← How to Love God
Contents · 21 / 57
  1. Opening Scripture
  2. Preface
  3. How to Use This Book
  4. Study Features and Diagrams
  5. The Greatest Commandment
  6. What Does It Mean to Love God?
  7. With All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength
  8. Why God Is Worthy of Our Love
  9. We Love Because He First Loved Us
  10. The Gospel and the Transformation of Love
  11. Why We Do Not Naturally Love God
  12. A New Heart That Loves God
  13. Seeing the Glory of God in Christ
  14. Justification, Assurance, and Love
  15. Love, Emotion, and Obedience
  16. Is Love for God an Emotion?
  17. If You Love Me, Keep My Commandments
  18. Loving God When You Do Not Feel Love
  19. Duty, Delight, and the Formation of Holy Affections
  20. The Practices Through Which Love Grows
  21. Knowing God Through Scripture
  22. Loving God Through Prayer
  23. Worship, Praise, and the Lord's Day
  24. Repentance and the Restoration of Fellowship
  25. Obedience in Ordinary Life
  26. Loving God by Loving People
  27. Evangelism, Mission, and Love for God
  28. Loving God Through Suffering
  29. Obstacles, Counterfeits, and Spiritual Warfare
  30. Idolatry and Rival Loves
  31. Legalism, Moralism, and Religious Performance
  32. Emotionalism and the Search for Spiritual Experiences
  33. Distraction, Busyness, and Digital Formation
  34. Temptation, Spiritual Warfare, and Perseverance
  35. Growing in Mature Love
  36. Love and the Fear of God
  37. Loving God With the Mind
  38. Loving God in Community
  39. A Lifetime of Loving God
  40. The Eternal Enjoyment of God
  41. Study and Practice Resources
  42. Key Bible Passages About Loving God
  43. Frequently Asked Questions
  44. Thirty Days: Growing in Love for God
  45. Seven Days for Spiritual Coldness
  46. Why Does God Feel Distant? A Diagnostic Guide
  47. A Flexible Rule of Life
  48. Prayers for Growing in Love
  49. Small-Group Study Guide
  50. Personal Spiritual Assessment
  51. Pastoral Case Studies
  52. Glossary
  53. Recommended Resources
  54. Endnotes, Source Notes, and Bibliography
  55. Scripture Index
  56. Subject Index
  57. Final Exhortation

The Practices Through Which Love Grows

Knowing God Through Scripture

~4 min read

How can Bible reading become communion with God rather than information gathering or box-checking?

Key passages

Psalm 1; Psalm 19; Psalm 119; Luke 24:13–49; John 5:31–47; 2 Timothy 3:14–17; Hebrews 4:12–16.

Chapter thesis

Scripture is God’s authoritative written word through which he makes himself and his saving purpose known, corrects false loves, and equips his people for faithful response.

Read to hear what God has said

Christian Bible reading begins with receptivity. The reader does not approach the text as material to control, but as the word by which God corrects, comforts, judges, promises, and reveals Christ. Because Scripture came through human authors, faithful reading attends to grammar, genre, historical setting, argument, and canonical context. Reverence does not excuse careless interpretation.

The immediate question is first, “What does this text say?” before “What does it say to me?” Personal application built on a distorted meaning is not submission to Scripture. Observation, context, and comparison protect communion from becoming projection.

Read the whole story

The Bible unfolds creation, fall, promise, covenant, kingdom, exile, Messiah, church, mission, judgment, and new creation. Individual passages belong within this story. The Old Testament prepares for Christ through promise, pattern, institution, and unresolved need. The New Testament announces fulfillment and teaches life under the risen Lord.

Christ-centered reading does not force a reference to Jesus into every sentence. It asks responsibly how the passage belongs to the story that culminates in him. The law reveals holiness and sin; wisdom forms creaturely life; lament trains hope; prophecy exposes idolatry and announces restoration; the Gospels reveal the Son; the letters unfold his saving work and its consequences.

Meditation and response

Biblical meditation is sustained, prayerful attention. It may involve rereading, paraphrasing, tracing repeated words, memorizing, comparing passages, and turning truth into prayer. The goal is not emptying the mind but filling attention with what God has said until its implications become clearer.

Use this nine-question method:

  1. What does the text actually say?

  2. What does it reveal about God?

  3. What does it reveal about humanity and sin?

  4. How does it fit the biblical storyline?

  5. How does it relate to Christ and the gospel?

  6. What should I believe or trust?

  7. What should I repent of or resist?

  8. What should I obey, praise, or hope for?

  9. What should I pray?

Not every passage answers every question equally. The framework slows the reader without forcing artificial results.

Difficult texts

Love for God does not skip passages that disturb us. When a text seems morally difficult, first clarify the genre, speaker, covenant setting, and exact claim. Distinguish description from command and divine judgment from human cruelty. Consult reliable commentaries and the broader canon. Admit uncertainty where needed.

The aim is neither defensive speed nor suspicious superiority. It is patient trust seeking understanding. Some questions are resolved through study; others remain partially open while the believer rests in God’s revealed character in Christ.

Voice from the church: John Stott

Stott modeled “double listening”: careful attention to Scripture and serious attention to the contemporary world. For loving God, his central strength is disciplined biblical exposition that leads to faith, obedience, and mission. The world must never become a second authority equal to Scripture, but it is the real setting in which Scripture is obeyed.

Important distinction

A Bible journal is a servant, not a performance record. Record what helps you remember truth, confess sin, pray, and obey. Do not measure the value of a reading by the length or beauty of the notes.

Chapter summary

Scripture forms love by revealing the true God, locating believers in the gospel story, exposing rivals, renewing the mind, and directing prayer and obedience. Read accurately, canonically, prayerfully, and responsively.

Reflect and discuss

  1. Which step do you most often skip: observation, context, gospel connection, or application?

  2. Do your reading habits expose you to the whole counsel of God or only preferred themes?

  3. Which difficult passage needs patient study rather than avoidance?

Practice for this week

Read one short biblical book or coherent section repeatedly this week. Use the nine questions and choose one truth to memorize and one response to practise.

Prayer

God who speaks, open my eyes to behold wonderful things in your word. Guard me from careless interpretation, selective hearing, and pride. Show me Christ, renew my mind, and make me a doer of the word. Amen.