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Love: The Greatest Commandment
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With all the misconception about what "Love" mean, we shall examine this word in different perspective as follows:
1. Love in The Circular World
In the world, love is often defined based on what we see, feel, attracted to or personal benefits. It is sometimes shallow and conditional. Here are common features:
1. Emotional Affection: Love is seen as a strong emotional attachment or attraction toward someone or something (romantic love, family love, friendship).
2. Conditional Nature: Often based on circumstances: “I love you because you make me happy” or “I love you as long as you treat me well.”
3. Self-Focused: Sometimes love is equated with what one gains from the relationship (pleasure, security, companionship).
4. Changing and Temporary: Worldly love can fade with time, disappointment, or unmet expectations.
5. Varied Expressions: Love can mean romantic passion, lust, admiration for beauty, or even obsession.
In conclusion, the circular view of love is largely emotional, conditional, and centered around personal satisfaction.
2. Love in the Christian (Biblical) View
The Bible reveals love as something much deeper and eternal; it is not merely a feeling but a choice, a sacrifice, and the very nature of God.
1. Love is God and God Is Love: Love is not just an emotion, it is the very essence of God’s character (1 John 4:8).
2. Unconditional (Agape Love): God’s love is not based on what we do but on His nature. “But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
3. Sacrificial: True Christian love requires sacrifice, putting others first, and sometimes giving without expecting anything in return (John 15:13).
4. Forgiving: Love and forgiveness go hand in hand. “Love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).
5. Eternal and Unchanging: Unlike worldly love, God’s love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).
6. Love is A Commanded, Not Suggested: Jesus commanded us to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37–39).
In short, Christian love is selfless, unconditional, forgiving, sacrificial, and rooted in God’s nature, not in human emotion.
The world says: “I love you because of what you do for me.” But Christ says: “I love you despite what you’ve done, and I died for you.”
Love is the heartbeat of the Kingdom of God. Everything about God begins and ends with love. The Bible declares, “God is love” (1 John 4:8), meaning love is not just what God does, but who He is. To live as true children of the Kingdom, we must embrace love as our lifestyle towards God, towards one another, and through the act of forgiveness.
The greatest demonstration of love is found in the cross of Jesus Christ. In 1986, the American Medical Association published an article titled “The Physical Death of Jesus Christ”, detailing the unimaginable suffering He endured. This helps us understand just how far God’s love went for us.
Before His arrest, Luke 22 records that Jesus was in such agony that He sweated drops of blood known as hematidrosis, a rare condition caused by extreme stress. After His arrest, He faced the cruelest punishment reserved for criminals: flogging with a whip embedded with iron balls and sharp bones that tore His flesh, exposed His muscles, and caused massive blood loss. He was beaten until His face was disfigured, mocked, spat upon, and crowned with thorns that pierced His scalp. Most men would not have survived such torture.
Yet Jesus endured even more; carrying His cross through the streets while the crowd jeered. Then came crucifixion, the most agonizing death designed by man. Nails up to eight inches long were driven into His wrists and feet. Every breath was torture, forcing Him to push against torn muscles just to inhale. For three hours, the Lord of Glory endured unspeakable suffering. Finally, when His side was pierced, blood and water flowed out, confirming His death through pericardial and pleural effusion.
Someone may asked: Why did Jesus go through this? Why did He even come or decide to die for man sake? The bible says "who is man that thou are so mindful of...... Jesus offer this sacrifice because of love. The weight of the sins of the world was laid upon Him, and God’s wrath was satisfied in Him. Jesus endured it all so that we may have life. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).
This is the foundation upon which our understanding of love in the Kingdom must stand.
3. Love for the Kingdom of God
When we remember what Jesus endured for us, our love for Him cannot be casual; it must be consuming. Genuine love for God is shown through:
- Seeking His Kingdom first (Matthew 6:33).
- Obeying His commandments (John 14:15).
- Delighting in His presence (Psalm 42:1).
The cross compels us to put God first, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
4. Love for One Another as Individuals
The same sacrificial love Jesus showed us is the standard for how we love others. He said, “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34–35).
This love is practical and selfless:
- Bearing one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).
- Being patient and kind (1 Corinthians 13:4–7).
- Refusing envy, pride, or offense.
When we love like Christ, we reflect His heart to the world, just as the early church did when they shared everything so no one lacked (Acts 2:44–45).
5. Love Expressed Through Forgiveness
Forgiveness is love in action. On the cross, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Jesus taught in Matthew 6:14–15 that our forgiveness is tied to our willingness to forgive others. Forgiveness is not easy, but it sets us free from bitterness, restores broken relationships, and reflects Christ’s nature.
Ephesians 4:32 commands us: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Love without forgiveness is incomplete. If Jesus forgave those who nailed Him to the cross, how can we withhold forgiveness from others?
In conclusion, love is the greatest virtue of the Kingdom of God. It is the foundation of our faith, the evidence of our discipleship, and the power that binds us together. Without love, our service is empty (1 Corinthians 13:1–3).
The cross reminds us that:
- God’s love is sacrificial.
- Our love for one another must be genuine.
- Forgiveness is the highest expression of love.
As Colossians 3:14 declares: “Above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”
A Call to Repentance and Salvation
Beloved, this is what it took for Jesus to save you; the brutal reality of the cross. The world may call Christianity foolishness, but the cross is the wisdom and power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18).
If you have not yet received Jesus as Lord and Saviour, today is the day of salvation. He loves you so much that He bore your sins on the cross. Repent of your sins, believe in Him, and receive eternal life.
Romans 10:9 – “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
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