Relationship Between Loving God and Others in Christianity
Jesus identified two commandments as the greatest in the law: love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself [10]. These are not parallel obligations but organically connected realities. The second commandment flows from the first, and genuine love for God necessarily produces love for others.
The Source and Command
Love originates in God's own nature. "Love is of God," the apostle John writes, "and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God" [1, 2]. This divine origin establishes love as more than ethical duty—it is the fruit of spiritual regeneration. The commandment to love God appears throughout Scripture as the supreme obligation, "the first great commandment," requiring devotion "with all the heart" [3]. Yet this vertical love cannot exist in isolation. John explicitly states, "This commandment have we—we should love one another, and love our neighbor as ourselves. The love of God and the love of man can never be separated" [8].
The Inseparability Principle
The relationship between these two loves is one of mutual verification. To claim love for God while withholding love from His children constitutes a logical impossibility: "to pretend love to God, the begetter of them, whom he sees not, and not love those who are begotten by him, and are visible objects of respect, is a contradiction, and cannot be reconciled" [11]. The inverse also holds: "Our love of God's followers is a proof that we love God. Our love to God is the cause why we love his children" [12]. Love for God functions as "the source of love to our neighbor" [9], while love for believers demonstrates that one genuinely loves God [12].
Practical Expression
This integrated love manifests in concrete action. Paul describes love as "an active principle" [5], and its authenticity appears in willingness "to give up one's own desires for the good of others" [7]. Obedience to God's commandments both expresses and perfects love for Him [3], while love for others fulfills the law's relational requirements [6]. The affections of believers should be "supremely set upon God" yet simultaneously "upon the people of God" [4], creating a unified devotional life where vertical and horizontal loves reinforce rather than compete with each other.
Sources
- I John “I John 4:7 (BBE) — My loved ones, let us have love for one another: because love is of God, and everyone who has love is a child of God and has knowledge of God.”
- King James Version “[KJV] 1 John 4:7 — Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Love to God — Commanded -- De 11:1; Jos 22:5. The first great commandment -- Mt 22:38. With all the heart -- De 6:5; Mt 22:37. Better than all sacrifices -- Mr 12:33. Produced by The Holy Spirit. -- Ga 5:22; 2Th 3:5. The love of God to us. -- 1Jo 4:19. Answers to prayer. -- Ps 116:1. Exhibited by Christ -- Joh 14:31. A characteristic of saints -- Ps 5:11. Should produce Joy. -- Ps 5:11. Love to saints. -- 1Jo 5:1. Hatred of sin. -- Ps 97:10. Obedience to God. -- De 30:20; 1Jo 5:3. Perfected in obedience -- 1Jo 2:5. Perfected, gives boldness -- 1Jo 4:17,18. God, faith”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Affections, The — Should be supremely set upon God -- De 6:3; Mr 12:30. Should be set Upon the commandments of God. -- Ps 19:8-10; 119:20,97,103,167. Upon the house and worship of God. -- 1Ch 29:3; Ps 26:8; 27:4; 84:1,2. Upon the people of God. -- Ps 16:3; Ro 12:10; 2Co 7:13-15; 1Th 2:8. Upon heavenly things. -- Col 3:1,2. Should be zealously engaged for God -- Ps 69:9; 119:139; Ga 4:18. Christ claims the first place in -- Mt 10:37; Lu 14:26. Enkindled by communion with Christ -- Lu 24:32. Blessedness of making God the object of -- Ps 91:14. Should not grow cold -- P”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Love to Man — Is of God -- 1Jo 4:7. Commanded by God -- 1Jo 4:21. Commanded by Christ -- Joh 13:34; 15:12; 1Jo 3:23. After the example of Christ -- Joh 13:34; 15:12; Eph 5:2. Taught by God -- 1Th 4:9. Faith works by -- Ga 5:6. A fruit of the Spirit -- Ga 5:22; Col 1:8. Purity of heart leads to -- 1Pe 1:22. Explained -- 1Co 13:4-7. Is an active principle -- 1Th 1:3; Heb 6:10. Is an abiding principle -- 1Co 13:8,13. Is the second great commandment -- Mt 22:37-39. Is the end of the commandment -- 1Ti 1:5. Supernatural gifts are nothing without -- 1Co 13:1,2. The greates”
- Romans (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Romans 13:8: 13:8-10 These verses discuss how believers relate to other people. If we truly love others, our actions will reflect all the commandments in the law that concern our relationships with other people. 13:8 The idea of obligation is the hinge that connects 13:1-7 and 13:8-10. Christians are to “give to everyone what [they] owe them” (13:7), and Christians always owe love to their neighbors. • Owe nothing to anyone: Debts are not sinful but should be avoided and, if incurred, should be promptly repaid so that the believer is free to serve in love (see Prov 22:7). • lo”
- 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 (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 1 John 4:21: This commandment have we - We should love one another, and love our neighbor as ourselves. The love of God and the love of man can never be separated; he who loves God will love his brother; he who loves his brother gives this proof that he loves God, because he loves with a measure of that love which, in its infinitude, dwells in God.”
- 1 Corinthians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Corinthians 8:3: love God--the source of love to our neighbor (Jo1 4:11-12, Jo1 4:20; Jo1 5:2). the same--literally, "this man"; he who loves, not he who "thinks that he knows," not having "charity" or love (Co1 8:1-2). is known of him--is known with the knowledge of approval and is acknowledged by God as His (Psa 1:6; Gal 4:9; Ti2 2:19). Contrast, "I never knew you" (Mat 7:23). To love God is to know God; and he who thus knows God has been first known by God (compare Co1 13:12; Pe1 1:2).”
- Matthew (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Matthew 22:36: And the second is like unto it,.... For there is but a second, not a third: this is suggested in opposition to the numerous commandments in the law, according to the opinion of the Jews, who reckon them in all to be "six hundred and thirteen": of which there are "three hundred and sixty five" negative ones, according to the number of the days of the year; and "two hundred and forty eight" affirmative ones, according to the members of a man's body (z). Christ reduces all to two, love to God, and love to the neighbour; and the latter is the second in order of nature, ”
- 1 John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 John 4:8: He that loveth not, knoweth not God,.... If a man loves not the children of God, those that are born of him, he does not know, so as to love God, the Father of them; for to pretend love to God, the begetter of them, whom he sees not, and not love those who are begotten by him, and are visible objects of respect, is a contradiction, and cannot be reconciled: see Jo1 4:20. This clause is left out in the Ethiopic version, and is transposed in the Syriac version, which reads the text thus, "for God, is love, and whoever loveth not, knoweth not God". By which reading, the f”
- 1 John (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 1 John 5:2: By this we know that we love the children of God - Our love of God's followers is a proof that we love God. Our love to God is the cause why we love his children, and our keeping the commandments of God is the proof that we love him.”