What Is The Love Of Christ?
The phrase “love of Christ,” as opposed to “love for Christ,” refers to the love that He has toward mankind. His love can be briefly stated as His willingness to act in our best interest, especially in meeting our greatest need, even though it cost Him everything and even though we were the least worthy of such love.
Though Christ Jesus, being God in nature, existed from the beginning of time with God the Father (John 1:1) and the Holy Spirit, He willingly left His throne (John 1:1-14) to become a man, that He might pay the penalty for our sin so that we would not have to pay for it for all eternity in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). Because mankind’s sin has been paid for by our sinless Savior Jesus Christ, God who is just and holy can now forgive our sins when we accept Christ Jesus’ payment as our own (Romans 3:21-26). Thus, Christ’s love is shown in His leaving His home in heaven, where He was worshiped and honored as He deserved, to come to earth as a man where He would be mocked, betrayed, beaten, and crucified on a cross to pay the penalty for our sin, rising again from the dead on the third day. He considered our need of a Savior from our sin and its penalty as more important than His own comfort and life (Philippians 2:3-8).
Sometimes people may give their lives willingly for ones they deem as worthy - a friend, a relative, other “good” people - but Christ’s love goes beyond that. Christ’s love extends to those most unworthy of it. He willingly took the punishment of those who tortured Him, hated Him, rebelled against Him, and cared nothing about Him, those who were most undeserving of His love (Romans 5:6-8). He gave the most He could give for those who deserved it the least! Sacrifice, then, is the essence of godly love, called agape love. This is God-like love, not man-like love (Matthew 5:43-48).
This love which He demonstrated toward us on the cross is just the beginning. When we place our trust in Him as our Savior, He makes us God’s children, co-heirs with Him! He comes to dwell within us through His Holy Spirit, promising that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6). Thus, we have a loving companion for life. And no matter what we go through, He is there, and His love is ever available to us (Romans 8:35). But as He rightfully reigns as a benevolent King in heaven, we need to give Him the position He deserves in our lives as well, that of Master and not merely companion. It is only then that we will experience life as He intended and live in the fullness of His love (John 10:10b).
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
Jesus Wants You To Know...
"Come to Me, and I will ease, relieve, and refresh your soul. Approach Me confidently, dear one, knowing that I have perfect understanding of you and everything that concerns you. Tell Me your troubles candidly; let the Light of My Face shine on them and illuminate your thinking. Then rest with Me, slowly inhaling the beauty of My Presence. You can feel safe and secure in My everlasting arms. As you spend precious time with Me, let Me ease and relieve your soul."
The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, ‘Destroy!’' - Deuteronomy 33:27 (NKJV)
The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, ‘Destroy!’' - Deuteronomy 33:27 (NKJV)
- "Jesus Always" by Sarah Young
What Does It Mean That God Is Love?
Let’s look at how the Bible describes love, and then we will see a few ways in which God is the essence of love. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, 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” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a). This is God’s description of love, and because God is love (1 John 4:8), this is what He is like.
In love, God does not force Himself on anyone. Those who
come to Him do so in response to His love. In love, God shows kindness to all.
In love, Jesus went about doing good to everyone without partiality. In love,
Jesus did not covet what others had, living a humble life without complaining.
In love, Jesus did not brag about who He was in the flesh, although He could
have overpowered anyone He ever came in contact with. In love, Jesus willingly
obeyed His Father in heaven. “The world must learn that I love the Father and
that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me” (John 14:31). In love, Jesus
was/is always looking out for the interests of others.
The greatest expression of God’s love is communicated to us in 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.” Romans 5:8 proclaims
the same message: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we
were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We can see from these verses that it
is God’s greatest desire that we join Him in His eternal home, heaven. He has
made the way possible by paying the price for our sins. He loves us because He
chose to as an act of His will. Love forgives. “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).
So, what does it mean that God is love? Love is an attribute of God. Love is a
core aspect of God’s character, His Person. God’s love is in no sense in
conflict with His holiness, righteousness, justice, or even His wrath. All of
God’s attributes are in perfect harmony. Everything God does is loving, just as
everything He does is just and right. God is the perfect example of true love.
Amazingly, God has given those who receive His Son Jesus as their personal
Savior the ability to love as He does, through the power of the Holy Spirit (John
1:12; 1 John 3:1, 23-24).
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
What Is Love?
Love
can be a challenge to define at the level of how a person experiences it. Love
can involve personal affection, sexual attraction, platonic admiration,
brotherly loyalty, benevolent concern, or worshipful adoration. To accurately
answer the question “what is love?” we need to go to the origin of love. The
Bible tells us that love originates in God.
In
the English language, the word love is forced to bear the
burden of a multitude of meanings. We “love” everything from pancakes to
parents, but in vastly different ways. The languages in which the Bible was
written, Hebrew and Greek, are more precise in that they utilize different words
for the different types of love. The ancient languages differentiate among
sexual, brotherly, and familial love, and also the kind of love that God has
for creation and that we may have for Him.
The Hebrew word yada and the Greek word eros are
the words used to indicate sexual love. In Genesis 38 Judah makes
love with a woman he assumes is a prostitute. In the original Hebrew of verse
26, the word is yada, meaning “to know” and in this context “to
know carnally” or “to have sexual intercourse with.” In the New Testament, the
Greek word eros is not found because there is no context in
which it might be used.
The second type of love is the brotherly love that exists between close friends
regardless of gender. There is no sexual connotation; it is the love for and by
a friend. The Hebrew word is ahabah, and it is used to describe the
love between David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 20:17. The Greek word for
brotherly love or affection is phileo, as used to refer to
friendship in John 15:19, Romans 12:10, and Hebrews 13:1.
Of family or tribal love, the Hebrew word is once again ahabah,
indicating a deep affection, and the Greek word is storge. We
find ahabah throughout the Old Testament because of its broad
range of meanings, but the Greek word storge is only found in
the New Testament as a negative word, astorgos, meaning
"without natural love" (e.g., in 2 Timothy 3:3).
Finally, there is the Hebrew word chesed and the Greek
word agape, which are used to express the kind of love God
demonstrates toward His elect. Chesed is often translated as
“steadfast love” or “lovingkindness.” A good example of chesed is
found in Numbers 14:18, “The Lord is slow to anger and abounding
in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression”. God’s chesed love
is why He never gives up on those He has adopted as His children. Throughout
the Old Testament, God’s people repeatedly fell into idolatry and sin, yet He
always preserved a remnant; He never gives up on His people. The reason is
His chesed love.
A similar idea is found in the New Testament with the Greek word agape. Agape love
is the goodwill and benevolence of God shown in self-sacrifice and an
unconditional commitment to the loved one. Agape is similar
to chesed in that it is steadfast, regardless of
circumstances. Agape love is the kind of love we are to have
for God in fulfillment of the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37).
Jesus wants to instill agape in His followers as we serve
others through the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 22:39; John 13:34).
In the most basic sense, love is the emotion felt and actions performed by
someone concerned for the well-being of another person. Love involves
affection, compassion, care, and self-sacrifice. Love originates in the Triune
Godhead, within the eternal relationship that exists among the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit (1 John 4:7–8). Loving is unique to the human experience of being
an image-bearer of God. A pet owner may love her dog; she is concerned for its
well-being and cares for it. On the other hand, her dog doesn’t truly love her.
Oh, it wags its tail, sits by her, and comes when she calls, but all of those
responses are based on the fact that she feeds it and keeps it warm. Animals
cannot love in the same way that humans, created in God’s image, can love.
Here is the bottom line on love: “This is how God showed his love among us: He
sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This
is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an
atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also
ought to love one another. . . . We love because he first loved us” (1 John
4:9–11, 19).
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"