What is true love?

[arunangelo]

The cross is the glory of God because in the crucified Jesus the power and wisdom of God -which is true love, is revealed (1Corrinthians 1:23-25). His sacrifice on the cross revealed his unconditional love; because, although we betrayed him and were unfaithful to him he sacrificed his life in order to compensate for the offenses we committed against him. This love is the only truth which sets apart good from evil. Those who are true followers of Jesus exercise this love

 

[Davy]

Hi arunangelo: I have often heard this comment before that God shows mankind unconditional love--meaning, no matter what you do, God will always love you. But if you have a careful look at several portions of the Bible throughout God's dealing with mankind, this does not seam to be supported by the Bible.

Jude 5, says: "Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe." (NASB) Notice, although God did show love and save His people, but because they rejected Him, He then punished them by destroying them, a reoccurring theme throughout the scriptures.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:13: "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved." (NASB) Clearly, this shows a person's final salvation is not determined at the moment that he begins to put faith in Jesus, but by the fact they stay faithful until death. So how can this represent unconditional love, if only faithful one's are saved?

Paul wrote in Philippians 2:12: "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling." (NASB) This was addressed to "the saints," (Philippians 1:1) Paul urged them not to be overly confident but to realize that their final salvation was not yet assured. Otherwise there would be no point saying this, especially if God showed unconditional love and it did not matter if they stayed faithful?

Paul said in Hebrews 10:26, 27: "For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES." (NASB) Because God does not show unconditional love, if a believer willfully practices sin and does not repent, they will lose their salvation.

Finally Paul also said in Hebrews 6:4-6: "For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame." (NASB) Here Paul shows that even a person anointed with holy spirit can lose his hope of salvation, because God does not show unconditional love to people who turn their back on Him, rejecting Him, by not serving Him faithfully.

 

[macca]

The cross is the glory of God because in the crucified Jesus the power and wisdom of God -which is true love, is revealed (1Corrinthians 1:23-25). His sacrifice on the cross revealed his unconditional love; because, although we betrayed him and were unfaithful to him he sacrificed his life in order to compensate for the offenses we committed against him. This love is the only truth which sets apart good from evil. Those who are true followers of Jesus exercise this love

God's love, being unconditional, is regardless of our response to Him.
even when unbelievers refuse to listen to Holy Spirit calling them, God still loves them unconditionally ( regardless of their response).
If this was not so, He would not bother to call them, and then, even only once. But God loves all His creation regardless.

 

[Davy]

Hi Macca: That's a very interesting response--"God's love, being unconditional, is regardless of our response to Him."

Notice what King David said under divine inspiration to his son Solomon and before the assembled Israel, in 1 Chronicles 28:9: (NASB) "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind ; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever." Kind David made it quite clear, that if you were to leave off worshiping God, turn your back on him as it were, he will forsake you, unless you return back to him.

Then 2 Chronicles 15:1, 2, (NASB) in harmony with David's words, notice what the spirit of God says through one of God's prophets: "Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the LORD is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you."

Also in 2 Chronicles 24:20, (NASB) the Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people and said to them, "Thus God has said, Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD and do not prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has also forsaken you."

Peter wrote in his second letter; "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9, NASB) God does not want to destroy anyone, but he "WILL" destroy those who leave off worshiping him. These scriptures clearly do not support unconditional love, regardless of our response to Him, God demands faithfulness, not perfection.

 

[macca]

unconditional love

Davey, the questions arises; does God love any person less because they do not respond to Him?
Does God love us any more because we do respond to Him?

 

[Davy]

Hi, macca: So you are asking the question; "does God love any person less because they do not respond to Him? Does God love us any more because we do respond to Him?"

Some think God loves everyone the same, even wicked unrepentant sinners. But Jehovah clearly showed a greater fondness for Abraham, who prove his loyalty and obedience. James 2:23, (AMP) says: "And [so] the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed in (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on) God, and this was accounted to him as righteousness (as conformity to God’s will in thought and deed), and he was called God’s friend."

Another example of God showing favor to faithful men and rejecting wicked prideful men is found in 1 Samuel 18:13 (AMP): "Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul." In fact 1 Samuel 16:14, 15, (AMP) tells us: " But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented and troubled him. Saul’s servants said to him, Behold, an evil spirit from God torments you."

Clearly, God does not love everyone the same, Psalms 5:5, (NASB) says: "The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity." 2 Peter 3:9, (NASB) does say: "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." God has given us free will to choose, so it is up to us if we want God to show a fondness for us as he did with faithful men of old.

 

[brakelite]

God's rejection of wicked men and women does not mean that He has stopped loving them. What it means is that because of their intransigence and unrepentant lives, God is left with no choice to reject them for the sake of the security of heaven. Unrepentant sinners will not be permitted into the kingdom of God. Yet God does not cease from loving them...it must however be extremely painful for Him to have to punish the wicked. He has done everything He possibly can to make the way open for mankind to be reconciled to God. But our stubborn prideful hearts turn away from His grace and mercy, and we choose the world instead, and along with the world are destroyed.
Did Jesus stop loving the Pharisees because they rejected Him? Did not Jesus command that we love our enemies? Would God stop loving us if we would choose to continue to be at enmity with Him, in contradiction to His own commandments?

Finally, if you were a judge, and your own son appears before the court on charges of murder, and you, being bound by the law must pass the death sentence upon your own son, would that mean you have stopped loving him?

 

[B-A-C]

God loves us all. True. Sinner, Saint, saved, un-saved, it doesn't matter. God loves us all. However, the love of God is not the salvation of God. Even though he loves us, there will be those cast away from him for eternity. (Heb 2:3)

Rom 8:35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36 Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED."
Rom 8:37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
Rom 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
Rom 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Rom 5:7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

What is Love? Well, 1 Cor 13 has a lot to say about it, but end the end. Love is simply caring about someone else more than you care about yourself. (The opposite of selfishness)

 

[Chad]

Also, I think this exemplifies real love as well on the human level, even fully lived out perfectly by Jesus when He walked with us in the flesh.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

<sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-28670">4</sup> Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. <sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-28671">5</sup> It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. <sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-28672">6</sup> Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. <sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-28673">7</sup> It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. <sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-28674">8</sup> Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

 

[Fragrant Grace]

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man......
Hebrews 2:9

The most beautiful story of true love ever.......


When the Son of the Most High left His Father's bosom, where He had lain from before all worlds
"Go," saith the Father, "and Thy Father's blessing on Thy head!"
Then comes the unrobing.
How do angels crowd around to see the Son of God take off His robes
He laid aside His crown; He said, "My father, I am Lord over all, blessed for ever, but I will lay my crown aside, and be as mortal men are."
He strips Himself of His bright vest of glory;
"Father," He says, "I will wear a robe of clay, just such a men wear."
Then He takes off all those jewels wherewith He was glorified;
He lays aside His starry mantles and robes of light, to dress Himself in the simple garments of the peasant of Galilee.....
Oh! methinks the angels must have wept when they lost the company of Jesus—when the Sun of Heaven bereaved them of all its light.
But they went after Him.
They descended with Him;
and when His spirit entered into flesh and He became a babe,
He was attended by that mighty host of angels, who after they had been with Him to Bethlehem's manger, and seen Him safely, laid on His mother's breast, in their journey upwards appeared to the shepherds and told them that He was born king of the Jews......
The Father sent Him!
Contemplate that subject.
Let your soul get hold of it, and in every period of His life think that He suffered what the Father willed.
CH Spurgeon

What love
What precious love
Amazing love
For us
Thank You Jesus


My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?
Mark 15:34

For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life
John 3:16


Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 4:10

 

[james g]

<DIR>Rom 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.</DIR><DIR>Eph 1:19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power</DIR><DIR>Eph 1:20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, </DIR><DIR>1Co 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

</DIR>

 

[dannibear]

To answer this question we must first
look to the cross.

What would drive a God
to be born of a virgin, to come down to our level,
to suffer great pain, and to die at the hands of mortal
men when He could have easily saved Himself.

What would drive a God to say on the cross in His final
moments "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what
they are doing." Luke 23:34

What would drive a God to send Jesus
to die while we were yet sinners who did
not know God, who did not want God?
Oh wait....

Romans 5:8
But God shows his love for us in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us.