What is LOVE?
As Christians, we often hear this word, especially in church services and within the community. But do we really understand the true meaning of love apart from God’s revelation in the Scriptures?
Many of us have probably learned there are four different Greek words for “love”: eros (romantic love), philia (friendly love), storge (family love), and the highest one is agape (unconditional love). What does Scripture say?
Scripture reveals that “GOD IS LOVE” (1 John 4:16). Describing “love” is like portraying God Himself. It is too marvelous for words!
God’s love is agape (unconditional), which means love is His very nature and it all depends on Him. There is not a single moment when God is not love or when He does not love. Everything God does is done out of love. He gives and He takes away out of love. Even His blessings and judgments are given out of love.
And the good news is this: we are the recipients of God’s love. As we put our faith in His Son Jesus Christ, we are supposed to receive the fullness of love of God the Father!
Scripture does give us the definition of love. The apostle Paul, under the inspiration of Holy Spirit, wrote, “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. . . And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13).
So, as we reflect on God’s love, think about His love in your life: how He has been good to you over all these years. He is the One who sees you, who saves you, who sustains and strengthens you… and by His Holy Spirit, He sanctifies you to be the partakers of His holiness.
Let’s briefly take a look at these aspects. Here are the five divine [holy, love] actions of God:
God is the One who SEES us. Before we were born, the all-knowing God knew us. Scripture tells us, “Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.” (Ephesians 1:4, NLT). Because God is love, He is the author of love. He is the One who took the initiative to love. Apart from God, we won’t be able to love: “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19).
God is the One who SAVES us. In our helplessness and brokenness, God reached out to us. His love always moves Him to act. And the ultimate expression of love is in giving all He has—His very own life: “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). Jesus—the Son of God—died on the cross, so that we—the sons and daughters of God—could live. He proves His love for us by taking our punishment on Him, so that we are rescued from death and even given eternal life. As it is written, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) and “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.” (John 3:16).
God is the One who SUSTAINS us. God did not save us to leave us alone, but He further shows His love by caring for us. Jesus commands us to not worry about our life—neither in the present nor in the future—but, instead, to focus on God’s kingdom and truth (Matthew 6:25-34). We can trust in His sustaining power that holds the universe together (Hebrews 1:3, Colossians 1:15-17). By this same power, God is able to “supply all our needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19).
God is the One who STRENGTHENS us. Living in this world, we need to be constantly strengthened as we face “tough” realities in life. We can surely find strength in God’s promises—through His Word and His Spirit. Jesus promises that we can have peace in Him as we face troubles in this world (John 16:33). Jesus is not only the Savior of the world, but He is also Immanuel (God with us). Not only His [comforting] promises give us strength, but also His [loving] presence! That’s why we need to wait on the Lord, which means putting our trust and hope in Him alone (Isaiah 40:31).
God is the One who SANCTIFIES us. Thank God He saves us. But He didn’t stop there. He further shows His love for us by sanctifying us. In Christ, we receive not only the blessing of salvation, but also the blessing of sanctification. This sanctification is essentially the divine work of “beautifying” or purifying us from the inside (our inward being). Like a physical building that needs renovation or restoration, spiritually, we too, as God’s building, need some upgrades or renewals. Our minds need to be renewed, our hearts need to be restored. We need to be cleansed (by His Word, symbolized as water, and by His Spirit, symbolized as fire) from all the impurities of this world. A two-fold goal of this sanctifying work is to transform us into Christlikeness (2 Corinthians 3:18) and to keep our whole being—spirit and soul and body—blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
So, now, what does this all mean to us?
First, this means God’s forgiveness is still available to us today. Just as we are taught to ask for daily bread in the Lord’s prayer, we need to also ask Him to “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” Scripture says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). There is power in the confession of sins—we will receive a double blessing: forgiveness and purification. No wonder it’s written, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.” (Psalm 32:1) or, as the New Living Translation puts it, “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!”. Is there anything that we need to confess? Disobedience, pride, envy, ungratefulness, worldliness, laziness, lust, greed, etc. Let us come to Jesus today, confess our sins, and thank Him for His forgiveness and purification.
Foremost, this means that by God’s transforming love, we can now live with boldness and confidence in Him. Scripture clearly and convincingly says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18) and “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1). We can have courage to share Christ’s love with others as we continue to grow in the knowledge of the [agape] love of God and experience (taste and see) His goodness in our lives. We can fulfill God’s call for each one of us to be a soul winner and a disciple maker.
Finally, this means we can fully rest assured in the truth that God is fully committed to us! Yes, Christ’s work of salvation is finished—once for all. But His work of sanctification is ongoing as He is transforming us more and more into His likeness. In other words, He does not just save us from sin and death, but He also continues to make us clean and more beautiful in His sight—by His Word and His Spirit. Scripture says, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” (Philippians 2:13, NLT).
It is His power that enables us to live in love, for His glory. It is not by our human abilities or religious deeds, but by the power of His Holy Spirit and Divine Love that is at work within us, that we can fulfill the Great Commandment: to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength; and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
To this end, we can hold onto this promise that “He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
This article was first conceived on November 24, 2024; written and finalized on December 7, 2024 in Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada. The featured image was originally designed by the author with images from online resources.
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