The relationship between “love”, “election” and “calling” is an important matter for sure. In Rom.8:28-30 it speaks of those who are called, those who love God. I lately wrote a post on that passage and am going to address several scriptures that are frequently used to establish the doctrines of grace.

-a helmet

1. He loved us with the same love with which He loved Christ. John 17:23
This is His electing love, His familial love for those who are to be His own. I John 3:1

2. He loved us before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1:4 His love for us is an eternal love.

These give us insight into why we can never be separted from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:38

THANK YOU NATE AND PHIL, this is simply the best EXPOSITION on the Doctrines of Grace I have read in short as an apologetic!

He loved us FIRST and INCLINED our sinBOUND WILL unto His OWN. SO that He is the Spirit which has ENABLED us to be free and at liberty from our OWN sinful Lusts, Desires and Passions, which we loved and would keep us bound in the Unpardonable sin of UNBELIEF.

It is indeed a MIRACLE whenever a sinner is transformed by the Spreaching of the Gospel through the truths of the Scriptures applied by the Spirit of truth and grace, to those who are by NATURE Children of WRATH, just as we WERE once when we walked NOT according to the SPirit , but according to our flesh which led to the consequence of sin; which is the Eternal WRATH of God and death.

May we with much thanksgiving abound in the proclamation of the truth and grace of the Law; which condemns ALL MANKIND for FALLING SHORT of giving God the Glory due to Him Alone & the Gospel of grace, which alone by the CONVICTION of the Spirit is the means of Salvation, Regeneration, Sanctification and All our life and godliness.

May we well remember the rotten stench of our own corpses of old, that we may have a true and real zealous love for the lost and for the LORD, to do His commandments from a purified heart; most willingly by walking in His Spirit which He has given us.

May we grow in grace as we learn continually HOW He REQUIRES us to worship Him, despire our failings and sin therein. May He incline our hearts to serve Him MOST Willingly at all times and seasons for His glory Alone.

A pauper in own merit; a co-heir and son with Christ of the Kingdom of our Almighty Righteouss and Set-Apart YAHWEH,
W

I, too, would love to read Phil’s distinctions between these three. On the off chance that might not happen, since Phil’s largely been incognito these days, here’s a link that might be helpful for you.

If that’s not true, and love isn’t really an action, then Scripture could never properly speak of God’s love in the past. But in fact it does.

So when we think of God’s love as Christ’s redeeming death and resurrection, the doctrines of grace become clear. We love Him, because He first died for us, and in so doing gave us the new heart to love Him. Without His death, we’ve got our same old unregenerate heart that is hostile toward God, and cannot love Him or please Him.

And the Father’s love for us, the elect, is secondary to His love for His Beloved Son.

We are only beloved for the sake of the Beloved One.

But it is a personal love, for God foreknew us before the foundations of the universe, before the Sun and the stars shone, He loved us in the Lamb of God slain from the foundations of the world (Rev. 13:8).

Another splendid teaching. Thank you. Very edifying.

If He did not love us, He would not have died on the Cross. If He had not died on the Cross, there would have been no Savior. If there had been no Savior, there would have been no “Him” for us to love.

He is our Savior, the object of our love, ONLY because He loved us enough to be that Savior. Had He not loved us (first), had He not become our Savior (first), there would be no Savior to love.

We love Him ONLY because He first loved us.

It’s a statement of logic.