Uniting in LoveExemplo

Written by Dan Wright, Missionary in the Philippines

What is Love?

Uniting in Love is a high value for our church planting team here in the Philippines, so it is important for us to know what those words mean. But what is love?

Despite what some believe, love is not blind or a delusion. It is not merely lust, appetite, or desire. It is not a means to make ourselves happy, and it’s not just affection, attachment to someone, or some kind of brain chemical response.

Love is seeing the value of a person in their fullness and flaws and seeking their good. There is action in love and commitment and a yearning for union.

Love originates in God, for God is love. We see love from the Father, who loves the Son eternally, even before the creation of the world. Love is not from Cupid’s arrow or our beating hearts. It comes from outside of us. 1 John 4:19 is my wife’s favorite verse, teaching that love must be learned from God, the source of love. “We love because he first loved us.” God loves all that he created, but he has a special saving love for his children that he draws to himself by grace through faith. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Our capacity for love is dependent on faith as we believe in the God who is love. Further, love is evidence that we are a new creation as we follow the example of Christ. “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers.” (1 John 3:14) Jesus reveals that love is central to the Christian life and obedience. The greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus tells us that to do this, we must abide in his love.

Jesus says his love is best seen in laying down his life for his friends. Jesus willingly sacrificed himself for God’s glory and for our good. We soak in this truth and order our lives in thanksgiving for this great love. As we abide in Christ, we begin to become like Christ by his Spirit. We can’t atone for the sins of others the way Jesus did, but we can refuse to exploit our rights and privileges, instead, dying to self to meet the needs of others. Of course, there are things we do not sacrifice, like the gospel and sound doctrine. That is not loving. It is a form of hate—stealing the truth away from those who need to hear and refusing to care for their eternal soul in order to gain their acceptance or approval. We cannot love without truth.

1 Corinthians 13 tells us what Christian love is like. This passage is often quoted at weddings, but it actually exposes our sin and selfishness and lack of real love. Paul was rebuking the church in Corinth for using their gifts and talents selfishly, without love. It was tearing them apart with jealousy, bitterness, and contention. We regularly look to exalt ourselves, and the world says that we should display our gifts and talents on social media, in school, in the workplace, and even in church. But love looks like humble, quiet service—not drawing attention to oneself. Love looks toward heaven, not earthly honor. Love obeys Jesus. Christian love is costly.

The essence of love is to seek the well-being of others.

If you want to love God, seek his glory. If you want to love people, seek their good.

Reflection Questions

How is the world’s definition of love different than the Bible’s?

How has God loved you?

Are you guilty of a selfish kind of love? If so, what does repentance look like in your life?

Why does love require truth?

Who can you love today?