Throughout the whole Bible, you can find many verses and passages about love. However, one major source of biblical teaching about love is Jesus Himself. Jesus had a lot to say about the topic, and His words are just as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago. What exactly did Jesus say about love, anyway?
At Harmony Baptist Church, we are committed to studying the whole Bible from cover to cover. It’s important to understand and study the Gospel and the New Testament carefully, but the Old Testament also contains key principles that can help you understand a biblical concept of love.
However, if you’re looking to start with the teachings of Jesus, there are some foundational concepts that will help to get you started. Here are a few key passages!
Love Your Enemies
When you think about the word “love,” certain images probably come to mind. You might immediately think of your spouse or partner, or your family members. You might even visualize a beloved pet, a heart or a bunch of roses, or maybe a box of chocolates. What about the people on earth who make your life difficult? Do you associate them with the concept of love?
It’s a difficult concept to swallow, but Jesus told His followers to love their enemies. In fact, in Matthew 5, the famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says in verse 44 to love our enemies and also to pray for people who hurt us.
What does this even look like in practice? Loving your enemy can take many different forms, depending on the type of enemy you’re dealing with. Got a difficult coworker or boss? You might be able to love them by having their back at work when someone else is tearing them down. Maybe you can help them learn how to do a tricky process on the job without belittling them. Or maybe you can avoid spreading gossip about them when it’s all too tempting to do so.
Maybe your enemy is a family member who causes tension every time you see them at reunions and on holidays. It might be easier to just avoid them when you can. However, the most loving thing to do might be to shake their hand, ask how they’ve been, and offer to pray for any needs they have.
Loving your enemies is never easy, and it almost always requires you to step outside of your comfort zone. However, it’s one of Jesus’ distinctive commands. When believers follow this command, people around them can clearly see that something about them is different.
Love is Sacrificial
In John 15:12, Jesus commands his followers to love each other the way Jesus loves us. How much does Jesus love us? He goes on to clarify that he’s talking about a deep love: one that’s literally life or death. The greatest kind of love is the one that motivates people to sacrifice themselves for other people. How could you display more love than by giving your life for someone else? That’s the kind of love Jesus expects His followers to have for each other, because it’s quite literally what Jesus did for us.
Some day, you might face a situation where you do literally have to lay down your life to save or protect someone you love. However, it’s more likely that many of us will be called to lay down our lives a little bit at a time. What are some practical ways we can obey this command from day to day?
When you invest time into another person’s well-being, you’re laying down that part of your life for them. Does your child want to tell you all about their favorite cartoon or action figures? There might be something on TV that’s more interesting to you. However, taking time out of your life to bond with them is often a loving choice you can make. Does your spouse want to sit on the couch with you and pick out new colors for the rugs and blinds? You might not have strong opinions on the topic and prefer to just leave the choice to them. However, taking time to do something that’s meaningful to your partner can be a way to show self-sacrificial love.
There are other parts of your life you may be called to lay down for others. Giving to your local church or to needy people in your community isn’t always easy. The money in your pocket represents all the hard work you did to earn it, after all. However, being willing to sacrifice what you’ve earned is also part of laying down your life for others.
Love is Obedient
John 14:15 teaches that love means doing what God has commanded. Jesus makes it simple: people who love Him will keep His commandments. Of course, we’re flawed, sinful human beings. Christians won’t be completely sanctified while on this earth–we can only be free from sin when this life is over. However, we can still make a real effort to keep all of Jesus’ commandments, and we can come a bit closer with every passing day. This demonstrates to God, and to the people around us, that we really do love Him.
Of course, the first step towards keeping Jesus’ commandments is to know what they are like the back of your hand. That involves consistent Bible study. It also involves praying for wisdom to understand the commandments you read. Christ has promised that the Holy Spirit will help believers to understand and apply what they read in God’s Word. But it all starts with taking the time each day to read your Bible!
Come Learn With Us!
There are many more teachings about love to explore in God’s Word. At Harmony Baptist Church in Galesburg, IL, we love to study the Bible together and keep each other accountable on our Christian journeys. Come join us this Sunday to find out what goes on in our weekly worship. Visit our ‘Contact’ page for all the details!
