True love

“Love” is defined in so many ways that it is even associated with wrong things, and it is because humanity has not known what true love really is, the love that the Bible speaks to us about. Many people reduce love to a simple feeling, an emotion that comes and goes, or something that depends on circumstances. Others associate love with passion, interest, or even selfish motives. This is why the world is confused: it tries to define love without going to the One who created it. The Scriptures, however, point us to a love that is far deeper, purer, and more enduring than anything the human heart can manufacture on its own.

We could say that to love is to do charity work, to give one’s life for a nation, to protect a loved one. We can extend this article with many more examples that are admirable in themselves. Yet, the Bible tells us that it is possible to do all of the above and still not have love. A person can give generously, sacrifice greatly, and appear to do good, while their heart remains far from the true love that comes from God. This is why it is important to ask: What is love really? What does the Word of God say?

If love is none of this, then what is love? The letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians tells us clearly about that:

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

According to the previous verses, we can see that loving goes beyond our actions; it is something that is born from within us. You cannot say that you have love and, at the same time, have envy, boast about yourself, treat others poorly, or continually seek your own advantage. You cannot claim to have love while holding grudges, becoming irritated easily, or rejoicing when others fail. True biblical love transforms the heart and from there flows outward in acts of kindness, patience, and grace.

Love is not shaped by emotions; it shapes them. Love is not defined by circumstances; it defines how we walk through circumstance. Biblical love is constant, enduring, and aligned with the character of God Himself. It does not depend on how people treat us but on the work that God has done in us. For this reason, the apostle Paul says plainly: “Charity never faileth.” Human love can grow cold, but the love that comes from God remains firm forever.

How can we say that we love God and not love our neighbor? Well, as John says, how can we say that we love God whom we do not see and hate our brothers whom we do see? The Bible exposes this contradiction with great clarity. If the love of God is truly in us, then it must be reflected in our relationships with those around us. True love is shown by loving our neighbor, not seeking our own good but that of others. It means extending grace, forgiving offenses, helping the weak, and supporting the broken. It means looking beyond our own interests and seeing the needs of others as important as our own.

Remember that we have the greatest display of love on the cross—Christ giving His life for sinners who deserved nothing good. The cross is the measure of love, the model of love, and the source of all true love. When we meditate on that sacrifice, we understand that no human expression of love can surpass what God has done for us. And from that truth, our hearts learn to love genuinely, humbly, and sacrificially.