Class Notes: 7/28/2010

Impersonal love is the professional attitude of the spiritual adult in the royal family of God

Rom 13:8;

In our study of the doctrine of love, last time we left off with the idea that impersonal love is a spiritual function of the royal family of God, and cannot be duplicated by the unbeliever or the believer who is in the cosmic system because they are out of fellowship with God and do not have the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit.

Impersonal love can only be attained through consistent residence in the PPOG under the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, that is accompanied by momentum from metabolized doctrine.

Impersonal love is the sign of spiritual adulthood, since all three stages possess it in varying degrees. In spiritual self-esteem, there is impersonal love but it is unstable. In spiritual autonomy, impersonal love is stabilized and functions magnificently. In spiritual maturity, impersonal love is maximized.

Impersonal love is therefore the professional attitude of the spiritual adult in the royal family of God.

Since this concept of impersonal love is not often understood by the natural mind it is useful to contrast impersonal love with personal love.

Personal love emphasizes the attractiveness of the object. Impersonal love emphasizes the virtue of the subject.

Personal love is not commanded and is therefore optional in the Christian life. Impersonal love is the mandate for the function of the believer in the PPOG.

Personal love does not add anything to the spiritual life and is therefore unnecessary. In fact, it is better to focus on advancing to spiritual maturity first because spiritual maturity provides capacity for personal love.

Personal love emphasizes rapport with an object; impersonal love emphasizes the virtue of the subject.

Impersonal love emphasizes the virtue, the integrity, and the spiritual adulthood of the subject. Personal love emphasizes the attractiveness, the desirability of the object.

Personal love is conditional; impersonal love is unconditional.

Impersonal love as unconditional love means that there is no merit assigned to the object. No desirable characteristic of the object is the motivation for impersonal love.

Personal love is sustained by the virtue of the object; impersonal love is sustained by Bible Doctrine.

Impersonal love is dependent on personal love for God. Without confidence from personal love for God the Father, there is no courage for impersonal love for all mankind.

This is illustrated by Jesus Christ on the Cross. His impersonal love for the world was sustained by his personal love for God the Father and Bible doctrine in his soul.

Jesus Christ's personal love for God the Father was totally compatible with the righteousness, justice, and love of God.

The impeccability of the human nature of Jesus Christ in hypostatic union had perfect personal love for God the Father and His plan of salvation for the human race.

This is expressed in Heb 10:9; where TLJC said "behold, I have come to do Your will." Our Lord took on the unglorified human body that the Father had prepared for Him to do the will of the Father.

This is also expressed in his prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane where he said in Matt 26:39,42; "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; but, not as I will, but as You will,"

v42 "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done."

Personal love is subjective, possessive and demanding; impersonal love is objective, and grace oriented.

Personal love is the expression of the believer's ego; impersonal love is the expression of the believer's doctrinal orientation or the metabolized doctrine that is in their stream of consciousness.

Personal love can only be directed toward a few; impersonal love can be directed toward all mankind.

Impersonal love is a virtue from God that is attained from the fulfillment of the PPOG. Personal love is the expression of man's ego and does not require any virtue.

Impersonal love is manufactured from metabolized doctrine inside the PPOG. Personal love is manufactured from the mentality, emotion, self-consciousness, lust, arrogance, good and evil desires, and the wisdom or vanity of mankind.

Impersonal love requires capacity from residence in the PPOG. Personal love requires no capacity. Anyone can have personal love.

Impersonal love is a problem solving device as well as the base for great human relationships. Personal love is a problem manufacturing device.

Impersonal love is a relaxed mental attitude directed toward all mankind. Personal love is a possessive and demanding attitude directed toward a few.

Our Lord said in Luke 6:35; "Love your enemy." This can only be referring to impersonal love. When you can love an enemy impersonally, you're prepared to be successful in any area of life.

Impersonal love is the function of spiritual autonomy. This means it is unconditional toward the object. This means you drop all prejudices regarding others' race, culture, I.Q., or background. One of the great functions of impersonal love is tolerance for differences in others.

Believers in spiritual self-esteem, drop all previously held standards of superiority or inferiority regarding others because their identity is established in Christ.

In spiritual autonomy, because of impersonal love the believer has great tolerance, no prejudice, no arrogance, no possessiveness, no meddling in other's business, no attempts to smother, mother, or control those who are around them.

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