What Is Love?

This is a popular statement in today's culture.
You see it all over social media. The main thing we hear about love is when it's paired with equality.
I'm sure a majority of you have all seen the video going around called "Love Has No Label" if you haven't then please watch it below

 

 I like this video. I like it a lot. There are, of course, some parts of it that I don't agree with looking at it from a biblical worldview, but it speaks a great message. 

Love Has No Boundaries

Stick with me here. I've been getting into Love a lot these past few weeks and I strongly encourage everyone to do it as well. 

Now, when I ask "What Is Love" I don't mean "love" in the dictionary sense. 

Dictionary.com defines love as... 

1.  A profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person
2. A feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child or friend
3. Sexual passion or desire
4. To have a strong liking for; take great pleasure in

What I've been looking for specifically, is the act of love. When you're talking about a close friend and you say "I love them" or when you're talking about a hard friend, maybe a non-believer and others say to you "Don't force anything, just love on them.".

This past week at Link we had a man named Brady White come and talk to us about Sexual Brokenness.  While talking about this topic, the topic of loving on unbelievers came up a bit. And almost always the response was to "love them". Like everyone else I nodded in agreement, but then a few minutes later I thought about something. Do we even know what love is?

"Just love on 'em"
"Just be their friend and show them how much you love them."
"Well, just make sure they know you love them."

But how do we define that?!!? Like, guys, I've been getting so fired up about this these few weeks. How do you define love, without using the word love? I've been searching for a definition that would make sense, teach me how to truly love someone, and help me figure out the meaning of a extremely strong word. Join me in discovering what I found.

Responses from friends to the question

"How would you define Love without using the word Love?"

1. "Putting the needs of another before yourself"
2. "Patience, kindness [not envious, boastful, proud, rude, self-seeking, or easily angered], rejoicing in truth, protective, hopeful, trusting, perseverance." 
3. "The action of self sacrifice exhibited towards others, not on the basis or merit condition, but freely given in order to glorify and honor God."
4. "Self- giving, self sacrificial, caring for needs above your own. Not a feeling, an action, a decision you make. It can happen and sometimes more powerfully when you don't feel it."

Definitions found from different books

• Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible
• First and last word in Christian theology & ethics. It is therfore important to understand clearly this exceedingly ambiguous term. 
• Dictionary of Bible Themes
• A caring commitment, in which affection and delight are shown to others, which is grounded in the nature of God himself. 
• Holman illustrated Bible dictionary
• Unselfish, loyal, and benevolent intention and commitment toward another

I love these. One that I particularly love the most is what it says in the last quote."Not a feeling, an action, a decision you make." That's so true. We hear constantly from the world that love is an emotion. That love is a feeling towards someone. IT'S NOT!!! It's an action! Guys, if love was an emotion or feeling do you know how screwed we would be? Cause I'm pretty sure Jesus' emotions weren't all giddy and happy while he was dying on the cross for us. In fact, if you go to Luke 22: 39-46 it shows you how he really didn't feel like dying on the cross for us. Go to Verse 42 and it says this:

"saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will but yours, be done." (NIV) Luke 22:42

  

When he asked God to remove the cup from him, what he was asking was if he could remove the future suffering that was soon going to take place. He asked God to not make it a thing anymore. He didn't want to suffer the most painful and slow death. He wasn't feeling like being tortured and mocked and killed. BUT HE DID IT! Why? What's the only reason. He LOVES us. There is no other reason. Here's a verse that some would call cliché, but I feel that calling any part of Gods word "cliché" is simply insulting. Gods word is living word and is NEVER "cliché".

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

Guys, this isn't cliché. This is the gospel. This is love. God loved us so much. US!! The dirty, rotten sinners who can't even obey 10 simple rules (the 10 commandments). He LOVES us so much that he sent his ONLY begotten Son to DIE for us so that we could spend eternity with Him! We do not deserve this y'all. We deserve the worst parts of Hell. But because He loves us, because He wants us, He sent Jesus, the only perfect person, to die for all that we have done, are doing and are going to do. 

I have been looking for a good definetion of the word love, but there's only one thing that really explains it. 

God

We see this in 1 John: 

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4: 7-11

That's all I got. Here's another video and some pics that I liked: