Why Love?

Updated: November 17, 2025

The New Testament portion of the Bible was written in common Greek. The Greeks of Jesus’ day had several different words that translated into English Bibles as “love.” One word meant the love of a friend, another word meant the love of family, and another the love of self. There were other words too, but the Greek word used to describe God Himself is agape. This is a selfless love, the kind of love that prompts one to sacrifice one’s own self unconditionally. It is the kind of love that Christians are meant to display toward each other.

This is important because this kind of love is how Jesus said everyone would know that we are truly His disciples (Christians). Imposters and hypocrites can’t or won’t love other believers this way. Want to know if someone is really a Christian? Look at how they treat other people, especially other Christians. We are all at different stages of maturity with the Lord, but all believers are taught instinctively by God’s Spirit living in us that to act any other way is wrong. This is why we feel badly when we don’t act and speak in love: our own hearts tell us that we have gone off course.

Thankfully, God has told us how He feels about His own family of believers. He loves us in that sacrificial way! His love is unconditional, and we can never escape the sunlight of that love. This is an amazing truth that many don’t seem to understand: that God has already accepted us, right where we are, as we are. Believing this will open up a whole world of possibilities for you as you begin to understand God’s giving nature. He loves us more than the best earthly father could love his own. Depression evaporates as you focus on the truth that God loves and cares for those who trust in Him. Learn to encourage yourself in this truth and live in victory! (See also Why Hate?)
(1 John 4:8, 1 John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 13:13, John 13:35, John 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, 1 John 4:16-21, 2 Chronicles 16:9 KJV, 1 Samuel 30:6 KJV)