The Biblical Perspective of Love. (Love Series).

Love, one word whose meaning has deviated from what the creator of love, God, made it to be to something whose meaning has been redefined by the world's standards and social constructs, so much so that sometimes, it is hard to get back to the true meaning of love. With the way the world and society are right now, "love" does not seem to still be what God made it to be. Now, love seems to have a misconception of being lust because its meaning is now more physical and sexual than spiritual and emotional. With the world and its definition of love, love has lost its meaning. But with and in God, the creator of love, LOVE is the most beautiful human emotion and the greatest commandment from God to man.

What is love?

In a more finite sentence, God is love and love is God. 1 John 4.7-8 says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God and everyone that loves is born of God and knows God. But he that loves not, knows not God, for God is love". If you do not know who God is, nor have a relationship with Him, you cannot love someone, and whatever mushy emotion or feeling you have ever had for someone is not love but either lust or a feeling of being compelled to honor and respect the person. Real love can only be gotten from God because He alone bestows upon man the capability to love in fullness, only when you ask.

Going further down, verses 9 & 10 explained how God displayed and proved His love for us when He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins. God is also the creator of the universe, the people, the living and non-living things that inhabit the earth. Only God can teach you how to love the people He created, especially in all the natural complexity of human beings. Going into a relationship, or marriage without Jesus, saying you love someone or love some people without Jesus is like saying you love the white exterior of a fridge even though you don't know how the inside looks like, nor have you communicated with its manufacturer to tell you what it is used for and how to use it. Many times, we get into relationships, friendships, marriages, without the manual of love from He who created love. We go in with the definition and standards of love from the internet, imposing what is and whatnots from social constructs and ideologies on our partners, friends, or spouses.

The only way to get love right and to love someone right is to love people just as God said, with all the characteristics of love. Not love based on favoritism or our own emotionally clouded judgment. Loving people according to God's standards involves loving people nonetheless. Love is sacrifice, love is patience.

What Love is Not?

Love is not lust. It is not self-seeking. Love is not selfish. Love does not seek vain pleasures and temporary gratifications. Love is not stingy. One of the most beautiful ways to express love is giving, (I mean, you wouldn't give anything to someone you don't really like). John 3.16 tells of a very beautiful expression of love from God, in the form of giving. Man had sinned, and there was nothing he could do to redeem himself, but God gave His Son for the redemption of man, even when He knew that there was nothing man could give back to God to equate that sacrifice, and even while sacrificing His beloved son, not every man will accept the gift of Salvation, the free gift of the finished work of Christ. Love is giving and it is not gender-based. Love is not impatient. Love waits, and even in the waiting, love keeps a warm attitude. Love does not also allow disrespect, love wouldn't even give disrespect. Love is not a commandment for just one gender. Love is a commandment for all to all.

Biblically, there is nothing like true love and fake love. Love is love, according to God's standards of love, and anything that does not fall in line with those standards is not love but lust. Obviously, for everything real and true, there is always a counterfeit. We must therefore guard our hearts with the Word of God, making His Word the foundation of our life's principles.

What are God's standards of love? What is the definition of love from God's perspective? Check the next blog post by our update time!🎉 You don't know the update time yet? Follow me on Instagram and join our community to find out!