Define: Love

How do you define love?

Google tells me that love is: 

• Noun: An intense feeling of deep affection: “their love for their country”.
• Verb: Feel a deep romantic or sexual attachment to (someone): “do you love me?”

The Australian Oxford Dictionary tells me that love is:

• Noun: deep, intense affection; sexual passion; a loved person.
• Verb: feel love for; like very much.

For some reason, both of these definitions don’t really work for me… 

Love has been so corrupted by society. It seems to be a word that is too overused, for example in the expression “I love pizza” or “I love tennis.” It also seems that love is confused with infatuation - the “high” feeling that someone may have when they fall in love. I think lust can even be confused for love.

The Bible indicates that love is from God and actually says that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). 

The difference about God’s love is that His love is non-partial, unconditional, sacrificial… “agage” love. Whereas our love is usually conditional and based upon how others are towards us… “phileo” love. And then there’s “eros” love which is romantic love. BUT that’s not the point of any of this actually… 

Agape love gives and sacrifices expecting nothing in return.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Ephesians 5:25

Since love comes from God and God wants each of us to love each other how he loves us… like wow. That’s no easy thing to do. 

Here are some more ways that the Bible shows us what love is…

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. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (There is so much that could be said about these verses. I’ll save that for another post)

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 1 John 3:16

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Anyway, there is so much more I could say on everything. This posts a bit all over the place, but I just felt like saying it. So yeah.