Relationships end, friends drift away, and even our own family members fail us at times. Human love is fickle and changing; even the strongest human love is tested in life’s trials. But God’s love is perfect, steadfast, and unchanging, and in His love, we can have strength as we face the challenges of the world as well as hope for eternity. Learn more about God’s love and what the Bible has to say about it.
God Is Love
The love of God is greater than anything we can imagine. He does more than just love us: He is love itself. It is only through His love that we are truly able to love others. Because God loves us, we have nothing to fear. As the Creator of the universe, He is sovereign over everything.
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent His only Son into the world so that we might have life through Him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is brought to perfection in us…
God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. We love because He first loved us.— 1 John 4:8-12, 16-19
God’s Love Is Unconditional
His love is not gained by anything we do in our own merit. The Bible states that God loved us while we were still sinners; His love abounds from His infinite goodness and mercy.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood, will we be saved through Him from the wrath. Indeed, if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by His life. — Romans 5:7-10
God’s love is steadfast and unchanging. Though we may grow distant from Him or fickle in our attitude toward Him, He continues to love us.
Though the mountains fall away and the hills be shaken, My love shall never fall away from you nor my covenant of peace be shaken, says the Lord, who has mercy on you. — Isaiah 54:10
God’s Love Gives Us Assurance and Strength
Nothing can separate us from God’s love, and in His love, we have assurance of eternal life, and strength as we approach the trials of this world.
What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but handed Him over for us all, how will He not also give us everything else along with Him?
What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?
No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. — Romans 8:31-32, 35, 37-39
Bishop Thomas Shahan: Founder of "America's Catholic Church"
The Triumph of the Lamb Mosaic: The Imagery of Revelation
What does 'perfect love' mean? Earlier in John 4:16, John proclaims that “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” Perfect love is an expression of God's love for us, and it is only complete (or perfect) when we reflect it back onto Him.
We need to learn to accept the reality of His love for us, so that our fears do not control us. First John 4:18 says that perfect love casts out fear. If you're afraid of facing a person or a situation in your life, God's love can help you put your fears to rest.
Jesus died in our place, before we knew we would want Him to do that. He died for us before we'd ever done anything to deserve that love. This is a point Paul made in the prior verse: it takes love to die willingly for someone else, even if they're a "good" person.
How are we perfected in God's love? John describes a 2-fold process – both receiving God's love (4:9a,10,11,16,19) and giving God's love to others (4:7,11,12,19). Being perfected in love essentially consists of increasing our capacity in both receiving and giving God's love (PIPELINE DIAGRAM).
To keep yourself in the love of God is to know, believe and keep trusting in his love even in your struggles. Anyone can keep his joy when he's riding high in the Holy Ghost. But God wants us to keep ourselves in his love at all times — especially in our trials and temptations.
We started studying this two weeks ago, but now we will dive a little deeper into what it means to walk in love as children of God. To walk in love is not merely to say that we love Christ to that we love others. To walk in love is to want more and more of Christ and give yourself to him completely.
6. Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV) “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
1 Corinthians 13:4–8a (ESV) Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. Now the Bible moves forward from the importance of love to the practice of how. This is a real test of our loving character.
[38] For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,[39] Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
While we were God's enemies, he made us his friends through the death of his Son. Surely, now that we are his friends, he will save us through his Son's life.
Agape (pronounced ah-gah-pay) is "unconditional love with reverence," and was taught as the greatest love by the earliest Christians. This love is God's love - regardless of what the person does for us, whether or not they're attractive, or whether or not they are our equal. Jesus said to love all.
Agape (/ɑːˈɡɑːpeɪ, ˈɑːɡəˌpeɪ, ˈæɡə-/; from Ancient Greek ἀγάπη (agápē)) is "the highest form of love, charity" and "the love of God for [human beings] and of [human beings] for God".
Devotional Service In Pure Love of God. When one's desire to love Kṛṣṇa in one's particular relationship becomes intensified, this is known as pure love of Godhead. In the beginning a devotee is engaged in the regulative principles of devotional service by the order of his spiritual master.
In other words, true love is always sacrificial, self-giving, merciful, compassionate, sympathetic, kind, generous, and patient. These and many other positive, benevolent qualities (see 1 Cor. 13:4–8) are what Scripture associates with divine love.
Address: Apt. 171 8116 Bailey Via, Roberthaven, GA 58289
Phone: +2585395768220
Job: Lead Liaison
Hobby: Lockpicking, LARPing, Lego building, Lapidary, Macrame, Book restoration, Bodybuilding
Introduction: My name is Sen. Ignacio Ratke, I am a adventurous, zealous, outstanding, agreeable, precious, excited, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
