We Christians love the topic of God's love. One of our favorite verses is "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16). God ... loved the world. Scripture repeats this theme, like "We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (1 John 4:16) and the remarkable, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ" (Eph 2:4-5). Just two of many. It's too bad, then, when the world steals this love from us and gives us a pitiful substitute.
As evidenced by the disheartening number of "Jesus is my boyfriend" songs (including Lana Del Rey's Jesus is My Boyfriend), too many of Christians have bought the notion that God's love for us is affectionate, even romantic in nature. It's not. And ... we know it. How? It recently occurred to me a "proof." At a wedding, the traditional vows promise "to love and to cherish, till death do us part." Now, think about that. Think about that with the "love is an emotion" template. We're promising to "have an intense feeling of deep affection" ... till death. No one can promise to feel anything, let alone "till death." No! Absolutely not! Because love isn't an intense feeling. It is a choice.
Recently in Scripture I've noted multiple places that offer a telling perspective on exactly what biblical love is. Of course, there is familial love and brotherly love and love for pizza, but I'm talking about this "till death" love ... the vowed unconditional love ... the love that God has. This perspective is actually repeated. Jesus told His disciples to love one another not just "as you love yourself," but "as I have loved you" (John 15:12). How is that? He died. Paul told husbands to love their wives "just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her" (Eph 5:25). He told the Ephesian Christians, "Walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma" (Eph 5:2). And Paul told the Philippians to have the mind of Christ that included emptying Himself (Php 2:5-8). Biblical love, then, isn't a feeling. It is an emptying of self in order to obtain the best for the loved one. Like Christ dying for us. Oh, that we would learn to walk in that love ... for Christ, for each other, for our spouses. It's a choice, you know. Don't buy the "feeling" version. Feelings occur, but biblical love is a choice you can make.
2 comments:
The big difference I see between the love God attributes and the other types of love is choice. You don't choose your family love, it just exists. You don't choose your brotherly love, it just happens. But God's love is a chosen love. It is something He wills. He isn't obligated to it by familial connection or by societal need. It is pure choice.
Upon reading today’s post, I chuckled to myself: “Stan sure is risking having me offer yet more song titles with the word ‘love’ in them!” :-D There are a lot of them (much more than we all shared at your 7/24/25 post). And that makes me realize that people have lots to say about this thing called love, it seems; they write poetry, greeting cards, and songs like they understand and know all about it--i.e. how it behaves, what it can accomplish, etc. (although there are almost as many who express exasperation and confusion about love--it must be a love “love-hate” thing!). Everyone from Shakespeare to Lennon & McCartney to Hallmark writing staff interns are experts. Many people will wax poetic, but they do not truly understand love--not the kind of love that the Father and our Savior poured out for us. We can never fully fathom it, yet we cannot live without it. The ultimate Love Story (not the novel, the film, or the songs!). “Oh boy, now she started on movie titles containing the word ‘love’!”
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