John 3.16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
There are many distorted definitions of love circulating in our society. As followers of Jesus, it is imperative that we understand the nature of love as God designed it. Most importantly, we are called to live and work in a way that reflects the authentic love of God our Father and Jesus our Savior.
For the next few weeks we are going to study what scripture teaches about love. Today and tomorrow I will provide an outline of ten elements of love that we will study. Here are the first four:
1) Love is the preeminent Christian virtue.
It is the great commandment. Since love is pre-eminent, we must get it right. We pay a terrible price if we get it wrong. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22.37-40).
2) We must understand love according to God’s design.
The scripture says that God defines what love is; love does not define who God is. God is love, but love is not God. The Lord’s definition of love is selfless, sacrificial commitment to the best interests of others. This is the famous Greek agape. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4.7-8).
3) We must be careful not to follow a false view of love.
The world’s definition of love is “a strong feeling of affection,” and it is in direct opposition to selfless commitment. Love according to the world: feelings are primary; my commitment flows from how I feel about you. When the feelings waver, my love for you goes away. Love according to God’s kingdom: commitment is primary; my feelings flow from my commitment to you. When the feelings waver, my love for you stays strong.
4) God is the initiator of love.
We are able to know what love is only because God has shown us. “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3.16). Without the person and work of Jesus, we would not know what authentic love is. We would be relegated to follow the world’s counterfeit version. We would be stuck in the darkness of self-centered, feeling-based love, which is really non-love.
More tomorrow …
