Definition and Nature:
Real love, as depicted in the Bible, transcends mere emotion or affection and is characterized by selflessness, sacrifice, and a commitment to the well-being of others. It is rooted in the nature of God Himself, as "God is love" (1 John 4:8). This divine love, or agape, is unconditional and seeks the highest good of others, regardless of circumstances or reciprocation.

Biblical Examples:

1. God's Love for Humanity:
The ultimate demonstration of real love is found in God's sacrificial act of sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem humanity. John 3:16 states, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." This verse encapsulates the essence of divine love—self-giving and redemptive.

2. Christ's Love for the Church:
Ephesians 5:25 instructs, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her." Christ's love for the church is marked by sacrifice and service, setting a standard for human relationships.

3. The Good Samaritan:
In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus illustrates real love through the actions of a Samaritan who shows compassion and care for a wounded stranger, transcending ethnic and social barriers. This account emphasizes love in action, prioritizing mercy and kindness.

Characteristics of Real Love:

1. Patient and Kind:
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 provides a detailed description of love's attributes: "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 account of wrongs. Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

2. Selfless and Sacrificial:
Real love is marked by a willingness to put others' needs above one's own. Jesus' teaching in John 15:13 underscores this: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

3. Forgiving:
Love involves forgiveness, as seen in Colossians 3:13 : "Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

Commands to Love:

1. The Greatest Commandment:
Jesus emphasizes love as the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:37-39 : "‘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.’"

2. Love for Enemies:
Real love extends even to one's enemies, as Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:44 : "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

The Role of the Holy Spirit:
The ability to love genuinely is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5 states, "And hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." The Spirit enables believers to manifest real love in their lives.

Conclusion:
Real love, as defined by the Bible, is a profound and transformative force that reflects the character of God. It is an active, enduring commitment to the good of others, empowered by the Holy Spirit and exemplified in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.Romans 13:10
Love works no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Topicalbible.org

1 Corinthians 13:1
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
Topicalbible.org

1 Peter 4:8
And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
Topicalbible.org

Letter viii. --The Love of Creatures and of God.
... But I add, this coldness we feel towards God ought not to trouble us, because
it by no means proves that we are deficient in real love. ...
/.../abandonment to divine providence/letter viii the love of creatures.htm

Righteous Grace
... Love is in each of them; the deep, true, real love of God; but also justice
and holiness; inflexible and inexorable adherence to law. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bonar/gods way of peace/chapter iv righteous grace.htm

Upon the Love of Our Neighbour.
... All this is indeed no more than that we should have a real love to our neighbour;
but then, which is to be observed, the words as thyself express this in the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/butler/human nature/sermon xii upon the love.htm

Revival in the Home
... The famous passage in 1 Corinthians 13 tells us what real love is, and if we test
ourselves by it, we may find that after all we are hardly loving one another ...
//christianbookshelf.org/hession/the calvary road/chapter 6 revival in the.htm

Letter xi. --For the Time of Retreat.
... Many more trials will be necessary before arriving at that degree of perfection
in which self-love ceases to exist, and is replaced by the real love of pure ...
/.../de caussade/abandonment to divine providence/letter xi for the time of.htm

Joy in the Holy Ghost.
... As long as a man tries to love it is not real love, but when real love comes, the
more opposition it meets the more it triumphs, for the more it can exercise ...
//christianbookshelf.org/murray/the masters indwelling/x joy in the holy.htm

The Hidden Work of Divine Love.
... Does not reason as well as faith reveal to us the real presence of divine love in
all creatures, and in all the events of life, as indubitably as the words of ...
/.../de caussade/abandonment to divine providence/section vii the hidden work of.htm

I have Often Asked Myself, "Why am Ia Republican? -- Why am I The. ...
... Why am Ia Republican?"Why am I the partizan of equitable Democracy, organized and
established as a good and strong Government?"Why have Ia real love of the ...
/.../lamartine/atheism among the people/i i have often asked.htm

Be Ye Doers of the Word, not Hearers Only, Deceiving Your Own ...
... doctrines, his people show that they love the truth in relation to themselves, and
show it by practicing it, then they give evidence of real love to the truth. ...
/.../finney/lectures to professing christians/be ye doers of the.htm

The Romance of Orthodoxy
... The saying rings entirely true even considered as what it obviously is; the statement
that any man who preaches real love is bound to beget hate. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chesterton/orthodoxy/viii the romance of orthodoxy.htm

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