What is love? This word has been overused, misused, and abused. So what is it? Is it a principled way of living, or is it a feeling one has towards various nouns and verbs? The dictionary defines love as “an intense feeling of deep affection”. If this is true, what is a feeling? A feeling is defined as “an emotional state or reaction”. This definition implies that a change is possible — we can stop loving each other.
But as Christians, is this the Biblical view? “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Love my enemy!? My enemy can only conjure negative feelings within me; how is it that I am to have an “intense feeling of deep affection” towards them?
There must be more to love than just a feeling. When asked about the commandments, Jesus said, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29–31). Jesus also said: “If ye love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).
Jesus made a point of associating Love with the commandments. But you can’t command someone to feel. Feelings arise as reactions to different events commands/principles are done regardless of how one feels. God gave many commandments throughout the ages; some pointed to His coming, and others were for specific individuals or groups, but one set written in stone transcends the Old and New Testaments and down throughout the ages into our time.
The Ten Commandments given to Moses, found in Exodus 20 and reiterated in Deuteronomy 5, and repeated throughout the New Testament (e.g., Matthew 19:22) and utilized in the laws of modern civilizations, stand as the all-encompassing law of God. The Ten Commandments can be split into two — the first four showing our relation to God (Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart) and the last six our relation to each other (Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself).
So if obedience to the Law of God is Love, then all aspects of His Law are included in the definition of Love. What, then, is a law? Law is defined as “the system of rules that a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and may enforce by the imposition of penalties”. Therefore obedience to the law, following all its requirements, whether doing its required action or the fulfillment of the consequences associated with disobedience, are all considered Love. For example: If the law says you should not steal, but if you steal, you must repay four times the amount you stole — not stealing is love, and the repayment is love.
Exodus 20:5 outlines judgement on those that worship other gods; however, we see that there is mercy for individuals that choose to obey God’s commandments. This brings us to the two phases of Love — Justice, and Mercy. Love is not limited to obedience or judgement; there is also mercy. Mercy is a vital aspect of love that demonstrates the understanding that human beings are not perfect. Our ability to fall and make mistakes make us highly susceptible to disobedience and, therefore, in great need of mercy. However, for Love to be complete, both Justice and Mercy need to be satisfied.
Therefore, we discipline our children, and we comfort them and empathize with them and encourage them to make better choices by sharing our own life experiences. We tell each other the truth and choose not to be a hindrance to those we encounter daily. And above all, we work daily on our Love toward our Heavenly Father, choosing to obey His Commandments. Love is not a mere feeling; it is a way of living; it is daily choosing to live for someone else’s best interest and thereby for our own benefit.
Be Blessed.
