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The love of Christ is a central element of Christian belief and theology.〔''Christian theology: the spiritual tradition'' (2002) by John Glyndwr Harris. ISBN 1-902210-22-0. Page 193.〕 It refers both to the love of Jesus Christ for humanity, and to the love of Christians for Christ. These two aspects are not distinct in Christian teachings—the love for Christ is a reflection of his love for his followers.〔 The theme of love is the key element of Johannine writings.〔 In the Gospel of John, the pericope of the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-21) symbolizes the sacrifice of Jesus based on his love. In that gospel, love for Christ results in the following of his commandments, the Farewell Discourse (14:23) stating: "If a man loves me, he will keep my word". In the First Epistle of John (4:19), the reflexive nature of this love is highlighted: "We love, because he first loved us", expressing the love of Christ as a mirroring of Christ's own love. Towards the end of the Last Supper, Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment: "Love one another, as I have loved you ... By this shall all men know that you are my disciples."〔〔 The love of Christ is also a motif in the Letters of Paul.〔 The basic theme of the Epistle to the Ephesians is that of God the Father initiating the work of salvation through Christ, who willingly sacrifices himself based on his love and obedience to the Father. Ephesians 5:25 states "Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it". Ephesians 3:17-19 relates the love of Christ to the knowledge of Christ and considers loving Christ to be a necessity for knowing him.〔 Many prominent Christian figures have expounded on the love of Christ. Saint Augustine wrote that "the common love of truth unites people, the common love of Christ unites all Christians". Saint Benedict instructed his monks to "prefer nothing to the love of Christ".〔''Walled about with God'' (2005) by Jean Prou and David Hayes. ISBN 0-85244-645-4 Page 113.〕 Saint Thomas Aquinas stated that although both Christ and God the Father had the power to restrain those who killed Christ on Calvary, neither did, due to the perfection of the love of Christ. Aquinas also opined that, given that "perfect love" casts out fear, Christ had no fear when he was crucified, for his love was all-perfect.〔〔 Saint Teresa of Avila considered perfect love to be an imitation of the love of Christ.〔''Teresa of Avila'' (2004) by Rowan Williams. ISBN 0-8264-7341-5. Page 108.〕 ==Love of Christ for his followers== The love of Christ for his disciples and for humanity as a whole is a theme that repeats both in Johannine writings and in several of the Pauline Epistles.〔 John 13:1, which begins the narrative of the Last Supper, describes the love of Christ for his disciples: "having loved his own that were in the world, he loved them unto the end." This use of "to the end" in Greek (in which the gospel was written) may also be translated as "to the utmost".〔''1-3 John, Volume 5'' (2007) by John MacArthur. ISBN 0-8024-0772-2. Page 230.〕 In the First Epistle of John (4:19) the reflexive nature of this love is highlighted: "We love, because he first loved us", expressing the origin of the love as a mirroring of Christ's love.〔 The theology of the intercession of Christ from Heaven after he left the earth, draws upon his continued love for his followers and his ongoing desire to bring them to salvation as in 1 John 2:1-2 and Romans 8:34.〔''Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Part 13'' (2003) by James Hastings and John A. Selbie. ISBN 0-7661-3688-4. Page 384.〕 In many Christological models, the love of Christ for his followers is not mediated by any other means but is direct. It resembles the love of the shepherd for his sheep, and the nourishment that the Vine (cf. John 15:1-17) provides for the branches.〔''Who do you say that I am? Essays on Christology'' (1999) by Jack Dean Kingsbury, Mark Allan Powell and David R. Bauer. ISBN 0-664-25752-6. Pages 255–256.〕 In other models, the love is partially delegated to the apostles who formed the early church, and through them, it is passed to their successors.〔 The pericope of the Good Shepherd appears about midway through the Gospel of John (10:1-21), and in John 1-11 Jesus states that as the good shepherd he will lay down his life for his sheep.〔''Commentary on John'' (1993) by Thomas Whitelaw. ISBN 0-8254-3979-5. Page 229.〕 This concept is then basis of Jesus' commands to Apostle Peter after his resurrection and before his Ascension to Heaven.〔 In John 21:15-17, a resurrected Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?" And as a response, Jesus commands Peter three times to "feed my lambs", "tend my sheep" and "feed my sheep", implying that love for Christ should translate to loving actions and care for his followers.〔''Thematic Guide to Biblical Literature'' (2007) by Nancy M. Tischler. ISBN 0-313-33709-8. Pages 65–67.〕〔''To Praise, to Bless, to Preach: Spiritual Reflections on the Sunday Gospels'' (2000) by Peter John Cameron. ISBN 0-87973-823-5. Pages 71–72.〕 The basic theme of the Epistle to the Ephesians is that of God the Father initiating the work of salvation through Christ, who is not merely a passive instrument in this scenario but takes an active role in the work of salvation.〔 In Ephesians 5:1-2, Paul calls upon the Ephesians to be imitators of God:〔 :Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God. Paul continues this idea in Ephesians 5:25 and states that: "Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it".〔''New Testament Christology'' (1999) by Frank J. Matera. ISBN 0-664-25694-5. Pages 155–156.〕 The discussion of the love expressed by Christ throughout the New Testament is part of the overall theme of the outpouring of love from a merciful God and Christ's participation in it.〔 In John 14:31, Jesus explains that his sacrificial act was performed so "that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do."〔 This verse includes the only direct statement by Jesus in the New Testament about his love for the Father.〔''Preaching the Gospel of John: proclaiming the living Word'' (2004) by Lamar Williamson. ISBN 0-664-22533-0. Page 192.〕 In the Book of Revelation (19:7-9), the imagery of the wedding feast of the Lamb represents the celebration of the culmination of this cycle of love and mercy of God, which begins in the first chapter of the Book of Genesis, and ends in salvation.〔〔''Dictionary of biblical imagery'' (1998) by Leland Ryken. ISBN 0-8308-1451-5. Page 122.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Love of Christ」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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