nature [3]. John Gill, commenting on Romans 8:39, emphasizes that this love is so strong that no created being, whether in "heaven, earth, or hell," can separate saints from it, encompassing all of creation [8].
This vertical reception of God's love is directly expressed in horizontal relationships. The description of Christian love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 emphasizes a willingness to prioritize the good of others over one's own desires [6]. This self-sacrificial aspect of love mirrors Christ's own example, as seen in passages like Romans 5:6-8 and Philippians 2:4-8 [6]. The love that Christians are called to embody is rooted in knowing the truth, which is not merely factual knowledge but the very presence of God dwelling within them [4]. This indwelling truth ensures that this love is enduring and eternal [4].
The connection between vertical and horizontal love is further illuminated by the concept of agape, a term often used in the New Testament to describe divine love. This love is not primarily an emotion but a volitional act of self-giving, reflecting God's character. John Chrysostom, in his homilies on 1 and 2 Corinthians, highlights the pursuit of love as a "very excellent way" to attain spiritual gifts, suggesting that love is not merely one gift among others but a foundational means for spiritual growth and expression [5]. This perspective aligns with modern critical interpretations that see love as central to Christian practice [5].
The New Testament consistently presents the love of God and love for neighbor as inseparable. Jesus himself summarized the Law and the Prophets by stating that the greatest commandments are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). This teaching establishes a direct link: one cannot truly claim to love God without demonstrating love for fellow human beings. The vertical dimension of love—receiving and responding to God's love—empowers and informs the horizontal dimension—loving others.
This interconnectedness is also evident in the theological understanding of the Church. The relationship between Christ and the Church is often described in terms of a spiritual marriage, where Christ "left the Father's bosom to woo to Himself the Church out of a lost world" [7]. This profound act of divine love serves as the foundation for human marriage and, by extension, for the community of believers [7]. The love that binds Christ to the Church, and individual believers to Christ, is the same love that is to characterize their interactions with one another.
Therefore, Christian love is not a compartmentalized experience. The vertical experience of God's love is the wellspring from which horizontal love flows. Without a genuine experience of God's love, human attempts at loving others can fall short of the agape described in scripture, often becoming conditional or self-serving. Conversely, a lack of love for one's neighbor can indicate a deficiency in one's understanding or reception of God's love. The Christian life is thus characterized by a dynamic interplay where the experience of God's boundless love motivates and enables believers to extend that same self-giving love to the world around them.
Sources
- Romans “Romans 8:39 (BBE) — Or things on high, or things under the earth, or anything which is made, will be able to come between us and the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 3:18: 3:18 how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is: Christ’s love is great in every dimension (cp. Rom 8:38-39).”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 3:19: 3:19 May you experience (literally know) the love of Christ: The whole Christian life is based on the experience and personal knowledge of God’s grace and love in Jesus Christ (see Rom 12:1). • it is too great to understand fully: Christ’s love is much greater than ordinary human love (see Rom 5:6-8). • The believer’s life is made complete when it is filled with all the fullness of life and power by the presence of Christ within (see Eph 1:23; Gal 2:20; Col 1:27). The believer then is conformed to his image and reflects God (see Eph 4:14, 24; 5:1-2; Rom 8:29; 2”
- 2 John (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 2 John 1:2: 1:2 Christian love is rooted in knowing the truth. The truth that lives in us is more than just facts or doctrine; it is the presence of God (see John 14:15-17), who will be with us forever.”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on 1 & 2 Corinthians: that of the English translator and of both the Authorized Version and the Revised. “Desire earnestly the better gifts. And furthermore I show you a very excellent way to do it.” The contrast is not between the “gifts” on one hand and love on the other, but between eagerness of emulation and the pursuit of love as a means of attaining the gifts. In this the Greek expositor anticipates the conclusions of the best modern critics, such as DeWette, Meyer, Alford, Hodge, Heinrici, etc. The view is sustained by the natural force of the words used and by”
- 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).”
- Ephesians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ephesians 5:31: For--The propagation of the Church from Christ, as that of Eve from Adam, is the foundation of the spiritual marriage. The natural marriage, wherein "a man leaves father and mother (the oldest manuscripts omit 'his') and is joined unto his wife," is not the principal thing meant here, but the spiritual marriage represented by it, and on which it rests, whereby Christ left the Father's bosom to woo to Himself the Church out of a lost world: Eph 5:32 proves this: His earthly mother as such, also, He holds in secondary account as compared with His spir”
- Romans (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Romans 8:39: Nor height, nor depth,.... Neither heaven, earth, nor hell, nor any of the inhabitants of either, or anything in either; no high or low place, to be cast down from the one, or into the other; nor the height of honour and prosperity, or the depth of meanness and adversity; nor the height of power, or depth of policy in men or devils; nor any other creature. This takes in the whole compass of created beings in heaven, earth, and sea; and most strongly expresses the inseparableness of the saints from the love of God, by anything or creature whatever; nothing in the who”