What is Love?

Now I'm not talking about the song, but what is love, really? The topic of love over my very short week has repeatedly popped up in big ways. From coming up in my morning devotions to heated arguments in class, it's a reoccuring topic. And I just wanted to share a little bit of one of the discussions from Tuesday's lesson. We were actually talking about Unity as a team and a HUGE part of that is love. we can't be unified with out it. So to understand love we looked at some verses.

John 15:12

“This is my COMMANDMENT: Love each other in the same way I have loved you,”

Romans 12:9

“Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them... Love each other with GENUINE affection and take delight in honoring each other.”

 

1 Corinthians 8:1
“ It is LOVE that STRENGTHENS the church.” “Knowledge puffs up while love builds up.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-13 Love is actions

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

 

Romans 13:10

“Love does NO WRONG to others, so LOVE FULFILLS the requirements of God's law.”

So we learned that God COMMANDS us, as Christians, to love people (not a suggestion). Then He tells us how to love one another with a real, GENUINE love (not a surface deep or hypocritical love, but deeper than feelings and emotions, because we love really isn't a feeling. If it were, we would be very fical because we always dont feel like loving people). Love is meant to strengthen and build up people. And love has to be active lifestyle (We can't just say that we love. We have to live it out and be patient, kind, not easily angered, etc.). And crazy thing is that if we all loved like this though there would be no requirement for laws, because we would all be looking to the interest of others before our selves. But sadly that's not the case.

The love which as Christians we are meant to have is the Biblical sense of the word. Not lust, emotion, or based on what we get out of it, no, we are talking about unconditional love that does not change.

Almost makes me think of the Prodical Son (Luke 15:11-32) that after how much he messed up and had wasted his father's money and his inheritance, his father was waiting for him to return to him and loved him even though his son had been the worst possible son EVER! God is waiting for us to turn and accept His love which is free. And in turn we can love others they way He loved us, unconditionally. Inspite of us, how bad we were and are, no matter if we choose to love Him or not, God loved us first and continues to love. “We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

So since we are called to love the way Christ does, who is capable of this love? Are those who know God, who is love (1John 4:8) and have a relationship with Him, the only ones who know true love? Or are all humans capable of being loving, Christian or non-Christian?

Yes, all people are capable of loving one another in one way or another. We were made to be social and together (Gen 2:18 “It is not good for the man to be alone.”) But would you love someone who murdered your best friend or closest family member? Would you die for that murderer? It is easy to love those who love you, but is it possible to love your enemies? That is what God is calling us to do. Have unconditional love. No matter what they have done.

The best example of unconditional love is found in God. God the Father and Jesus are the perfect Father- Son relationship and they most definitely love one another because they are the same person! But because God loved us sooo much He was willing to sacrifice His Son for us, and Jesus was willing to lay down His life for us. Jesus didn't just die though for those who were good to Him and loved Him; He died for the people who turned their backs to Him and spat in His face. (The Bible says “no one is righteous not even one” Romans 3:10-12; “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23) As humans, we are His murders and every human being is accountable for His death, because He loved us soo much that he chose to die so that He could save us from our sins and make us right with God. But now that He has done that is He going to force us to accept it? No! But like the good father, He waits for us to return so that He can accept us and love us despite of what we have done to Him.

As Christians we are called to love as He loved and that is our highest goal (1 Cor. 14:1 “Let love be your highest goal!”) God loved us despite of our sin, and Jesus laid down His life for his executioners. We need to love our friends and enemies and do good to those who hate us. (Matthew 5:44 “love your enemies! Pray for those who perescute you!”... “If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even nonbelievers do that.”)


Really in the end those who know God know what love is. Because how else can we know what love is until we know the one who is Love and has showed us the ultimate example of love. And when He lives in us and give us His strength to love others. He wouldn't tell us to do something that we couldn't do and not help us! Does not mean it will be easy, but God will help us love one another.

So in the end, Love is unconditional and eternal and we need to accept God's love and we need God to love. Guess the Beetles had it right....All you need is Love.