How Does Christian Love Work?

1. Understand How Love comes from God alone
1 John 4:19 “We love Him, because He first loved us.” AMP
1 John 4:7-8 “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”NIV

2. Understand How “All the Law and the Prophets” hang on Love (as a door hangs from a hinge or a coat

hangs from a coat hanger)
Matt 22:37-40 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and

greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two

commandments." NIV
Rom 13:10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. NIV
Gal 5:14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."NIV

3. Understand How Love Brings About Perfection
1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not

made perfect in love.” NIV
Col 3:14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. NIV
Matt 5:43-48 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray

for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and

sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors

doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore,

as your heavenly Father is perfect. NIV

4. Understand How One Cannot Love God while Loving Material Things
Matt 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise

the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Luke 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and

despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." NIV
1 John 2:15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. NASU
1 Tim 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced

themselves with many griefs. NIV

5. Understand How Love is a Key to Biblical Discipleship
John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will

know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." NIV

.6. Understand How Love is Linked to Obedience
John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command. NIV
John 14:21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father,

and I too will love him and show myself to him." NIV
John 14:24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who

sent me. NIV
John 14:31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. "Come now; let us

leave. NIV
John 15:9-10 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in

my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. NIV

7. Understand How Love is Greater than Faith, Hope and Knowledge
1 Cor 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. NIV
1 Cor 8:1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. NIV

8. Understand How Central Love is In the Christian Life
1 Cor 16:14 Do everything in love. NIV
Eph 5:1-2 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up

for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. NIV

9. Understand How Love Can Fill the Christian to “the measure of the fullness of God”
Eph 3:17-19 ..so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have

power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that

surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. NIV

10. Understand How the Absence of Love Affects the Christian’s Life
1 Cor 13:1-3 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have

not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. NIV

11. Understand How the Presents of Love Affects the Christian’s Life
1 Cor 13:4-7 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 wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts,

always hopes, always perseveres. NIV

12. Understand How Love Motivates and Directs the Christian
2 Cor 5:14-15 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all,

that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. NIV

1 Thess 2:8-12 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because

you had become so dear to us. Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden

to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were

among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting

and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. NIV

What Is Christian Love?
1. " It is Godly"
1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4:16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love

abides in God, and God abides in him. NASU

2. “It is the Greatest Commandment”
Matt 22:34-40 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested

him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your

heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your

neighbor as yourself.'   All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." NIV

3. “It is the Perfect Bond of Unity”
Col 3:14  Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. NASU
John 17:22-26   "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and

You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.

"Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given

Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. "O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known

You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love

with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." NASU

4. "It is the Most Excellent Way”
1 Cor 12:31-13:12 But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way. If I speak with the tongues of men

and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I havethe gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries

and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions

to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind and is

not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take

into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes

all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will

cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial

will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away

with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have

been fully known. Butnow faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. .NASU.

Understanding Love

The Purpose of Love

Last Revision of this site was Jan 11, 2024......by Wayne

Why is Christian Love So Important?

1. "Faith Working Through Love" is the only thing that counts
Gal 5:6 "For in Christ Jesus , neither circumcision or uncircumssion has any value. The only thing that counts is faith working through

love." NIV

2. It is a “Motivating Force” that brings with it a “Want To”
2 Cor 5:14-15 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so

that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. NASU

1 Thess 2:8-12 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because

you had become so dear to us. Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden

to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were

among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting

and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. NIV

3. The “Want To” makes “Good Works” easy
Matt 11:29-30 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and

YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." NASU

Heb 4:1-7 Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.

For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not

united by faith in those who heard. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said,
"AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH,
THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST,"
although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day:

"AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS"; and again in this passage,

"THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST." Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news

preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, He again fixes a certain day, "Today," saying through David after so long

a time just as has been said before,
"TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,
DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS." NASU

4. Good Works brings Glory to God

Matt 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket,

but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your

good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. NASU

​The Purpose of Love

The Purpose of Love