Have you ever stopped to consider love? Most people think of love as an emotion. A warm feeling. But what is love, from a scriptural standpoint? How does the Bible define love?

Defining love is essential to understanding the manner in which God loves us, and how we are to show love to others.

Let’s jump in!

More Than Emotion

The scripture has a lot to say about love, both the giving and receiving of love, and how all of it centers around God. And it’s this last part about love being centered around God that’s fundamental to comprehending what love is. Because contrary to the common idea that love is an emotion or feeling, the scriptures primarily define love as a verb— actions that we take, rather than something we feel.

In fact one of the few times the word love is used as a noun in scripture is when it’s speaking of God. 1^st John 4:8 tells us that anyone who does not love (verb) does not know God, because God is love (noun).

These details are fascinating because they tell us something about our relationship with God, and how godly love operates. Much more than an emotion, godly love is defined by actions, that are produced and flow from a source— God himself.

Indeed, love should manifest some type of action. The greatest example of this is Jesus. The famous words of John 3:16 say because God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him will have eternal life. God’s love produces results, and this shows us why the earlier details of love being a verb, and sometimes a noun when speaking of God is important.

True Love Comes From God

Godly love is not something that comes from our human nature. It’s not something that we do or understand naturally. True love comes only from God, and we receive it by living in Christ, receiving His love first, and then sharing it with others. 1^st John 4:19 says that we love, because He first loved us. In both instances, the word love is the verb form. We love in action, because God first demonstrated His love action toward us through Jesus Christ.

The interesting detail here though, is the word because, which shows us that it is actually Jesus’ sacrifice which empowers us to love. How does this happen? The answer is a few verses prior, in 1^st John 4:16-18:

“ ¹⁶ And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him.

¹⁷ Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

¹⁸ There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.”

 

Living in God’s Love

Notice that verse 16 mentions knowing and believing the love that God has toward us. It’s one thing to know of God’s love (many people know about it intellectually); but it’s another thing entirely to believe God’s love towards you.

We are called to dwell in love, which is synonymous to dwelling in God. And then the thought continue’s in verse 17 where we see that our love (noun) is made perfect through our having boldness in the day of judgment.

Now think about this… For many, the day of God’s judgment is a fearful and frightening thing. People are afraid that they will not measure up— and indeed they won’t if their righteousness rests in their own performance and efforts.

Yet, for us, who are dwelling in Christ, abiding in love, we do not have fear (verse 18) but we have boldness, because we are exactly as Christ is.

Some would consider that claim to be blasphemous, but if we truly know and believe the love of God towards us as verse 16 says, that we would also accept the rest of these truths regarding what effect God’s love has on our spiritual status and standing in Him.

All of this, ultimately shapes our actions, causing God’s love in us to overflow out to those around us. It’s much more than emotion, going down into our very core and being, because we have been reborn into a new creation in Christ. And this, my friend, gives God glory and honors Jesus.

Be blessed.