What Does The Bible Say About Love?

by Alonzo Gaskill

bible open with a heart shape made using folded in pages

The word “love” appears in the Bible nearly 300 times. Not only is the subject a commonly discussed one among the biblical prophets; but love is the essence of what it means to be a Christian. Because “God is love” (KJV 1 John 4:8 & 16), one can hardly be considered a follower of Jesus Christ if he or she does not live a life filled with love—for God, but also for one’s fellow humans. While the sheer number of verses which speak of love make it impossible for us to do an exhaustive look at the word “love” in the Bible, nevertheless, here are some of the most important biblical verses which speak of this Godly attribute.

First of all, the Bible speaks of love as one of the greatest attributes we can ever develop. The Apostle Paul explained, “So these three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.” (EXB 1 Corinthians 13:13) Paul highlights love as an eternal attribute, and the greatest of all divine attributes which humans can seek to develop. Thus, Jesus explained: “The first of all the commandments is, …thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like it, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (KJV Mark 12:29-31; See also Matthew 22:36-40) Jesus tells us that there is no more important commandment we can keep than to love God and love our fellow human beings. Indeed, He added: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (ESV John 15:13) In other words, evidence of our love for others is our willingness to make sacrifices for them. God and Christ are the epitome of this kind of love; but, in a lesser sense, so are all faithful parents, who give and sacrifice for their children because they love them deeply. Faithful spouses should do likewise.

Many will be familiar with these words, from the Apostle Paul: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not…” (KJV 1 Corinthians 13:4) However, the Greek word translated as “charity” in the King James Version is “agape”—which is one of several Greek words for love. It appears some 116 times in the New Testament and is sometimes equated with “godly” or “God-like” love. Thus, Paul’s description of what true love looks like is better rendered as follows: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” (ESV 1 Corinthians 13:4-8) In these verses, Paul lists some sixteen attributes of godly love. All of us are lacking in some of these areas, and perhaps have others mastered. However, Paul would have us self-assess which of these components of love we are missing, and he would encourage us to systematically do all that we can to develop these characteristics of God in our lives. In doing so, we will manifest the attributes of Christ in the things we do. Thus, Paul added: “Let all that you do be done in love.” (ESV 1 Corinthians 16:14) All things? Yes, everything we do should be done in love; and, as we progress spiritually, we will each find ourselves more and more capable of keeping this commandment. Why does it matter that we act in love in “all that [we] do”? Well, for one, there is probably little our current world needs more than loving people. However, there are other reasons as well. One is explained by these words from Paul: “Above all, be loving. This ties everything together perfectly.” (NOG Colossians 3:14) The Tyndale Living Bible translates this verse: “Most of all, let love guide your life, for then the whole church will stay together in perfect harmony.” In other words, in a world where everything seems to be falling apart—and even congregations and denominations are struggling—Paul invites us to act in love and, in so doing, our impact on the world and the Church will be a positive one.

Related to this idea of doing all that we do “in love,” the Apostle John reminded us, “We love because He first loved us.” (ESV 1 John 4:19) In other words, Jesus has shown us how to love. He loved you and me before we loved Him, and His love gives us reason to love others. Jesus Himself commanded His followers, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (ESV John 14:15) How can we say that we are disciples of Jesus Christ, and yet not strive to live the way He has commanded us to. Yes, we are saved by grace, but we show our love for Him by striving to become like Him—and we do that best by living the way He taught us to, and by coming to love His way of living.

In addition to showing our love for Christ by emulating Him, love can also show others how we really feel about them. In the Book of Proverbs, we read: “A friend loves at all times.” (ESV Proverbs 17:17) It is the “fair-weather friend” who only loves when things are going well. However, if our love is true, our bond is sure, and our attributes are Christ’s, then we love our friends in the good times and in the bad times as well. Similarly, Paul commanded us: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” (ESV Ephesians 5:25) Those who have married, particularly believers who have married, should love so deeply and completely that they would willingly give their lives for the person they love. One of the greatest signs of our love for our spouse is if we have an anxious concern for his or her happiness and well-being, even beyond our concern for our own comfort and contentment. While this is good counsel, it is more than that. As Paul pointed out, we must “love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” (ESV Romans 13:8) So, this is God’s commandment to each of us.

If love is the ultimate sign of our care and concern for our God, our partner, and our friends, then the Apostle John’s declaration—“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” (ESV 1 John 4:18)—is instructive. Essentially, John is telling us that when we love as we should, we don’t fear God, we don’t worry about losing our partner to another, and we don’t worry about unfaithful friends. When we love deeply and in Godly ways, the Bible informs us that we have nothing to fear. Indeed, when we love that way, it is impossible to fear, because we know the truth about all our relationships.

Here is a remarkable blessing that flows from love; one mentioned in both the Hebrew Bible (or “Old Testament”) and in the New Testament. Peter, one of the most important apostolic figures in the Bible, tells us that “love covers a multitude of sins.” (ESV 1 Peter 4:8) Similarly, the Book of Proverbs states, “love covers all offenses.” (ESV Proverbs 10:12) When we love as God has commanded us to love, He then remits our sins and shows us how to resolve any offenses we’ve caused. Love is a powerful tool, because it changes lives; ours as well as those whom we love. What a gift love is!

Here too is an interesting point about love. We might think (from all that has been said) that love is a “nice” thing to develop. However, the Apostle John reminds us that one of the greatest evidences of whether we have come to know God and Christ is to be found in how we love and how much we love. John wrote: “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (ESV 1 John 4:8) So, how can I say that I “know” Jesus if I’m lacking the chief attribute of Christ? To be void of love it so be void of a relationship with God. So, Jesus takes the old “eye for an eye” mentality and turns it on its head, saying: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (ESV John 13:34-35) Love is the chief attribute of deity and must become one of our chief attributes if we are followers of Christ.

Proof that God is a loving being, rather than a “God of wrath and vengeance,” is found in these oft-spoken words, by Jesus to Nicodemus: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son.” (ESV John 3:16) God sent Jesus because God loved us. Jesus died for the sins of all people because He loves us. God, because of His perfect love, wills our salvation, and our love for all others. Truly, “God is love” (KJV 1 John 4:8 & 16), and the more we learn of Him and become like Him, the more filled with that love we will be—and the more we will manifest that love towards everyone else.

Bible Verses about Love

1 John 4:8 & 16 (KJV): "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."
1 Corinthians 13:13 (EXB): "So these three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love."
Mark 12:29-31 (KJV): "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."
John 15:13 (ESV): "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (ESV): "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends."
1 Corinthians 16:14 (ESV): "Let all that you do be done in love."
Colossians 3:14 (NOG): "Above all, be loving. This ties everything together perfectly."
1 John 4:19 (ESV): "We love because he first loved us."
John 14:15 (ESV): "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."
Proverbs 17:17 (ESV): "A friend loves at all times."
Ephesians 5:25 (ESV): "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."
Romans 13:8 (ESV): "Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law."
1 John 4:18 (ESV): "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear."
1 Peter 4:8 (ESV): "Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins."
Proverbs 10:12 (ESV): "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses."
John 3:16 (ESV): "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 13:34-35 (ESV): "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

2/29/2024 6:09:14 PM

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About Alonzo L. Gaskill, PhD

Alonzo L. Gaskill is a Professor of Church history and doctrine. He holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy, a masters in theology, and a PhD in biblical studies.