True love on a biblical basis.

First and foremost, love stands for more than just a romantic attraction or strong feelings towards those close to you; it also stands for the truth, respect, and obedience Christians hold for God. Now here’s the topic that most people will not accept or agree with — Since God IS love, we can’t love without God.

You might think you can, you might even feel the great emotion of what you would assume is love, but ask yourself, can it really be true if you don’t even have love for God, or believe in him? Don’t confuse lust with love. Our goal when loving others is to love ‘like’ our God. — “Nothing can separate us from God’s love! “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love”. God does not just love us or teach us how to love, He is love!”-1John 4:8

One of the most famous lines from the Bible is the verse, “Love one another,” (2 John 5).

• This verse is said by almost every person on Earth at some point in their lives. (Ex: when siblings fight, or a councilors words when a husband and wife are going through difficult times).Love is actually one of the most difficult things in the world to do when doing it correctly. Simply saying you love someone is different than showing it. Love can seem like a simple concept before reading the Bible.

What are ways to show love exactly?

The ancient Greeks had anywhere between four and eight different words for love (depending on the source). — (Book-The Four Loves: C.S. Lewis)

• Eros: Love of the body, sexual, erotic …
• Philia/Phileo: Affectionate, friendship…
• Storge: Love of the Child …
• Agape: Selfless, unconditional, divine,
• …
• Ludus: Playful, flirtatious, casual, uncommitted. …
• Pragma: Long-lasting, committed, long-standing…
• Philautia: Love of the Self.
• Mania: obsessive, possessive, addictive, dependent

–The English word “love” has been used in reference to a “strong affection for another” since before the 12th century,

Jesus is the reason we even know what love is. In laying down His life for us, He taught us everything we need to know about true love. Love is self-sacrificing, generous, unending, not a temporary feeling or attraction. Because of God’s love for the world, we know love is also undeserving and often unreciprocated.

True love – Spiritual Love:

1. Spiritual love is not self-love, but rather self-sacrificing love.

1 John 3:16–18 explains this perfectly. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth”. According to this passage, Jesus is the reason we even know what spiritual love is! In laying down His life for us, He taught us everything we need to know about true love.

2. Spiritual love is generous, not selfish or greedy.- John 3:16 and 1John 4:9–10

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins”

3. Spiritual love is unending, not a temporary feeling, attraction or emotion. — Romans 8:38–39 and 1John 4:8

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”

We as humans, on the other hand, tend to love who we want, when we want, how we want, if we want, and to the extent that we want, and then claim we love like God. Far from it. WRONG!!!

4. Spiritual love is undeserving and often unreciprocated. — Matthew 5:43–44 and Romans 5:10 and Colossians 1:21–23.

“Herein lies the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ: For God so loved His enemies (us), that He gave His only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. Three days after He died, Jesus rose again, conquering death. Through his death, we are reconciled to God (no longer enemies, but friends!). Because of Him, we can be saved. Whoever believes in Jesus through faith will have everlasting life!”

5. Spiritual love is lavish. — 1John 3:1

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God”

• We love because because of God’s great love for us, not our great love for Him.
• God’s love is self-sacrificing, generous, extravagant, lavish, costly, limitless, boundless, measureless and unconditional. This is how we should love.

So Then What Exactly Is Love?

There are 36 Definitions Of Love, According To Urban Dictionary. We as humans often struggle to define love; we constantly redefine it, but God’s definition is clear and will never change:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4–8)… God is love. We love like God.

Here it is in bullet points just so it can be as clear as possible!! How to achieve loving someone:

• Love is patient — yes we all get angry, annoyed, upset, but it is how you respond. True love can tolerate pain or suffering with a gentle answer.
• Love is kind — True love has a gentle, caring and compassionate heart. It feels your sorrow; it feels your joy.
• Love is not envious — True love is content and thankful for its blessings and current possessions. It doesn’t envy other people.
• Love is Humble — It is not boastful or proud. It is humble to admit its own mistakes, not see the others faults. Even if the other is wrong, I am sure we have done something wrong within that time frame so be humble. It also forgives truly, God has forgiven you so you forgive one another.
• Love is respectful— It respects and honors your person. You don’t put one in shame or humiliation.
• Love is selfless — Love is always thoughtful about the other person. It is not selfish, inconsiderate, or greedy.
• Love is calm — True love always maintains the clarity of mind and softness of heart. Its heart is deep and its mind is not narrow.
• Love is righteous — Love always does the right thing: integrity. It disciplines itself to avoid wrongdoings.
• Love is honest — It doesn’t lie or hide any darkness.
• Love protects — love always protects and insures safety.
• Love is trusting — It relies and depends on you. It recognizes your abilities, talents, skills and the good things in you.
• Love is persistent— True love doesn’t easily give up
• Love banishes fear — True love eliminates fear, anxieties and insecurities that torment one’s heart, mind, and soul.
• Love is sacrificial — Sacrifice is in love. In a relationship, you are 2 totally different people, Different likes and dislikes, perspectives, experiences, pet peeves. Since love is about the other person and not yourself, sometimes you have to sacrifice things in your life for someone else, whether its money, ideas, materialist things, time, etc.
• Love loves no matter the circumstance — “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.” — Luke 6:27–33. True love does extraordinary things. It goes out of its comfort zone or sacrifices things important to it just to show its love.
• Love loves itself — True love takes care of itself, not hurts itself. It develops itself to be stronger, healthier and more capable to continue loving.

Extra Background On Love:

ἀγάπη (agapé)

agápē — properly, love which centers in moral preference.

The closest Hebrew word is Ahava. The New Testament actually uses the Greek word agape. It means unconditional or sacrificial love and has everything to do with the giver. We find it in 1st Corinthians 13, where it states, “Love is patient; love is kind. Hebrew words for ‘love’ is hesed (חסד, pronounced kheh-sed”)

“We love God because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). God is the first cause of all that is good and right in the world. Wherever and whenever love exists on earth, it only exists because it is a reflection of God’s perfect love that created us and sustains us.

Unconditional

Being able to love others as God loves us, requires discipline and a willingness to become more like Jesus. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. This is the basis for what love is and the attributes of love according to God’s word. When you are showing these characteristics you are loving the way God wants you to love.

‘Nothing is intrinsically good except love. Nothing is intrinsically bad except nonlove. Love is insufficient in itself to provide moral guidance for each and every moral action. Because human beings are all fallen creatures whose judgments on important moral matters may be affected by moral weakness, love needs guidance from divinely revealed moral truth — revealed in scripture’ — book: Faith and reason-Ronald H. Nash