More Than Head Knowledge

Do you think you have a good understanding of God’s love? Most people would probably say yes. In fact, that’s one reason this subject can be difficult to minister on. People hear “God loves you” and think, Oh, I’ve already got that figured out. But the truth is, many don’t really understand God’s kind of love.

We’ve Been Sold a Bill of Goods

There has been so much confusion about what love actually is. Our generation has been sold a counterfeit. You see it in movies, hear it in songs, and find it woven throughout our culture. Lust, emotions, and feelings are often called love. But God’s kind of love is something entirely different.

In the English language, we use the word love for almost everything. We say we love our spouse, we love our dog, and we love ice cream. Hopefully there’s a huge difference between those things, but we use the same word for all of them.

The Greek language, which the New Testament was translated from, is much more descriptive. It uses different words for different kinds of love. There’s eros, a sexual kind of love. There’s phileo, brotherly love. And then there’s agape—God’s kind of love.

That distinction matters, because there are people today who talk about God’s love while completely misrepresenting it. Some even teach that God loves you so much that He might allow sickness, tragedy, or suffering to teach you something. They present hardship as though it were a blessing in disguise. That isn’t God’s kind of love.

If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? . . . If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Luke 11:11 and 13

Most parents understand love better than some religious teachings describe it. If your child asked for food, you wouldn’t deliberately harm them. Yet there are people who claim God puts sickness, poverty, and destruction on His children. But the Bible says God is love. If we’re going to understand Him correctly, we have to understand what that really means.

More Than a Feeling

One of the greatest misconceptions about love is the idea that it’s primarily an emotion. Now, don’t misunderstand me. God’s kind of love certainly involves emotions, but it isn’t driven by emotions. That’s a major difference.

Many people talk about “falling in love” and “falling out of love”—as though love is something that just happens to them. One day it’s there; the next day it’s gone. That isn’t God’s kind of love. God’s love is a choice. It’s a commitment expressed through action.

I like the King James Version for multiple reasons, and one is how it uses the word charity in 1 Corinthians 13. Most modern translations simply use the word love, but charity speaks of love demonstrated. It’s love in action. Think about organizations that are called charities. They aren’t just talking about compassion. They’re doing something about it. That’s much closer to the biblical picture of agape love. God didn’t just feel affection toward humanity. He acted.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

God’s love moved Him to give. Jesus didn’t go to the cross because He was overwhelmed with emotional feelings. He went to the cross because of a decision. He loved us enough to lay down His life. When He was suffering, rejected, beaten, and crucified, He wasn’t operating from emotion. He was operating from the unwavering commitment of God’s kind of love. That’s a completely different picture than the one our culture presents.

The Mortar That Holds Everything Together

Many people refer to 1 Corinthians 13 as the “love chapter,” and for good reason. But it’s important to understand its context. Right before chapter 13, Paul spent an entire chapter talking about the gifts of the Holy Spirit—prophecy, miracles, healing, tongues, words of knowledge, and more. Then he said, “And yet shew I unto you a more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31).

Some people read that and conclude that love replaces the gifts. That’s not what Paul was saying. The point is that everything God gives us must operate through love. Love is what holds everything together. It’s the mortar between the bricks. You can have faith. You can have gifts of the Spirit. You can have good works. You can have knowledge. But if God’s kind of love isn’t holding it all together, you’ve missed the point.

Galatians 5:6 says that faith works by love. That’s powerful. There are people trying to use faith just to advance their own plans. They want God’s blessings without pursuing God’s heart. Then they wonder why things aren’t working. Faith works by love. Everything in the Christian life is designed to function through God’s kind of love.

Why Understanding God’s Love Changes Everything

Many believers are struggling to trust God. They’re wondering if He’ll answer their prayers, heal their bodies, provide for their needs, or come through in difficult situations. The root issue often isn’t faith. It’s understanding God’s love. If you truly understood how deeply God loves you, faith would become a natural response.

I remember a season when I was under tremendous financial pressure and wrestling with fear. Then one night I had a dream that reminded me of how faithful God had been throughout my life. When I woke up, my circumstances hadn’t changed, but something inside me had. I became overwhelmed with the realization of how much God loved me.

That’s what happens when revelation replaces religion. Many people have been taught that God’s love is conditional. But God doesn’t love you because you’ve earned it or because you’ve become lovely enough. He loves you because He is love.

Love That Produces Action

Paul goes even further in 1 Corinthians 13. He says you can give everything you own to feed the poor. You can make incredible sacrifices. You can even give your body to be burned. Yet if it isn’t motivated by God’s kind of love, it profits you nothing. That’s a strong statement.

Even good actions can be driven by wrong motives. God’s kind of love changes the motive behind everything. That’s why this subject is so important. It’s the foundation that supports every other part of the Christian life.

I’m only scratching the surface here, so I encourage you to the materials available to you from my full teaching, God’s Kind of Love. The more clearly you understand God’s unconditional love for you, the more naturally faith, obedience, generosity, and spiritual growth will follow.