What is Love?

[B-A-C]

Usually when Christians are asked this question they point to a couple of passages in the Bible.

1Cor 13:1; 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.
1Cor 13:2; If I have the 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.
1Cor 13:3; 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.
1Cor 13:4; Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
1Cor 13:5; does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
1Cor 13:6; does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
1Cor 13:7; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1Cor 13:8; 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.
1Cor 13:9; For we know in part and we prophesy in part;
1Cor 13:10; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.
1Cor 13:11; 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.
1Cor 13:12; 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.
1Cor 13:13; But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

This is correct, I don't have a problem with these verses at all, but is this all there is?
Some people say the Old testament vs the New testament is basically love. Hmmm... I agree and disagree. I agree it's love. But I disagree it wasn't love in the old Testament.

If we look at the 10 commandments in the Old Testament, they look like this. Most of them are in Exodus 20.

Exod 20:3; "You shall have no other gods before Me.
Exod 20:4; "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
Exod 20:5; "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Exod 20:6; but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Exod 20:7; "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
Exod 20:8; "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exod 20:9; "Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
Exod 20:10; but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.
Exod 20:11; "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
Exod 20:12; "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
Exod 20:13; "You shall not murder.
Exod 20:14; "You shall not commit adultery.
Exod 20:15; "You shall not steal.
Exod 20:16; "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Exod 20:17; "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

And we will include the two which Jesus said were the greatest.

Lev 19:18; 'You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.
Deut 6:5; "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Hmmm... the 10 commandments? What does that have to do with Love? That's old testament only? Is it?

Matt 22:36; "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"
Matt 22:37; And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'
Matt 22:38; "This is the great and foremost commandment.
Matt 22:39; "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'
Matt 22:40; "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

Mark 12:28; One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?"
Mark 12:29; Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD;
Mark 12:30; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.'
Mark 12:31; "The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
Mark 12:32; The scribe said to Him, "Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM;
Mark 12:33; AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE'S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
Mark 12:34; When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.

Luke 10:25; And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
Luke 10:26; And He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?"
Luke 10:27; And he answered, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
Luke 10:28; And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE."
Luke 10:29; But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

So then, those last two, the important ones, they come back around in the New testament. But how do we love our neighbor?
Well there is the story of good Samaritan in Luke 10. But both Jesus and Paul make it a lot easier.

Paul says...

Rom 13:8; Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
Rom 13:9; For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
Rom 13:10; Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

So basically, if you aren't murdering them, sleeping with their wife, stealing from them, or doing any wrong to do them.... you are loving them.

Jesus says much the same thing.

Mat 22:37 And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'
Mat 22:38 "This is the great and foremost commandment.
Mat 22:39 "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'
Mat 22:40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

Everything in the law, can be boiled down to these two commandments, Love God, and love your neighbor. Well OK, we've pretty much covered loving your neighbor, but what about loving God?

John 14:15; "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
John 15:10; "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

Many people say they love God, but do they keep His commandments? The proof is in the pudding, not what you say with your lips.

Jesus said we should love one another.

John 13:34; "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Jesus says it's a new commandment, but of course we've already read it in the old Testament, and John says it's not really a "new" commandment.
1Jn 2:7; Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard.
1Jn 2:8; On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.
1Jn 2:9; The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.
1Jn 2:10; The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
1Jn 2:11; But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

2Jn 1:5; Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.
2Jn 1:6; And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

So then, how do we love God? By obedience, keeping His commandments. How do we love our neighbor? By not stealing, lying to, murdering, cheating on, etc... ( basically keeping the commandments ).

So then it really isn't the law vs love. If you're keeping the commandments, you are loving.

 

[B-A-C]

Matt 5:19 "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matt 19:17 And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
Matt 22:40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
Mark 10:19 "You know the commandments, 'DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.'"
Luke 18:20 "You know the commandments, 'DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.'"
John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

Do you love Jesus? Read that verse again.

John 14:21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."
John 15:10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

Eph 2:15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,
1Thes 4:2 For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
1Jn 2:3 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.
1Jn 2:4 The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

Are you a liar? Read that verse again?

1Jn 3:22 and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
1Jn 3:24 The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and Christ abides in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

Christ abides in those who keep His commandments, but what about those who don't? We know by "this" that He abides in us. What is "this". It's keeping the commandments.

1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.
1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
2Jn 1:6 And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.
Rev 14:12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

We are told to keep the commandments over 20 times in the New testament. Eight of those times, by Jesus Himself.

Col 2:22 (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?
Tit 1:14 not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.

Paul says we don't have to keep the "commandments of men". That's true, but Paul also says...

1Cor 7:19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.

None of this is my opinion. It's scripture.

 

[Samson2020]

Love is the substance of God.
As we are commanded to be ye holy for I am Holy, we are commanded to strive to be what God is.
In the end 1 Co 15:28 "And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that did put all things under
Him, THAT GOD MAY BE ALL IN ALL."

When God started His plan He was all there was, and in the end those who are perfected and glorified are the spitting image of their Father and big brother.
Thus they too have become Love, an endless source of selfless giving that flows to all things.
This being the end of the plan we have nothing but GOD being all and in all, thus love is magnified by the NEW sons developed by the Father.

The commandments to me, are for instruction in this wicked world, that cause suffering in those doing their best to love thy neighbor as thyself, and to love God
with everything they are. But to see that it is Gods intent to make who you see one of your brothers in the spiritual realm, eventually, makes that task much easier
and a goal that is more attainable. This Jesus knew.

The love of God is clearly seen in everything in the physical world for everything emanates from Him and is designed to perfect, to a point, those who are
being perfected. No sin= no forgiveness, so no becoming more like your Father in Heaven. Mystery of Iniquity. Reason why most are not called at this time.

Rom 11:36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things: to whom be glory forever.
Romans 8:28 And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
1 Jo 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.
Romans 8:32 He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Psalms 82:6 I have said ye are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High.

When we can see our neighbor as ourself in that they too are a child of God it makes loving that family member somewhat easier. And knowing that
God loved us enough to sacrifice His only Son so that a sin debt was paid for our education in good and evil, by design, and that He has purposed
to give us the kingdom which is all the attributes of God Himself makes that struggle easier.

As the parable puts it the good ground received seed and it took root and sprang up to an increase some 30, some 60 and some 100 fold.
It is our commission to love and study that brings the increase of understanding and love back to the giver.
Which is the end point, to become what our Father is.
Love begets love. Would anyone say that Jesus is love also???
And that is exactly what is being begetted in us, for it is the goodness of God that leadeth thee to repentance(change your ways), but only when you can
grasp why, does it make the plowing more than worth the effort.

 

[Rockerduck]

There is no Love without the Love of Jesus.

 

[A servant of the Kings]

It is God:

1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.…

It is how we must be replaced by God to arrive at God:

36“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?” 37 Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.…

When we love with all our heart mind and soul, the darkness has been replaced, we are not obscured by something other than love, and will thus be united with He who is Love:

20 On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.

 

[A servant of the Kings]

Are you not forgetting something? He offered Love, light, eternity, bliss. But they all turned Him down and walked in the other direction, that direction ends in the lake of fire. On the way there He gave the people walking that way numerous chance to repent, but they ignored Him and kept walking, He sent prophets to warn them, but they liked to humiliate us, and kill some of us. He even let the flesh of His son be sacrificed, after He agreed to do so, to show us the way.

Most people ignore His teachings totally, and almost everybody ignore big parts of Jesus teachings that are written in the bible. And will not walk the way towards Father.

 

[TheRootOfDavid]

Are you not forgetting something?

No, I happen to know the real story.

 

[Brad Huber]

No, I happen to know the real story.

And what do you see as the real story?

 

[TheRootOfDavid]

And what do you see as the real story?

The physical realm
is the manifestation
of the spiritual realm.

 

[Brad Huber]

The physical realm
is the manifestation
of the spiritual realm.

Although the physical has often been copied after the spiritual, thats not always the case, and your vagueness only leads people to confusion, so do you like to do that?

 

[TheRootOfDavid]

Although the physical has often been copied after the spiritual, thats not always the case, and your vagueness only leads people to confusion, so do you like to do that?

If I have told you earthly things,
and ye believe not, how shall ye believe,
if I tell you of heavenly things?

 

[TheRootOfDavid]

Although the physical has often been copied after the spiritual, thats not always the case, and your vagueness only leads people to confusion, so do you like to do that?

To be able to learn you must be able to listen.
If you cannot hear me, what is the point of speaking to you?

 

[Brad Huber]

If I have told you earthly things,
and ye believe not, how shall ye believe,
if I tell you of heavenly things?

Yes, you do seem to like to do that. I do my best to communicate with others so that they understand, where you like to be vague, and make people ask you questions that you might lord the matter over them.

 

[Brad Huber]

To be able to learn you must be able to listen.
If you cannot hear me, what is the point of speaking to you?

So far, I see little of value coming from you. I suppose not everyone can be humble, and treat others with kindness, compassion, and understanding.