Do You Love the Lord? A Biblical Test of True Love for God

In a world where everyone claims to love God, how can we know if our love is genuine? This question cuts to the heart of our faith and demands honest self-examination. The most important question anyone can ask themselves isn't about their goodness or their works—it's simply this: Do you love the Lord?

The Greatest Commandment Revealed

When a lawyer tested Jesus by asking which was the greatest commandment, Jesus responded without hesitation: "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'" (Matthew 22:37-39).

This wasn't a new teaching. Jesus was quoting from Deuteronomy 6:4-5, known as the Shema, which faithful Jews recited twice daily: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength."

Why This Question Matters More Than Any Other

These two commandments—loving God and loving others—form the essence of all Scripture. Every historical narrative, every prophecy, every psalm points to this central truth. Whether through exhortation or elimination, the Bible consistently calls us to love God completely.

The Apostle Paul understood the gravity of this when he wrote, "If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed" (1 Corinthians 16:22). This isn't harsh judgment—it's the reality that our eternal destiny hinges on our genuine love for God.

How Can We Know If We Really Love God?

Many people claim to love God based on feelings, blessings, or spiritual experiences. But Scripture provides only one reliable measure of our love for God: obedience to His commandments.

Jesus made this crystal clear: "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). The Apostle John reinforced this truth: "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3).

John went even further, stating bluntly: "He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:4).

Four Biblical Tests of True Love for God

1. A Person Who Loves the Lord Will Love His Word

This test is straightforward: if you love God, you'll love His Word. The psalmist declared, "Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day" (Psalm 119:97).

God has "magnified Your word above Your name" (Psalm 138:2). Why? Because if you don't have a good word, you don't have a good name. God's character is inseparable from His Word.

We can easily lift our hands in worship and sing about our love for God, but if we're not regularly reading and studying His Word, how genuine is our love? Bible study shouldn't be drudgery for someone who truly loves God—it should be a delight.

2. A Person Who Loves the Lord Will Long for Personal Communion with Him

Those who genuinely love God will desire to spend time with Him in prayer and worship. As David wrote, "O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water" (Psalm 63:1).

Prayer won't be a duty but a privilege. Worship won't be forced but flowing from a heart that recognizes the incredible honor of communing with the Creator of the universe. The psalmist expressed this beautifully: "How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God" (Psalm 84:1-2).

3. A Person Who Loves the Lord Will Love What God Loves and Hate What God Hates

Passionate love creates passionate opposition to anything that threatens what we love. When we passionately love God, we'll naturally love righteousness and hate evil. We'll love holiness and hate sin. We'll love purity and despise impurity.

Scripture commands this: "You who love the Lord, hate evil!" (Psalm 97:10). "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil" (Proverbs 8:13). Romans 12:9 instructs us to "abhor what is evil, cling to what is good."

As we grow in our love for God, we'll increasingly recoil from everything that displeases Him. Things that once seemed harmless may begin to trouble our spirits as we become more sensitive to God's holiness.

4. Those Who Love the Lord Will Long for His Return

If we truly love Jesus, we'll eagerly anticipate His return. The Bible promises that Christ will come back for His people, and we'll be "caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

Are we genuinely longing for Christ's return, or are we saying, "Jesus, don't come back yet—I have things I want to accomplish first"? While having dreams and goals isn't wrong, we must remember that until Jesus returns, sin, sickness, and evil continue to reign in this world.

When we see the brokenness around us—the pain, the injustice, the suffering—our hearts should cry out for the only true solution: the return of our King. Revelation 19:11-16 describes Jesus returning as "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" to establish His righteous kingdom.

The Heart Surgery We All Need

The good news is that God doesn't leave us to love Him in our own strength. Deuteronomy 30:6 promises: "And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live."

When we accept Jesus, the Holy Spirit performs spiritual heart surgery, removing our heart of stone and giving us a heart of flesh that can be molded into Christ's image. This new heart enables us to love God genuinely and keep His commandments.

Life Application

This week, conduct an honest spiritual inventory using these four biblical tests. Examine your relationship with God's Word—are you regularly reading and studying Scripture with joy, or is it a neglected duty? Evaluate your prayer life—do you long for communion with God, or do you rush through prayers out of obligation?

Consider your response to sin and righteousness—are you growing in your love for what God loves and your hatred of what He hates? Finally, assess your attitude toward Christ's return—are you eagerly anticipating it, or secretly hoping He'll delay?

Ask yourself these questions:

• If someone examined my daily schedule and priorities, would they conclude that I love God above all else?
• What areas of my life am I still trying to keep from God's lordship?
• Am I growing in my desire to spend time in God's Word and prayer, or am I becoming more distant?
• Do I genuinely long for Christ's return, even if it means leaving behind my earthly dreams and plans?

Remember, this isn't about condemnation but conviction that leads to transformation. If you discover areas where your love for God is lacking, bring them to Him in repentance. He is faithful to forgive and to continue the work He began in you. The goal isn't perfection but progression—growing daily in your love for the One who first loved you.