The importance of love

What is love? When we look for this definition in some dictionaries, we will find things such as to love is to have certain feelings for a person. Many people also define it as the action of giving to the needy, of sacrificing for others, etc. But we must ask ourselves, what does the Bible tell us about love? Through the following biblical verses we will discover something very interesting about the importance of love.

The apostle Paul wrote:

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:2-3

Paul dedicates the entire chapter 13 to talk about the importance of love. The Corinthians were a church that was very favored with spiritual gifts, but at the same time they were spiritually immature in many areas. They admired the spectacular, the miraculous, and the visible expressions of spirituality, yet they were forgetting what truly matters in the Christian walk. The apostle had to remind them —and remind us— of what is most important in all this. Beloved brothers, what is the use of speaking all the languages of the world and not having love? What is the value of possessing the greatest knowledge or even the greatest faith, if our hearts are empty of true love? The word love will always stand out in our Christian faith, and it is the virtue that gives meaning to everything else.

Love is not what people often think. Love goes much further, and I would say that the word itself cannot be fully defined by human language. John gives us the most profound and complete definition: “God is love.” This means that love is not simply a feeling, nor merely an action, but the very essence of God Himself. Everything that flows from Him is marked by love, and everything that is truly Christian must be rooted in that same love.

The Father made the greatest act of love, surrendering His Son on the cross of Calvary for each one of us. He did it for our rescue, for our salvation, and for our reconciliation. There on the cross we not only see pain and sacrifice, but the deepest revelation of what love truly is. God did not love us when we were good, righteous, or deserving. The Scriptures say that Christ died for us “while we were yet sinners,” proving a love that surpasses all human logic.

Love goes beyond distributing to the poor, giving our bodies to be sacrificed, or performing great works. It is possible to do all these things and still not have true love. Paul warns exactly about this: actions without love are empty, sacrifices without love are meaningless, and good works without love bring no eternal benefit. Love, according to the Bible, is not merely what we do on the outside, but what we are on the inside —the transformation that comes from having the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.

And every day God shows us the meaning of this love. He loves us when we fail, when we fall short, when we doubt, and when we are weak. His arms remain open even when we turn away. His mercy remains new even when we feel unworthy. What kind of love is this? A love that does not give up, does not fade, and does not depend on our performance.

True love is learned from God. He teaches us to love the unlovable, to forgive the unforgivable, and to embrace those who reject us. Without Him we cannot love like this, but with Him we can reflect a small portion of that great love that changed our lives forever.