1 John 4:8: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
John 3:16: “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.”
1 Corinthians 13:4–13:
“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. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
There are four main Greek words for love:
- Eros – romantic or passionate love
- Philia – friendship love
- Storge – family love
- Agape – unconditional, divine love
In the New Testament, two of these are commonly used: Philia, meaning friendship, and Agape, representing God’s unconditional love.
Biblical love can be expressed as a noun, adjective, and verb:
- Noun: God is love.
- Adjective: How He loves—John 3:16: God so loved the world.
- Verb: He loves—John 3:16: He gave His Son.
A glimpse of God’s love is beautifully described in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7:
“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.”
Fifteen aspects of God’s love are revealed in this passage. When we compare ourselves to God’s love, we inevitably fall short—just as we fall short of perfectly keeping the Ten Commandments or the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount.
Yet, we praise God for His mercy. Matthew 9:13 reminds us:
“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’”
When we are born again, we die to self—our desires take a back seat to His will. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
When we fall short of His love, we violate our new nature. Yet John reassures us:
“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”
As the candle for Love is lit this Advent, we are reminded that our new nature reflects the love of God.
Paul closes 1 Corinthians 13 with this profound statement:
“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Faith is essential, but faith alone cannot save us.
Hope is important, but hope alone cannot save us.
Only love carries us into His presence. Only God’s love presents us before Him with exceeding joy.
God is love!