The Bible gives us a detailed explanation of love. The Apostle Paul writes in part, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrong. 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).
There are basically three categories of love which are stated here. “Agape love,” which is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love. “Eros love,” which is sensual physical love, e.g. love between a husband and a wire – romantic attraction love. “Philia love,” which is brotherly love or friendship and affectionate love. God’s love is agape love, which was demonstrated on the cross when Jesus, God’s own son died for our sins. “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Love is one of God’s many great attributes; it is His very nature. God’s love gives a glowing expression to His character and His being thats why He is able to love unconditionally. Its not surprising that King David said the following in his supplication to God, “But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Psalm 86:15). Note: “slow to anger and abounding in love.”
It is not surprising that the hymn writer Charles Wesley wrote, “Love divine, all loves excelling, Joy of heaven to earth come down.” Both christians and non-christians are very familiar with the scripture that states, “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The words “so loved” should speak volumes to us because it brings out the fact that God is also the source of love and “being rich in mercy, and because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4-5).
So deep and effective is God’s divine love that the believer is made secure. In his letter to the Roman christians, Paul asks the question, “Who shall separate from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” Then he reasons. “As it is written, For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:35-37).
Saint Augustine, christian theologian and philosopher, said, “God loves each of us as if there was only one of us.” Since God is love, we need not fear whatever comes our way, whether good or ill, because we have the assurance that God loves us and He permits or allows things to happen for our good. Nothing takes our sovereign God by surprise.
The Apostle John explains the effect of God’s love in the christian’s life, “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 was the love of God made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:7-11).