Comments on: Four Degrees Of Love

By: Jonathan Brink

Jonathan Brink — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:06:47 +0000

Jazz, thanks for replying back and clarifying. I now see where we are crossing paths. The four degrees of love are not in opposition or exclusion to each other. There is no either/or. It's a both/and perspective. They are inclusive of each other, building on the previous.

The idea of loving the self for God's sake is the highest order because it is completely inclusive of loving God. Loving the self is only possible when we are first loved by God.

Another way to put it is like a puzzle. Each piece adds to the entire picture. Loving the self for God's sake is the last piece to the puzzle, because loving the self is the hardest part of the puzzle.

By: jazzact13

jazzact13 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:20:13 +0000

–Jazz, any form is your words, not mine.

And I know what it means. Any mean any, and I understand you and Clairvaux and Wilt as saying that “love of self” is highest, even higher then love of God. I see that being said in the degrees listed in your post. Even you yourself write “At the highest order is loving the self for God’s sake”, which means it's higher than loving God in any way.

Which is absolute nonsense, and you cannot (repeat: cannot) use Jesus' words about loving neighbor as self to justify such an obvious falsehood. Jesus said that the first command was to love God with all we are and have. To go from that saying that any love of self is higher than love of God is wrong.

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:49:00 +0000

I love this video. The church needs to hear this! I need to hear this.

By: Jonathan Brink

Jonathan Brink — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:51:14 +0000

Jazz, any form is your words, not mine.

The context of the post is understand the second commandment and how it plays out. We can only love if we are first loved. That's why the first commandment is to love God, because it is here that we find love. But they highest expression of that love is found in loving the self for God's sake, meaning it is the highest expression of participating with God. It's participating in mission with God.

The second commandment does not use God as the standard. It uses the self. And the reason is because the self is the indicator. If we did not love the self, which revealed we had accepted God's love (the first commandment), it was all bunk.

By: jazzact13

jazzact13 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:40:16 +0000

Are you seriously saying that any form of self-love is highest? You refer to Jesus' words about the two greatest commandments, without pointing out that in His own words Jesus said that the greatest command was to love God with all we have. Jesus did not use loving ourselves as the measure, but loving God was and is first.

By: revev1969

revev1969 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:10:49 +0000

This was a huge realization for me…thanks for the reminder…

http://monachusbellator.wordpress.com/2008/08/1...