Author's Note: All previous volumes of this series are here. The first 56 volumes are compiled into the book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible." "Part Two," featuring volumes 57-113, was published in December 2022.
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Thanks for joining our study about a topic we “love.” God is love; He loves you, and love emanates from God. The power of love is incalculable, transcending all boundaries. Love causes humans to act and make decisions that can alter their lives for good and sometimes evil.
Pop music speaks to such power. The Beatles had several classics such as “All You Need Is Love,” “The Word-love,” and “The End,” concluding with its life-guiding message, "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." One could say that lyric correlates to what Jesus called “The Greatest Commandment,” which appears in three of the four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, and Luke. (See Vol. 33.) Here is Matthew’s:
“‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” ‘This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments’” (Matthew 22:34-40).
Interestingly, the word “love” does not appear in the Bible until Chapter 22 of Genesis in a verse about sacrifice. Coincidence? I believe there are no coincidences in the Bible. We know that in life, “love” and “sacrifice” are often intertwined. Speaking to Abraham, God said:
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“‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you’” (Genesis 22:2).
Abraham was so willing to demonstrate obedience to God that he nearly sacrificed his beloved son before God intervened. (See Vol. 51.) The (almost) sacrifice of Isaac was a foreshadowing of God’s love when His Son was sacrificed on the cross for our sake, as explained and foretold by Jesus:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Truthfully, this study could end right here with “bookend” Scriptures, given what Jesus says about love in “The Greatest Commandment” and John 3:16. Combined, those verses teach us that we are to love God, love our neighbor as ourselves, and God’s love for us was demonstrated with Christ’s death on the cross.
Now you know what you need to know. Nonetheless, we shall continue with related verses starting with John’s gospel, in addition to the often recited 3:16. Jesus said:
“‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another’” (John 13:34-35).
However, I must inject a somber thought into this lovefest. It is difficult to love someone after they have intentionally done you wrong — which all of us have experienced to some degree. (See “Forgiveness” addressed in Vol. 53 and Vol. 198.)
Next is a verse about self-sacrifice, often read at funerals when that act resulted in death. Jesus taught:
“‘Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends’” (John 15:13). Then, in 1 John, the apostle John wrote about love in this memorable lesson:
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4: 7-8).
John also elaborates on the relationship between love and fear:
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:18-19).
Speaking of love, it is worth noting that John frequently mentioned he was the apostle “whom Jesus loved” in John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, and 21:20.
Now, we turn to St. Paul's writings about love, among the most beloved Bible passages except for those spoken by Jesus. Here are two that stand out:
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).
Yikes! That passage gives me chills and a smile for two reasons: first, because it is true, and second, “Romans 8:39” was engraved on our silver wedding cups.
Our “love” study concludes with what is known as the “wedding passage.” I was always amused and somewhat hopeful when attending wedding ceremonies of non-religious couples in secular settings that included Paul’s magnificent descriptions of love:
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:1-8). And lastly:
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
Thanks for reading this far. I hope you “loved” this study, although it barely scratched the surface of love-related Bible verses. Here is the takeaway: God’s love can be uplifting if you need a faith boost. The Bible is about love; it is the Word of God, and God is love. Thus, in our hate-filled world, God’s Word is sorely needed. Amen to that!
Myra Kahn Adams is a conservative political and religious writer with numerous national credits. Her book, "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible," reprints the first 56 volumes of this popular study. "Part 2,” with the same title, reprints Vols. 57-113 Order it here.
Myra is also the Executive Director of SignFromGod.org and the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit. Both are educational donor-supported ministries dedicated to building a permanent Shroud of Turin exhibit in Washington, D.C., and promoting the $1 Million Challenge to replicate the Shroud. Contact: <MyraAdams01@gmail.com>
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