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“If we get the love part wrong, what’s the point?”

The above is a favorite saying of Jason DeZurik, and it is really true. We need to love God and love others, and that’s what really matters in life.

But what is love, and why should we love others? As always, let’s turn to the Scriptures for an answer. I’d encourage you to read all of 1 John 4:7-21 for some more context, but I’ll pull out a couple highlights for you.

Why should we love? We love because it is from God, and because He loves us. 1 John 4:7a: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.” 1 John 4:10-11: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

What does love look like? Love has no fear, and it loves all people the same. 1 John 4:18: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:20-21: “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

This would not be a complete writing, in my opinion, without sharing with you the three types of love there are in the Greek language. Biblical Greek has three words for love: eros, philia, and agape. Eros love is the romantic type of love, such as between a husband and wife. Philia love is brotherly love, or the loyal love between close friends. Agape love is a self-sacrificing, unconditional love. Which word for love do you think is used in the above passage of 1 John 4? It’s consistently the agape type of love.

God’s love is amazing because we have never experienced and will never experience anything like it on this earth. Think back (or maybe ahead) to your first love; it was probably more of a “puppy love” crush. Remember how giddy you were? Multiply that times one billion and that’s just a teeny tiny part of the love God has for you!

Especially in this Christmas season, we remember how God loved us so much that Jesus was willing to give up His place in heaven to come down to this dirty, smelly, sinful planet and adopt a body just like ours. Not only that, but Jesus knew that later in His life that same body would be ripped and torn and killed on a brutal torture device -- all because of his agape love for each one of us!

Now that is true love; and if we miss that love part, what’s the point?