God Has Shown Us What Love Looks Like

For many, “love” is a feeling – something to fall into or out of, a force outside of our control. But the Bible tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8), and He never changes (Malachi 3:6). He demonstrated His love by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to die in our place, while we were still sinners and unable to recognize His amazing grace (see Romans 5:8). He so loved the world that He gave His Son, “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

First Corinthians 13:4-8 is a well-known Bible passage that defines love through measurable actions. In all of these, our greatest example is Jesus:

Love Suffers Long

“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; he was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).

And is Kind

“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit…” (Titus 3:4-5).

Love Does Not Envy

“And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve’” (Luke 4:5-8).

Love Does Not Parade Itself, Is Not Puffed Up

“…though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).

Does Not Behave Rudely

“And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth” (Luke 4:22).

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

Does Not Seek its Own

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

“I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me” (John 5:30).

 ^“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16).

Is Not Provoked

“When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).

Thinks No Evil

“Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

“He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:10-12).

Does Not Rejoice in Iniquity, but Rejoices in the Truth

“‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’ Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:11-12).

“God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us…” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10a).

“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression … He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love” (Micah 7:18).

Bears All Things

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

Believes All Things

“I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 24-25).

Hopes All Things

“And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28).

Endures All Things

“…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1b-2).

Love Never Fails

“…having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (John 13:1).

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1).

If you know this pure love of God revealed and given to you in Jesus Christ, you can love Him and others by following His example. He gives us the reason and ability to do so!

“We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19, ESV).