What is Love?

“God is love.” —1 John 4:8

What is love? It’s a question the world asks often—but one we rarely answer well. Our culture sings of love, writes about love, sells products by promising love. But for all its obsession, the world’s definition of love is often thin, self-focused, and fleeting. It reduces love to a feeling, a spark, a chemistry that comes and goes. But the Bible gives us a different picture—a deeper, sturdier, God-centered one.

If you want to know what love is, you have to begin with God. Because, as the apostle John says, “God is love.” That means love is not just something God does—it’s who He is. Love finds its source not in human emotions but in the eternal nature of the triune God.

1. Love Begins with God, Not Us

Our culture tends to assume that love begins with us—with our desires, with our needs, with our capacity to care. But Scripture tells us something radically different: “In this is 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 4:10).

Love begins with God. He is the initiator. The Bible is not the story of man seeking after God in love, but of God pursuing sinners in love. Before we ever turned our face toward heaven, God had already set His love upon us in Christ. That means love is not something we perform to earn His approval—it’s something we receive because of His mercy.

2. Love Is Defined by the Cross

If you want to understand love, don’t look first at romance or relationships—look at the cross. The cross is the clearest picture of love the world has ever seen. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends”(John 15:13). Jesus did not merely speak of love—He demonstrated it in blood.

And what kind of people did He die for? Not the lovely. Not the deserving. Romans 5:8 says, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” That means love is not sentimental. It’s sacrificial. Love is not primarily about affection—it’s about action.

True love is willing to suffer. It’s willing to pay a cost. It’s willing to lay down pride, comfort, even life itself for the good of another. That’s what Jesus did for you. And that’s what He calls His people to reflect.

3. Love Is the Mark of a Gospel People

When the gospel grips a church, love becomes visible. Not just a general warmth or friendliness, but a cross-shaped, Christ-centered, others-focused love. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Not if you have great music. Not if you have clever programs. But if you have love.

Love in the church looks like bearing one another’s burdens. It looks like patience with those who test you. It looks like correcting sin gently, forgiving freely, and welcoming eagerly. It looks like laying aside preferences for the sake of unity and truth.

Too many churches are known for their size or their style. But what if we were known for our love?

4. Love Flows From Sound Doctrine

This may surprise you, but biblically, love and truth are never enemies. Paul says, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Tim. 1:5). In other words, love flows downstream from sound doctrine.

The deeper your theology, the wider your love ought to stretch. Not because you’re more clever—but because you’re more amazed at grace. The more clearly you see your own sin and Christ’s mercy, the more freely you’ll extend love to others. That’s why love is not opposed to clarity. Love speaks truth—even when it's hard—because it cares for the eternal soul of another.

5. Love Will Endure Forever

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13 that faith, hope, and love abide—but “the greatest of these is love.” Why? Because faith will become sight. Hope will be fulfilled. But love will remain. Love is eternal because God is eternal.

Heaven will be filled with love—not just our love for God, but His everlasting love for us. A love that began before time. A love displayed at Calvary. A love secured by the resurrection. A love poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. And a love that will never let us go.

Conclusion

So what is love?

Love is God giving Himself for sinners through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Love is the cross. Love is the church. Love is the gospel made visible. And love is what we were made for.

If you want to know love—not just the word, but the reality—look to Jesus. Trust Him. Follow Him. And you’ll find yourself swept into the greatest love story ever told.

“We love because He first loved us.” —1 John 4:19