Understanding the Imperfect Nature of Loving God Perfectly
The command to love God with all one's heart, soul, and strength stands as the first and greatest commandment [2]. Yet Scripture itself acknowledges a tension: the love of Christ "is outside all knowledge," and believers are called to be "made complete as God himself is complete" [1]—a standard that points beyond human capacity. This raises the question of how finite, fallen creatures can fulfill a command that demands infinite devotion.
The Nature of the Command
The law requires total love: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" [7]. This is not a counsel of aspiration but a binding obligation. As Calvin observes, those under the law's dominion remain "in terror" and are "never disposed promptly to obey God" until they obtain liberty from its condemning power [7]. The command itself does not lower its standard to accommodate human weakness; it demands what God's nature deserves.
Perfection of Quality, Not Degree
The call to be "perfect, as your Father" is perfect does not establish equality of degree but likeness of quality [5]. When Christ commands perfection in the Sermon on the Mount, the context is love extended to enemies and persecutors—a love that mirrors the Father's indiscriminate mercy [5]. The standard is not quantitative parity with God's infinite love but qualitative conformity: loving the right objects in the right manner.
Aquinas distinguishes between perfect fulfillment (reaching the end intended by the lawgiver) and imperfect fulfillment (maintaining the order toward that end without fully attaining it) [4]. In this life, believers can keep the commandment imperfectly—directing their love rightly toward God above all things—without achieving the absolute measure that the law's full intent demands [4]. In the state of perfect nature, humanity could love God above all things naturally, though not without divine motion [3]; after the fall, even this natural capacity requires grace.
The Role of Grace and Obedience
Love to God is "produced by the Holy Spirit" and answers to God's prior love [2]. John writes that "the love of God is perfected" in those who keep His word—not meaning that God's love toward them increases, for that "is perfect in himself, and admits of no degrees," but that their responsive love matures through obedience [6]. Perfect love in this sense "casteth out fear," removing the terror of judgment for those who carry the Spirit's witness [8]. The standard remains absolute, yet grace enables a real, though incomplete, conformity that God accepts through Christ.
Sources
- Ephesians “Ephesians 3:19 (BBE) — And to have knowledge of the love of Christ which is outside all knowledge, so that you may be made complete as God himself is complete.”
- 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”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part of the Second Part (Prima Secundae), Of the Necessity of Grace, Art. 3: Article: Whether by his own natural powers and without grace man can love God above all things? I answer that, As was said above (FP, Question [60], Article [5]), where the various opinions concerning the natural love of the angels were set forth, man in a state of perfect nature, could by his natural power, do the good natural to him without the addition of any gratuitous gift, though not without the help of God moving him. Now to love God above all things is natural to man and to eve”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of the Precepts of Charity, Art. 6: Article: Whether it is possible in this life to fulfil this precept of the love of God? I answer that, A precept can be fulfilled in two ways; perfectly, and imperfectly. A precept is fulfilled perfectly, when the end intended by the author of the precept is reached; yet it is fulfilled, imperfectly however, when although the end intended by its author is not reached, nevertheless the order to that end is not departed from. Thus if the commander of an army order his soldiers to fig”
- Matthew (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Matthew 5:48: Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father,.... This perfection is to be restrained to the subject Christ is upon, love to men, and not to be referred to any, or every other thing; wherefore, in Luk 6:36 it is, "be ye merciful, as your Father also is merciful"; and regards not a perfection of degree in that, but objects and quality: that is to say, not that men may, or can, or ought to be as perfect in love, as to the degree of it, as God is; that is impossible: the "as" here, is not a note of equality, but of likeness: such, who profess God to be their Father, ought to”
- 1 John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 John 2:5: But whoso keepeth his word,.... Either the word of the Gospel, and the truths of it, who receives it in love, cordially embraces and retains it, and will by no means part with it, but holds it fast, and stands fast in it; or the precepts and ordinances of the word, who loves these, and esteems them above fine gold, and concerning all things to be right, and observes them as they should be: in him verily is the love of God perfected: not the love wherewith God loves him, for that is perfect in himself, and admits of no degrees, and cannot be more or less in his heart,”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 74: obey the law, not as if compelled by legal necessity; but being free from the yoke of the law itself, voluntarily obey the will of God. Being constantly in terror so long as they are under the dominion of the law, they are never disposed promptly to obey God, unless they have previously obtained this liberty. Our meaning shall be explained more briefly and clearly by an example. The command of the law is, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, 2133 and with all thy soul, and with all thy might,” ( Deut. 6:5 ). To a”
- 1 John (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 1 John 4:18: There is no fear in love - The man who feels that he loves God with all his heart can never dread him as his Judge. As he is now made a partaker of his Spirit, and carries a sense of the Divine approbation in his conscience, he has nothing of that fear that produces terror or brings torment. The perfect love - that fullness of love, which he has received, casteth out fear - removes all terror relative to this day of judgment, for it is of this that the apostle particularly speaks. And as it is inconsistent with the gracious design of God to have his followers misera”