“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes (in) Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)
“By this we know love, because He (Jesus) laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (I John 3:16)
Most people have a narrow and shallow understanding of love. All too many conceive of love as infatuation, a warm emotion or a basic human instinct. Once a year we devote an entire holiday to celebrate our love; when one gives tangible expressions such as flowers, candy or jewelry to the one we love. We give because we love!
One of the most frequently used words for “love” in the New Testament is agape. You will find it more than 250 times! Here are some of its components:
- It is active, not passive
- It is giving, not getting
- It is need-oriented and impartially so
- It is premeditated and deliberate, rather than emotional
- It is sacrificial – – it costs something
- It is selfless, not selfish
- It is voluntary rather than coerced
Such are the “ingredients” of this New Testament kind of love. Perhaps we can put it into the form of a definition:
Agape is the heart acting sacrificially, selflessly and voluntarily, deliberately providing for the needs of others, whoever they may be.
This is the very kind of love that God demonstrated by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross, to pay for our sins, and give us everlasting life with Him forever! There is no greater gift of love than this! Our only response should be to believe it and receive it with thanksgiving! Then we can love Him because He first loved us (I John 4:19)!
This is the very kind of love that God demonstrated by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross, to pay for our sins, and give us everlasting life with Him forever! There is no greater gift of love than this! Our only response should be to believe it and receive it with thanksgiving! Then we can love Him because He first loved us (I John 4:19)!
Teacher - Feature 