What Is Love? A Biblical Perspective
Valentine’s Day is coming up, and it’s that special time of year when everyone remembers and celebrates the ones they love. Our culture suggests expressing love with a box of chocolates, a special stuffed bear, or a dozen roses. These are great ways to show our love through giving, but love is so much more than that.
Let’s look at what love is from a biblical perspective.
Love is Sacrifice
There is no greater example of love than when God sent His Son to save us.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Christ gave his life for us not out of self-righteousness but out of love. He loves us so much that he wants to have a relationship with us and wants us to join him in eternity.
What would it be like to give up your life to save others, some of whom hate you? Well, the Bible tells us in 1 John to be imitators of Christ’s love.
“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”
Love is an Action
It’s easy to say, “I love you” to someone. We say it to our families and friends often, in fact. But from a biblical perspective and from God’s example, we find that love is not only words and emotions, but action!
1 Corinthians 13 is a special chapter in the Bible that shows us the importance of love. But it also tells ways that we can make changes so that our actions line up with the love God wants us to demonstrate.
“Love is patient and kind…Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
So, what does this mean for us? It could mean:
Forgiving those who have wronged us.
Giving up our desires for someone in need.
Showing patience to someone who is deliberately causing our frustration.
Being kind when others respond to us with hate.
These actions are what love looks like!
Love is the Absence of Wrong
As this famous chapter in Corinthians continues, it lists some things that love is NOT. This list is just as important as discussing what love is, since expressing some of these sins and wrongdoings show a lack of love in our hearts.
“Love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing…”
These are just some sins that, if we let them, can steal away our testimony of love. The good news is that, because of the blood that Jesus shed, we are free from the bondage of sin and can repent of these sins and let love take over once more!
When love takes over, we are able to face tough situations properly by:
Being longsuffering, or patient, when dealing with difficulty.
Being truthful in all our ways.
Being hopeful, or positive, even when a situation looks bleak.
Giving with a joyful, selfless attitude.
Not complaining when things aren’t going our way.
Jesus shows us his love every day when he forgives our sins, shows mercy and grace when we disobey, and freely gives no matter what we’ve done. When we demonstrate this kind of love to others, we are being imitators of Christ because he IS love (1 John 4:8).
Love is Crucial in Our Walk with God
The “Love Chapter” chapter starts off by telling us that without love we have nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2-3) With these verses, we can see the importance of having true love and demonstrating it in all that we do. No matter how much faith we have or even if we sacrifice our lives, without love, it means nothing.
Imitating Christ with Our Love
There is nothing like the love that Christ gives, and He wants everyone in the world to experience it. If we imitate His love, we are spreading His gospel and pointing everything we do back to Him.
Aside from the superficial gifts (which are still nice), what will you choose to do that shows Christ’s love during this month of love that we celebrate? Will you choose to make some changes in your life that will point others to Christ’s love?