Well I can tell you from my own testimony (I’ve been a born-again, spirit-filled Christian since 1968),
Most of my Christian life was was based on traditional church teaching and doctrine that mixed the law with grace whereby during that time I was basically a defeated Christian. Then about ten years ago, I began learning about the true Gospel of the Grace of Christ which is grace with no law mixed in. I am now very much a victorious, happy, and fruitful Christian.
Given that framework as a backdrop, I can tell you that I used to be depressed because I felt like I didn’t have enough love for God or anyone else, again, because traditional church teaching emphasized our love for God first (usually using the Ten Commandments which God has discarded (Heb. 8:13; Rom. 6:14), but man still holds onto).
After learning about grace which focuses not on what we do but what Jesus has already done for us and his unwavering love for us regardless of our performance, I’ve been set free from worry and being depressed about my not measuring up, because God doesn’t use the law as his measuring stick he uses Christ who IS our measuring stick (1 John 4:17). Now I’m wildly in love with Jesus, not becsue I have to be but because I know he first loved me, his love contains NO condemnation, and he will always love me no matter what. My performance is simply not in the equation.
So from the Gospel of Grace as well as my own experience, I think we need to start with God’s unwavering love for us regardless of what we do, and not starting with us loving God. People are set free knowing that.
God bless.
Thanks brother. I appreciate your own testimony, and am sure millions upon millions would resonate with it. Even in my article ,the starting place was “Knowing and believing in the LOVE God has for us...” however it is still true, Loving God in response is our goal. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6, when He summarized all of the LAW, “Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind and strength...”. It is not wrong to teach that and call Christians to aspire to it...
There appears to be a new Awakening taking place. One centered on the Grace that is so well illustrated in 1 John 4:17. As God IS so are we in this world.
Not as He was or as He will be, but as He IS.
There is so much Good News contained in that scripture if we would only sit back and think about it instead of letting it skip through our brains like a meteor skips through the earth's atmosphere.