Is loving God an emotion, a feeling, or a decision?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Loving God is a conscious decision to prioritize Him above all else. Emotions and feelings may accompany this love, but they do not form its foundation, as love is a choice we make in response to God's character and His unconditional love for us. Jesus emphasized loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and we are empowered to do so through the Holy Spirit living within us as believers. As we choose to love God daily through actions like prayer, obedience, and trusting Him in difficult times, we experience His peace and joy, and develop deeper feelings. Our decision to love God will face obstacles, but by continuing to choose Him, we deepen our relationship with Him and grow spiritually.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• God commanded the Israelites to love and serve Him only (Deuteronomy 6:5; 11:1; Joshua 23:11). That we are commanded to love God shows that it cannot be exclusively based on emotions or feelings; it must be within our power to decide to love Him. Emotions and feelings may be experienced in conjunction with our love of God, but they are not the basis for that love.
• Zephaniah 3:17 shows that loving God means enjoying His presence, taking comfort in His saving grace, and relishing the peace and joy He brings us.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• When others tried to test Jesus by asking Him what the most important commandment is, he replied " And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength'" (Mark 12:29-30; see also Luke 10:25-28; Matthew 22:34-40).
• We learn how to love God by seeing and experiencing how He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
• Agape is the Greek word used to describe God's love and it means "benevolence, delight, preference, or good will"; it is perfectly manifested in God’s giving of His only begotten Son for the salvation of all who believe in Him (John 3:16).
• Though God does have feelings and emotions, His love for us is not based on our behavior: "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Essentially, just as we decide to love God, He first decided to love us unconditionally.
• Everything we have is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). When we accept the gift of salvation through Christ, we are filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:11-14; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Luke 11:13). As we continue walking with Christ through the power of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit is exhibited in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23).
• We develop a relationship with God and can love Him, experience His love, and share it with others (1 John 4:7-8).
• Our relationship with God makes us better able to appreciate His defining attributes like righteousness, truth, wisdom, and patience (Romans 3:25-26; 1 Corinthians 1:24-25; 2 Peter 3:9).
• The love of God is truly transformative. As we learn His attributes and develop them in our own lives, we become more like Him ( 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 5:1-2; Colossians 3:10). We learn to worship Him "in spirit and truth" (John 4:24). Through this, we begin to develop an emotional love of God. Just as in any relationship, emotions do not create a foundation on which love can grow. Rather, the foundation of love is choice; the emotions and feelings follow.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Loving God is a conscious decision, not just an emotion or feeling, and it requires us to choose to prioritize Him above all else, even when emotions are not strong. For example, choosing to spend time with God in prayer or reading His Word each day, even when we don’t feel like it, is an intentional decision that deepens our relationship with Him. When we decide to do this regularly, emotions like peace and joy often follow as we experience God's presence and transformation in our lives. Similarly, when we face challenges, we can choose to trust and obey God rather than conform to worldly pressures, knowing that our decision to love Him will shape our character and lead to spiritual growth.

We’ll encounter obstacles because of this. A life dedicated to loving God will contradict the ways of the world. We have to continue choosing to love the Lord rather than conforming to the world (Matthew 6:24; 1 John 2:15). Even our own minds will war against Him, causing us to doubt Him and challenging our faith, love, and obedience toward Him (2 Corinthians 10:5). We must prioritize seeking God above anything else (Matthew 6:33; Jeremiah 29:13), recognizing that knowing and loving Him is our greatest treasure (Philippians 3:8). Only when we choose to willingly surrender to Him can we truly choose to love and recognize Him as the God of our lives.

UNDERSTAND

• Loving God is a conscious decision not just an emotional response.
• Emotions like peace and joy follow when we choose to trust, obey, and seek God.
• Loving God is a choice to prioritize Him above all else.

REFLECT

• How can you intentionally choose to prioritize God over your emotions or circumstances?
• How does regularly choosing to trust, obey, and seek God help you grow in your relationship with Him?
• How do you understand the difference between the emotion of loving God and the decision to love God?

ENGAGE

• Why are both emotions and choices important in understanding our love for God, and what impact do both of those have on our relationship with Him?
• How can we choose to love God when emotions aren’t strong?
• How can we practically prioritize God in our daily lives, even when we don’t "feel" like it?