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What is Love? Discovering the Answer in “God is Love”

Love. It’s a word woven into the fabric of human existence – sought after, celebrated in songs and stories, and often, painfully misunderstood or lost. We search for love, we crave it, and we build our lives around it. Yet, human love, wonderful as it can be, is often conditional, fluctuating, sometimes selfish, and frequently fragile. We ask, “What is true love? What does it really look like? Where can it be found?” In the midst of a world grappling with definitions, the Bible makes a staggering, foundational claim: “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16).

A statement like that goes beyond saying God feels loving or acts lovingly; it declares that love is the very essence of His being, the core of His character. But how can we comprehend a love so perfect, so immense? We find the answer not in abstract philosophy but in a person: Jesus Christ. God didn’t just tell us He is love; He showed us by sending His Son into the world. Jesus’s life, His teachings, His interactions, His suffering, His death, and His resurrection are the ultimate demonstration of what “God is love” truly means. For anyone wanting to understand love in its purest form or seeking to know Jesus better, exploring God’s love revealed through Him is the most wonderful journey imaginable.

Let’s delve into the nature of God’s incredible love by looking at how Jesus Christ embodied it perfectly.

Understanding God’s Love Through Jesus Christ

Before examining specific examples, it’s helpful to grasp that the love the Bible primarily speaks of when describing God (often using the Greek word agape) is distinct. It’s not merely an emotion based on attraction or shared interests. Agape love is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional, and active. It seeks the highest good of the beloved, regardless of their merit or response. It’s a love rooted in God’s unchanging character. Jesus came to make a love like that visible and accessible.

Here are ten key ways Jesus reveals the profound truth that God is love:

Fact 1: Jesus Shows God’s Love is Sacrificial (His Death on the Cross)

The most powerful demonstration of God’s love is seen in Jesus’s willing sacrifice on the cross. He, being perfect and sinless, took upon Himself the penalty for humanity’s wrongdoing. He endured immense physical suffering, emotional anguish, and spiritual separation from the Father, not for His own sake, but for ours. He laid down His life voluntarily out of love, providing a way for broken people to be reconciled to a holy God. A love like that holds nothing back.

Importance: Why is understanding the sacrificial nature of God’s love through Jesus so crucial? It shatters any notion that we must earn God’s love or acceptance. His love isn’t based on our performance but on His gracious character, proven at the cross. For you, recognizing the depth of Jesus’s sacrifice offers profound security. It means you are loved completely, not because you are perfect but because God chose to pay the ultimate price for you. A love like that frees you from striving and allows you to rest in His finished work.

Scripture: John 15:13 (ESV) “Greater love has no one than a person laying down his life for his friends.”

Fact 2: Jesus Shows God’s Love is Compassionate (His Healing and Care)

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus consistently demonstrated deep compassion for those who were suffering. He didn’t just see sickness, grief, or marginalization; He was moved inwardly with empathy. His miracles of healing weren’t just displays of power; they were expressions of tender love, restoring dignity and alleviating pain. He touched lepers, wept with grieving sisters, and noticed the overlooked, showing that God’s love actively cares about human suffering in all its forms.

Importance: Seeing Jesus’s compassion reveals that God is not distant or indifferent to your pain or struggles. He notices, He cares, and He is moved with empathy. For you, knowing that God’s love is compassionate means you can bring your hurts, your weaknesses, and your sorrows to Him with confidence. Jesus’s example assures you that God meets you not with judgment for your struggles but with tender understanding and a desire to bring healing and comfort to your life.

Scripture: Matthew 14:14 (ESV) “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”

Fact 3: Jesus Shows God’s Love and Seeks the Lost (His Pursuit of Sinners)

Jesus actively sought out those considered “lost” by society – tax collectors, sinners, the ritually unclean, and the morally compromised. He shared meals with them, offered them forgiveness, and called them into a new way of life. He told parables like the Lost Sheep and the Prodigal Son, illustrating God’s passionate heart for seeking and welcoming back those who have strayed. His actions show that God’s love doesn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up; it takes the initiative to find us in our brokenness.

Importance: Understanding that God’s love actively seeks the lost is incredibly good news. It means God’s love isn’t passive; it pursues. For you, regardless of your past mistakes or feelings of unworthiness, a truth like that declares that God is interested in you. You don’t have to find your way back to Him on your own; He is already seeking you out. Jesus’s example demonstrates God’s relentless, welcoming love that desires a relationship even with those who feel far off.

Scripture: Luke 19:10 (ESV) “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Fact 4: Jesus Shows God’s Love is Forgiving (His Words and Actions)

Forgiveness is a hallmark of God’s love demonstrated by Jesus. He taught His followers to forgive others as God has forgiven them. He offered forgiveness freely to those who came to Him in repentance, like the woman caught in adultery or Zacchaeus the tax collector. Most profoundly, even while suffering on the cross, He prayed for those crucifying Him, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). His life and death secured the basis for God’s forgiveness toward humanity.

Importance: The forgiving nature of God’s love, exemplified by Jesus, offers liberation from guilt and shame. We all fall short and need forgiveness. For you, knowing that God’s love includes complete forgiveness through Jesus means your past doesn’t have to define your future. You can be cleansed, restored, and given a fresh start. A love like that removes condemnation and empowers you to live freely. It also motivates you to extend forgiveness to others who have wronged you.

Scripture: Ephesians 1:7 (ESV) “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…”

Fact 5: Jesus Shows God’s Love is Personal (Hal Interactions)

While Jesus often ministered to large crowds, the Gospels highlight many instances where He focused His loving attention on individuals. He had personal conversations with Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the rich young ruler, and His disciples. He saw people not just as part of a mass but as unique individuals with specific needs, questions, and stories. His approach reveals that God’s love is not generic; it’s intimately personal.

Importance: Realizing God’s love is personal combats feelings of being insignificant or lost in the crowd. Jesus’s example assures you that God sees you as an individual. He knows your name, your thoughts, your circumstances. For you, a truth like that fosters a deep sense of value and belonging. You are not just one among billions; you are personally known and loved by the Creator. A personal love like that invites you into a unique, individual relationship with Him through Jesus.

Scripture: John 10:14 (ESV) “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me…”

Fact 6: Jesus Shows God’s Love Teaches Truth (Speaking Truth in Love)

True love doesn’t shy away from truth, even when it’s difficult. Jesus consistently taught God’s truth about sin, righteousness, judgment, and the Kingdom of God. He challenged wrong thinking and behavior, not out of condemnation, but out of love for people’s eternal well-being. He spoke truth to set people free (John 8:32). His teachings reveal that God’s love desires our best, which includes understanding and living according to His life-giving truth.

Importance: Understanding that God’s love includes teaching truth protects you from a superficial view of love that ignores reality. It shows that God cares enough about you to guide you into what is right and good. For you, embracing the truth Jesus taught, even when it challenges you, is an act of receiving God’s love. It provides a reliable foundation for life, protects you from harmful deception, and leads you toward genuine freedom and flourishing as you align your life with reality as God defines it.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:15 (ESV) “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…” (Paul reflecting the pattern of Christ).

Fact 7: Jesus Shows God’s Love is Patient (His Endurance)

Jesus demonstrated incredible patience throughout His ministry. He patiently endured the slowness of His disciples to understand, the constant opposition from religious leaders, and the rejection by many He came to save. He didn’t give up on people easily. His long-suffering reflects the patient character of God, who bears long with humanity’s waywardness, continually offering chances for repentance and relationship.

Importance: God’s patient love, seen in Jesus, offers tremendous hope, especially when you struggle with repeated failures or slow spiritual growth. It assures you that God doesn’t give up on you easily. For you, knowing God is patient means you don’t have to fear being rejected when you stumble. His love persists, giving you space to learn, grow, and return to Him. A patient love like that encourages perseverance and provides security in your relationship with Him.

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:9 (ESV) “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

Fact 8: Jesus Shows God’s Love is Humble (Incarnation and Service)

The very act of Jesus, the eternal Son of God, taking on human flesh (the Incarnation) is an act of profound humility born of love. He emptied Himself, setting aside divine privileges to live among us. Furthermore, He demonstrated humility through service, most notably by washing His disciples’ feet – a task reserved for the lowest servant. His life shows that God’s love doesn’t assert status but stoops to serve.

Importance: Jesus’s humility reveals a stunning aspect of God’s love: it serves. It assures you that God didn’t remain aloof but entered your world and understands your experience. For you, seeing the humility of God in Christ breaks down pride and inspires you to serve others. It demonstrates that true greatness in God’s Kingdom is found in humble service, motivated by love. A humble love like that makes God approachable and relatable.

Scripture: Philippians 2:6-8 (ESV) “…who, 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.”

Fact 9: Jesus Shows God’s Love Offers Eternal Life (The Ultimate Gift)

God’s love culminates in the offer of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus spoke frequently about giving His followers life that transcends physical death – a restored, unending relationship with God in His presence. His death and resurrection secured a gift like that. It’s the ultimate expression of love: rescuing people not just from present troubles but from eternal separation from God, granting them an inheritance of everlasting joy and fellowship with Him.

Importance: The offer of eternal life through Jesus gives ultimate meaning and hope to your existence. It addresses the universal human reality of death. For you, knowing that God’s love extends beyond your earthly lifespan provides profound comfort and security. It means your relationship with God through Jesus has eternal significance. A hope like that anchors your soul, provides perspective on temporary trials, and assures you of a glorious future secured by God’s unwavering love.

Scripture: John 3:16 (ESV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Fact 10: Jesus Shows God’s Love Invites Relationship (Calling Followers)

From calling His first disciples to inviting crowds to “come to me,” Jesus consistently extended an invitation into a relationship. He didn’t just perform miracles or teach doctrines; He called people to follow Him, to learn from Him, to abide in Him. His entire ministry was relational, demonstrating God’s deep desire not just for obedience but for intimate fellowship with the people He created and loves.

Importance: God’s love isn’t a distant concept; it’s an active invitation. Jesus’s calls to follow Him extend to you today. For you, understanding that God’s love invites relationship means Christianity isn’t primarily about religion but about connection with a person – Jesus Christ. He desires your fellowship, your trust, your heart. Responding to His invitation opens the door to experiencing all the facets of His amazing love personally and continuously.

Scripture: Matthew 11:28 (ESV) “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Experiencing the Love That Defines Reality

What is love? Look at Jesus. In Him, we see the definition lived out: sacrificial, compassionate, seeking, forgiving, personal, truthful, patient, humble, eternal, and inviting. The declaration “God is love” finds its proof, its power, and its application in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

A love like that is not something we can earn or deserve; it’s a gift offered to everyone. Receiving God’s love means accepting Jesus Christ – trusting His sacrifice for your forgiveness, submitting to Him as Lord, and entering into the relationship He invites you into. Experiencing a love so profound changes everything. It brings security, heals wounds, gives purpose, transforms character, and provides unshakeable hope. Are you looking for love? Look to Jesus, the perfect expression of the God who is love.

Thank you today for letting Olive Branch Publishing offer you insights that can help you grow as a new Christian in today’s world.