A zealous Christian, striving to acquire true love, directs all his efforts to imitate God and His saving morals (2:277), i.e. tries to be meek, patient, gentle, merciful, and all for the sole reason that such is the Lord, Whom he loves, Whom he strives for and wants to be like, and this assimilation will open the way for him to be even closer to his Creator (1:91-92).

According to St. Tikhon, a clear sign of love for God is heartfelt joy. "As honey delights our throat when we taste it," says the Holy Father, "so does the love of God gladden our hearts when we taste and see how good the Lord is" (5:235). Just as there is no love without joy, so there can be no true joy without love, for what a man loves, he rejoices in (3:421). Both love for God and the spiritual joy that accompanies it should be present in a Christian under any circumstances of his life, both in prosperity and in misfortune. According to the saint, sorrow, when a person loses the object of his love, is a determinant, a touchstone of the truth of love and joy of a Christian. Indeed, will a person grieve and grieve for what he did not love and with which he was not comforted? (3:248–250). On the other hand, excessive sorrow over the loss of something temporary indicates that the believer's heart is still attached to earthly things and has not reached the fullness of spiritual love. Only one who is attentive to his spiritual life will notice this discrepancy between his aspirations and reality and will make an effort to eradicate from the heart the obstacles that hinder true love of God. Of course, a Christian, like any other person, is also characterized by ordinary everyday joy, for example, "for the blessing of the air, for the abundance of the fruits of the earth, for the health of oneself and for one's neighbors, and so on. But even this joy... has a beginning from God... For God's good is the testimony of God's goodness... and as the rays of the eternal sun descend upon us and warm us, and raise our mind and heart to Himself, and exhort Him to love and rejoice in Him" (3:251).

Finally, the most essential sign, fruit, and consequence of love for God is love for one's neighbor (1:86, 162; 4:275). Love for one's neighbor is a complete reflection of love for God. And from this it is evident that he does not love God who does not love his neighbor. Quoting the words of the Apostle John the Theologian: "If anyone says that he loves God, and hates his brother, it is a lie. For thou shalt not love thy brother, whom thou hast seen, God, but Whom thou hast not seen, how can thou love? And this is the commandment of the Imam from Him, that thou love God, and love thy brother also" (1 John 4:20-21), St. Tikhon says that a Christian who does not love his brother is dead in soul, for as the body is quickened by the soul, so the soul is quickened by the Spirit of Christ, and where there is no Christian brotherly love, there is no Spirit of Christ (5:236). When the Spirit of Christ is absent in a person's soul, another spirit inevitably dwells in it, the spirit of the devil, which captivates the soul, defiles and eradicates in it all that is good and holy. In the words of the Holy Father, where there is no love, spiritual death reigns, after which "eternal death will follow, when the soul is not resurrected by true repentance" (2:339). In order to avoid this death, a Christian in his life must be lenient towards the people around him, forgive the sins they commit, not be angry and not hide revenge in his heart, because "he who avenges himself from the Lord will find vengeance" (Sir. 28:1) (3:223). Only in this case will the Lord show mercy to the infirmities of the Christian himself. In other words, the absolution of sins, and consequently the salvation of a Christian, is directly dependent on his attitude to the people around him (5:187). Without love for them, God does not accept any sacrifice from a Christian (2:338; cf. 1:164), moreover, such a sacrifice, instead of propitiation, offends and angers the Creator.

According to the conclusion of the saint, if all virtues end with the death of a Christian, then true love continues to exist in the life of the age to come. It begins here, and will be perfectly revealed only in eternal life, where "in the election of God they will love one another, rejoice in one another, and enjoy one another spiritually" (1:89).

If love between people flourished in the world, human society would not only be freed from many evils and all kinds of misfortunes, such as theft, murder, deception, slander, ridicule, etc., but would also enjoy well-being and divine peace. "Oh, love, love, the union of perfection — love! – exclaims the saint. "How many blessings do we deprive us when we do not have them... With you everything is good and prosperous, but without you everything is bad and unhappy" (1:164). The beneficial effect of true love, generously poured out from the loving heart of a person on others, occurs for the reason that it cannot remain hidden by its inner property, as having its origin in God (4:324), but manifests itself independently of the external position of a person. According to the saint, it can be compared to a warm stove that warms everyone who touches it. All people without exception are our neighbors, for we are all descended from one Adam in the flesh, having one nature with him, and therefore we need each other's mutual help, as members of the material body (2:336-337). But Christians are especially close to each other, who are enlightened by one faith, baptism, and the word of God, and confess and call upon the One God (5:238). A Christian must show his love for his neighbor not only in words, but especially in good deeds, imitating his Redeemer and Saviour, Who, seeing the fall and the wounds inflicted by the enemy of the human race, the devil, "was created to our neighbor," came down from heaven, took the form of a servant, "bound our strings, pouring oil and wine, and thus healed us, and departing into heaven, He delivered us over to the gifts, the apostles and their successors, the pastors, that they might be diligent to us" (2:331-332).

Consequently, mutual love is a sign of a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who said: "Of this all men understand, that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35). Embodying these words in their lives, many followers of Christ were vouchsafed the greatest gift on earth – union with the Source of love – God (1:164). On this occasion the Holy Father of the Church exclaims: "Oh, how great is the bliss of man to be united with the eternal most blessed Divinity! What can be the most desirable and joyful thing in this union? But abiding in Christian love will be vouchsafed such great blessedness" (1:92). And no matter what gifts a Christian possesses, and no matter what feats he performs, all this will not bring him any benefit if he does not make a firm decision in his soul to walk the salvific path of love (1:91).

Speaking about the fruits of love and their significance in the life of a Christian, the saint quotes the words of the holy Apostle Paul: "Love suffers long, is merciful, does not see love, does not exalt itself, is not proud, does not riot, does not seek its own, is not irritated, thinks no evil, does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth, loves everything, eats faith in everything, trusts in everything, endures everything. Lyuby nikolizhe falls away..." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) and gives them a brief but at the same time clear explanation.

First of all, he says, love fosters in a Christian patience in enduring offenses. Only a person illumined by love is able to love people with all their shortcomings and infirmities; He recognizes them not only as his equals, but also as his brothers, and therefore generously forgives the offender, prays for him, sympathizes and grieves for his soul (2:332). In communication with each other, it is difficult for people not to offend each other with something: either by careless word, or deed, or in some other way. But a Christian should be the first to ask for forgiveness, even if he has been seriously offended in some way (2:359; 1:11, 170). Such behavior of a follower of Christ will contribute to the building of peace and the glorification of the One Who, by His feat on the cross and love, destroyed evil and established peace and joy among people. Contrary actions invariably lead to quarrels, enmity, hatred, and revenge (1:91). And "if everyone took revenge on each other, society would not be able to stand, for everyone would destroy each other" (2:362). A Christian must not only prevent anger or irritability from flaring up in his soul (1:163), but moreover, immediately cut off all thoughts that incite him against his neighbor. Although the feeling of anger is inherent in man, the Holy Father observes, it should be directed against sins, and not against man. This will testify to the great love in the heart of the angry, who seeks not his own, but the salvation of his neighbor (2:334). Guided by love, a Christian in this case only regrets the error of his neighbor and his ignorance. His heart will be painfully tormented until the sinner stops his sinful life and returns to the path of salvation. The sorrow of a true Christian does not give him peace even when he sees people who offend the greatness of God or His holy commandments by their sinful lives. And vice versa, he rejoices in the truth, harmony and peaceful life of those around him (1:163).

Envy, pride, and self-love are alien to true Christian love. It "loves all things," because in every person, no matter what nationality or moral constitution he may be, she sees the image of Almighty God, Who "shines His sun on the evil and the good, rains on the just and the unjust" (Matt. 5:45) (2:335). Such love is characterized by trust in every person, for "as she herself is simple-hearted, so she thinks of others; and just as she herself does not deceive anyone, so she thinks about others, and therefore believes everyone. For love is sincere, not deceitful, not flattering, and for the sake of what it is, so it hopes for others and has no suspicion" (2:335).

Of course, such perfection is not achieved by a person immediately, this requires a lifelong feat and the full exertion of all forces and abilities. The greatest service in this work is rendered by self-sacrifice and compulsion, by means of which a Christian will be able to achieve, with the help of God, the supreme gift of love not only for his well-wishers, but also for those who are maliciously disposed against him. "Whoever hates you," teaches St. Tikhon in one of his brief exhortations, "or is angry with you, conquer him with his love and strive to be reconciled with him, and even if he does not want peace, seek peace and be ready for peace; and here, although the heart does not will, the heart must be persuaded and inclined" (1:106).

A truly loving Christian is characterized by love for enemies (5:189); he is impelled to do this, firstly, by the calling of a disciple of Christ; and secondly, the commandment of the Saviour: "... love your enemies..." (Matt. 5:44). The loving heart of a Christian always seeks the salvation of each person, and the more a person is sick with sin, the more he is in the power of the devil, the more he regrets him and grieves. "If we wish to do the will of God and thus please God, then we must not take away our love from our enemies, and help them in their needs; for this shows more than a Christian and a God-pleasing person" (4:404).

If we think in human terms, it is very difficult to love someone who does evil. However, nothing is impossible for true faith and love (3:143). This is precisely the purpose of the Christian, to subdue the sinful nature to the spirit, to conquer evil with love. And if it is difficult for the old man, not enlightened by grace, to do this, then for the new, who has put on Christ, all things are possible (1:92). According to the Holy Father, a Christian who cultivates in himself love for his enemies grows spiritually from this, since the hostile attitude of ill-wishers leads him to the knowledge of infirmities, and this, in turn, contributes to the eradication of pride, vanity, self-conceit, etc. Consequently, for a person seeking salvation, reproach, sorrows and temptations are an invaluable blessing that elevates his soul to heaven (2:365-366).

But when a person in his sinfulness does not stand the test, that is, he repays offense for offense, responds to evil with evil and harbors hatred in his heart, then he yields victory to his adversary, the devil, who distances him from God and salvation (1:229). And vice versa, if the heart of a believer does not agree with evil and accepts it, then it is able, with the help of God, to overcome all that is contrary to God and to assimilate what faith and the commandments of Christ require (3:143).

As a living example of the acquisition of good habits in the soul, a Christian should look to the Chief Shepherd Christ, Whose life is an example for everyone who wants to be saved. "Christ Jesus our Saviour," says St. Tikhon, "by His meekness and patience teaches us to be meek and patient, and to overcome the malice of people by goodness, or at least by silence" (5:128). The holy apostles, martyrs, and a multitude of God's saints acted in the same way in their lives, who conquered malice through love, and through this led many with God's help to Christ (2:367).