What is love?

Simple question: as a Christian how do you define love?

I think it is very important that we all understand what love is and what it isn't.
There seems to be some confusion in this.
 
Surely there is a lot of definition…

One close to how I see it:

Love is an action towards the spiritual growth of oneself (man) AND others (fellowman)... i.e.: the 2nd great commandment...
 
I will start by quoting Don Francisco, one I believe in:
Love is not a feeling, but the act of your will.

I agree, it is more of an ACTION.... not merely a feeling, an emotion…

"Love your enemies" as the Teacher had said, .... that will be "emotionally" impossible… I think…

But in action.. it is possible.
 
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I agree, it is more of an ACTION.... not merely emotion…

"Love you enemy" as the Teacher had said, .... that will be "emotionally" impossible… I think…

But in action.. it is possible.
Yup, you have that right.
So if you choose to murder/cheat/all those nasty things - your action reflects no love, so to say a void in the place of love. Hate = void of love.
Love can only be found if you are in Christ, who is in the Father - so you also then. The love for your wife, brother/neighbour/etc. comes from that love, otherwise it may be something entirely different - I think.
If you have love then, can you safely say it is something that will come across as an action of some sort? I'm thinking sea of galilee vs. dead sea here.
 
Yup, you have that right.
So if you choose to murder/cheat/all those nasty things - your action reflects no love, so to say a void in the place of love. Hate = void of love.
Love can only be found if you are in Christ, who is in the Father - so you also then. The love for your wife, brother/neighbour/etc. comes from that love, otherwise it may be something entirely different - I think.
If you have love then, can you safely say it is something that will come across as an action of some sort? I'm thinking sea of galilee vs. dead sea here.

Yes, "comes from that love" .... precisely am still pondering on the importance of that phrase in the verse below "And the second is like it" i.e: how the 1st is connected to the 2nd....

Matthew 22:34-40New King James Version (NKJV)
The Scribes: Which Is the First Commandment of All?
34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’a]'>[a] 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’b]'>[b] 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
 
Yes, "comes from that love" .... precisely am still pondering on the importance of that phrase in the verse below "And the second is like it" i.e: how the 1st is connected to the 2nd....

Matthew 22:34-40New King James Version (NKJV)
The Scribes: Which Is the First Commandment of All?
34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’a]'>[a] 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’b]'>[b] 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Ah, yes. Good catch is in order for you.
The first and second greatest commandments are "connected" indeed. If you do not have the first, you will not have the second, and the second cannot exist without the first.
Now let's go tell the world.
 
Love is not a feeling, or a action, it is a person.

1John_4:8.. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

This is a "description" of God him self.

1Co 13:4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
1Co 13:5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
1Co 13:6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
1Co 13:7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1Co 13:8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will


 
Love is not a feeling, or a action, it is a person.

1John_4:8.. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

This is a "description" of God him self.

1Co 13:4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
1Co 13:5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
1Co 13:6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
1Co 13:7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1Co 13:8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will

Yes, yes, I'm sure we all will agree.
But look.
He that loveth not... that is an action or rather an action not put into work.

Or is it just me seeing things?
 
Simple question: as a Christian how do you define love?

I think it is very important that we all understand what love is and what it isn't.
There seems to be some confusion in this.

With some thought about this, it seems to me that LOVE is God giving us the freedom of choice.

That means He gave us the freedom to say NO. To me, the wonder of love is when a person CHOOSES to love you.

I think God delights when we choose to love Him out of our free will to choose which in love He gave us.
In giving Adam and Eve the free will to choose to sin, God showed a new element of HIs love----He loves sinners and we are all sinners!!!
 
Yes, yes, I'm sure we all will agree.
But look.
He that loveth not... that is an action or rather an action not put into work.

Or is it just me seeing things?

I used to see things! But when I realized that those things in my eyes were buttons and not my contacts everything cleared up.
 
Yes, yes, I'm sure we all will agree.
But look.
He that loveth not... that is an action or rather an action not put into work.

Or is it just me seeing things?

Remember without the Spirit of God we can not worship God, neither can we love him.

Joh 4:23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

Notice: The reason one can not love God is because they do not know God.

1John_4:8.. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
 
Love is not a feeling, or a action, it is a person.

1John_4:8.. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

This is a "description" of God him self.

1Co 13:4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
1Co 13:5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
1Co 13:6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
1Co 13:7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1Co 13:8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will


My understanding is that love is all of the above. It is primarily a person...God, second and action and lastly a feeling. But all of this flows out of God...for God is love and one cannot not love if he doesn't know God.
 
My understanding is that love is all of the above. It is primarily a person...God, second and action and lastly a feeling. But all of this flows out of God...for God is love and one cannot not love if he doesn't know God.
It boils down to the fact we need God for every thing, even in loving him. We can only love others when God him self is loving them through us his Church.
 
Simple definition...1 corinthians 13
The 'love chapter' in the bible.

It is charity - love thy neighbour. Because God shows grace to us. Greek word for grace is charis...this is where word charity comes from. Some translations put 'love' instead. Charity encompasses love.
 
God is love.
Children of God love God...as we follow the first commandment, and act it by doing the second to others. Jesus loves us.
God so loved the world...John 3:16 ...

Evidence...he sent us his only begotten son Jesus for us to believe in. How did Jesus show love? he was kind to all and didnt hurt or fight back. he hated evil and wicked men and rebuked them while protecting the young and innocent children and died for us, taking our sins away. There was no sin in him, there was nothing but LOVE.
 
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