Love is the core principle that God desires for us. As Christians, the love of Christ ought to define us and emanate not only through our speech, but in our deeds and be the testimony of our lives. 1 John 3:18 teaches, “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” Love isn’t simply something that we say, it is something that we do and should permeate every aspect of our lives.
The Greek word used in the New Testament is Agape (ἀγάπη), and denotes unconditional, selfless love. Agape love prioritizes the needs and well being of others over ourselves which is what God demonstrated when He sacrificed Jesus as atonement for our sins. This is also the type of love that Christ exemplified throughout His ministry (Philippians 2:6-8).
The Bible says that God is love (1 John 4:8). This concept conveys that love is not merely an attribute of God – it is His very nature. Our ability to love is the result of being created in God’s image and when we choose to reflect that image in our lives, we bear fruit that emulates God’s love for us upon those around us. And ultimately, this love multiplies and returns to us as a bountiful blessing of God’s favor in the same manner as His word (Isaiah 55:10-11).
In 1 John 4:7-8, the apostle asserts, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Our capacity to love is directly correlated to our relationship with our Creator. “We love because He first loved us,” (1 John 4:19).
When asked what the greatest commandment was, “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40).
WITHOUT LOVE, HUMANS CANNOT PLEASE GOD
Without love, humans cannot please God, nor can we fulfill His purpose for our lives. This is the very same principle that Paul teaches in Galatians 5:13-25 – that when we live by the Spirit, we produce the fruits of the Spirit and in doing so, we are not under law but under grace. Love is central to our relationships with God and with others. There is no law against agape love.
In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, Paul declares, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
These days it is not uncommon for Christians to become bogged down in theological discussions regarding doctrine and religious dogma, the interpretation of certain passages of scripture or the definitions of certain biblical precepts. I’ve seen people mock and jeer others over differences in opinion that amount to splitting hairs over minute and subtle scriptural discrepancies. It all amounts to nothing if love is not part of the equation.
There comes a point in time when debate becomes counterproductive and one must make a conscious decision to be about the King’s business. Philosophy may have been a perceived virtue in ancient Athens and be valued on social media however it is not valid currency when it comes to serving the Lord. “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).
Jesus directs us to love one another. “A new command I give you. Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35). By sharing the love of Christ, we become instruments of benevolence and extensions of Christ Himself.
THE POWER OF CHRIST’S LOVE CHANGES LIVES
As the body of Christ, we are commissioned to accomplish the work of Christ. While this includes evangelism it specifically entrusts the church to care for those less fortunate. This is precisely one of the tenets of the early believers (Acts 2:42-47). The power of Christ’s love changes lives and holds nothing back. Jesus made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant (Philippians 2:7) and “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” (John 13:1). In Arabic, this phrase reads “ila nihayat al-mahabba” or “to the end of love.”
Much of today’s Christianity seems preoccupied with salvation and benefiting from the inheritance of eternal life but conveniently forgets that believers are summoned to imitate Christ through meaningful and tangible acts of loving servitude. Paul states in Acts 20:35, “I showed you by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said:’ It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
James 1:27 proclaims, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” And Proverbs 31:8-9 instructs us to, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Investing our energies for the common good of others gives us purpose and significance and is both rewarding and nourishing for our faith. Not only does serving the disadvantaged provide much needed physical and spiritual benefits to those we serve, it draws us closer to God as we align our wills with His will.
Additionally, what we do for the vulnerable – we do for Jesus Himself. In Matthew 25:40, our Lord and Savior states, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.’” Our acts of love come full circle when we love others and ultimately love God, thereby satisfying the two greatest commandments.
THE MISSION WE ARE CALLED TO BE ENGAGED IN
This is the mission we are called to be engaged in. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10). It is our responsibility as followers of Christ – our moral obligation to the gospel. “The fruit of love is service, which is compassion in action.” (Mother Teresa).
In the fifteenth chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus instructs believers to abide in Him in order to bear fruit. Bearing fruit becomes our purpose as servants of Christ. “Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in Me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples.” (John 15:4-8).
Many Christians don’t feel that works are important since we are saved by grace through faith. However, the word of God indicates that what we do is very important from our Creator’s perspective. From the very beginning, Adam was given the responsibility of caring for the garden (Genesis 2:15). And Noah was saved because he was willing to sacrifice his time and build an ark for the Lord to fulfill His purpose (Genesis 6:13-22).
Paul writes in Philippians 2:12-13, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.”
Sharing the love of Christ is intrinsically beneficial, providing blessings to those we serve, as well as ourselves and will pay dividends with treasures in heaven. “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58). We must recognize that life is short and offers a very narrow window of opportunity to serve others in love that will stand as our testimony of faith.
When we integrate the gospel into our lives through faith in Jesus, the hope of eternal life and by sharing the love of Christ, we offer ourselves as a light shining in the darkness. This light can penetrate even the hardest of hearts. Through spreading the good news, helping those in need, and through acts of kindness, generosity and compassion, Christianity fulfills scripture as God’s laws are written in our hearts. It doesn’t have to be complicated.
In a world filled with pain and conflict, simply stepping out of our comfort zone and committing to serving “the least of these” in love will resonate throughout society. “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13). If we truly believe this, we are obligated to provide “the least of these” with “the greatest of these.”
