Christian love

What The Bible says about Love

"for God so loved the world he gave his only son" A Christian advice page about the meaning of
Christian love, what The Bible says
Our understanding of love really has become a mess! It's hardly surprising looking at the stuff the
media churns out, which portray love as a kind of fun pastime. It seems that love nowadays is
confined to emotions and feelings rather than commitment and honesty. Actually it's all these
things.

Christian love is to give

What would be the ultimate act of love? - probably laying down your life for someone. In the
image above we see exactly this - the giving of oneself unconditionally to others, as Jesus did for
us. But giving love without a need is meaningless. So God created beings that need love, and
that could partake in the giving of love which is ultimately what fulfills. In this giving and receiving,
we end up with broadly two types of love that most people are familiar with.

1) Love given unconditionally can be called gift-love -also called Divine love as it most closely
resembles love Himself (God) An example would be the unconditional sacrifice of Christ. Gift
loves are the most godly. Giving, joyful, energetic, patient, willing to forgive, desiring the good of
the beloved. All these are images of divine life. Our model of gift love displayed by Jesus is not
only at Calvary, but in the workshop, the crowds, the demands and oppositions, lack of peace
and privacy and constant interruptions.

2) Loves that arises out of a need to be loved can be called need-loves. - also called natural loves
because they are earthly -not Divine. Interestingly the dictionary definition gives us predominantly
descriptions of need-love. Examples would be affection, friendship. These nouns denote feelings
of warm personal attachment that are often reciprocated. Need love might be called selfish but
no-one ever said a child was selfish for craving its mother's love or an adult for the affection of a
friend. Since we do in reality need each other - this love is perfectly acceptable. It's our need that
brings us to God!

a paradox . . .
It's apparently God's decided law of the universe that fulfillment is to be found in giving - not
receiving (despite what society says these days!). If we only receive, eventually we begin to feel
empty! To add to this upsidedownness of logic, all the power of the universe is said to be held in
the words we say! - words have the power to hurt or heal - not the things one normally associates
with power. God allows us to share in the giving of love, breathing life into others using our words
and actions. (Man does not live on bread alone, but from every word that proceedeth from the
mouth of God).

does God need love?

The giver of all things does not need love, but delights in loves reciprocation!

summary
Need love says of a woman, I cannot live without her. Gift love says " I long to give her
happiness, comfort, protection and if possible wealth. Appreciative love is silent and rejoices that
such a wonder should exist. As with many things of an infinite God, the loves blend into one
another with seamless continuity. It's hard to see where affection becomes friendship and so on.

....
what does the Bible say about Christian love?
"Love is very patient and kind, never jealous,envious, boastful or proud, never haughty, selfish or
rude. Love does not demand its own way. It's not irritable. It does not hold grudges and will hardly
notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices when truth wins out.

God's love is sacrificial, John 3:16, NIV.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish but have eternal life."

God's love lasts forever, Psalm 136:1, NIV.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever."

love your enemies!

'Love your friends and hate your enemies' But I say: Love your enemies! "Pray for those who
persecute you!"

God's law is summed up in love, Matthew 22:37-40, NIV.

"Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind'. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor
as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Love for God is shown by keeping His commandments, I John 5:3, NRSV.
"For the love of God is this, that we obey His commandments. And His commandments are not
burdensome."

Don't let your love for God weaken, Revelation 2:4-5, TLB.
'Yet there is one thing wrong; you don't love me as at first! Think about those times of your first
love (how different now!) and turn back to me again and work as you did before.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God, Romans 8:38-39, NIV.
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor
the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able
to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

We are commanded to love one another, I John 2:7-8, TLB.

"Dear brothers, I am not writing out a new rule for you to obey, for it is an old always new, and
works for you just as it did for Christ; and as we obey this commandment, to love one another, the
darkness in our lives disappears and the new light of life in Christ shines in."

Christian Love - Christ's Commandment

What's at the heart of Christian love? Jesus said, "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if
you have love for one another" (John 13:35). John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, once wrote, "We
know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not
love his brother abides in death" (1 John 3:14). And "by this we know that we love the children of
God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep
His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:2-3).

Christian Love - Not a Feeling, a Lifestyle

So, what do these scriptures regarding "Christian love" really mean? Is it a warm fuzzy feeling? I
don't have a warm fuzzy feeling for everyone I meet, Christian or otherwise -- does that mean I'm
not saved? No, a "warm fuzzy feeling" is not the biblical definition for "love". So, what is the
Biblical definition for love? Let's search the Scriptures and find out…
A Pharisaic lawyer once asked our Lord, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"
Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and
with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'You
shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the
Prophets." (Matthew 22:36-40)

According to Matthew's Gospel, the very essence of the Law and the Prophets is to love God and
to love others. And we see this term "the Law and the Prophets" used in one other place in
Matthew's Gospel. It's in this passage that we find the Biblical definition for love: "Therefore,
whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."
(Matthew 7:12)

Would you want your wife to commit adultery? Would you want someone to murder you or to
murder someone you love? Would you want someone to steal from you, lie to you, covet your
possessions? Of course not! So don't go and do these things to other people! Paul, inspired by
the Holy Spirit, commands us to "owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who
loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You
shall not murder,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'You shall not covet,' and
if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, 'You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.' Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the
law." (Romans 13:8-10)

In Luke's Gospel, Jesus elaborates on this "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"
principle. He says, "Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods
do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. But if
you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love
them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even
sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is
that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do
good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of
the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father
also is merciful." (Luke 6:30-36)

Christian Love - Selfless & Giving Love

Christian love is giving to others those things that you would want them to give you if you were in
their situation -- and it's doing so even if they can't pay you back. In fact, it's doing so especially if
they can't pay you back! Christian love is respect for others. It's mercy. It's charity.

When the King James translators came upon the Greek word agape (God's Love), in addition to
using the English word "love" to transliterate it, they often chose the English word "charity." This
was meant to reinforce the idea that agape is a selfless, giving love. God's Love is unselfish and
unconditional. Now we know what is meant by Christian love. Now we know what to strive for…