Subjective Love

Love we know exists, being made real by the Holy Spirit. 

the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:5b)

This verse describes the subjective experience of knowing God’s love through the Holy Spirit. Paul describes this as if God’s love is like a liquid and our hearts, receptacles.

Later in this chapter we find Paul speaking about the objective demonstration of God’s love. There, he qualifies the type of love which we have received.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, (our) Messiah died for us. (Romans 5:8)

In verse 5 Paul describes the outpouring of the Spirit as an experience of God’s emotions. Although this love Father is pouring out is an experience of His emotions it is not necessarily an emotional experience. Let me explain.

You can experience a beautiful day no matter what your emotional state is. You can be optimistic or depressed, happy or angry. It’s still a beautiful day.

In the same way you experience a beautiful day you can experience God’s love no matter what your emotional state is.

He always loves us. This affection is not dependent upon our emotional state. He is willing to reveal His love to us no matter our circumstances or emotional state. As we rely on this reality we experience Him the way He really is. This loving Father really loves us. We attract His love to the degree that He pours His love into us. We are called to both experience and understand His great, holy, unsurpassed love. The experience is like this:

the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:5b)

Pray for grace to interpret the presence of the Holy Spirit as the presence of God’s holy love for you.

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Also, David wrote a book about God’s love for the Jewish People called, For the Sake of the Fathers

Check out David’s new worship album, Looking for a City