Biblical Love, A Love Regulated by Truth

The world loves to celebrate love, but it rarely understands the true meaning of love. God’s definition of love, which is found in the Bible, could not be further from the common definitions of love that you will find in the world. Our culture frequently uses the word love as a cover for impurity, as if the principle of love can be used to violate the need for purity. However, the Bible teaches that love is pure and does not violate God’s standard. The Bible defines love as a willing choice to prefer the good of another above your own desires and passions. In fact, Scripture describes love as submission to God’s law.

“And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers, as he promised them. Therefore turn and go to your tents in the land where your possession lies, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Joshua 22:4–5, ESV)

“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:8–10, ESV)

“For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”” (Galatians 5:14, ESV)“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.” (James 2:8, ESV)

Love is the highest expression of God’s law not an excuse to do whatever dumb thing you want to do! As the pure standard of Christ’s work on the cross demonstrates, love is antithetical to selfishness.

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:9–11, ESV)

Biblically, love is measured by the purity of your motives and actions according to the standard of Scripture, not the level of your passion and excitement. Love is expressed by glorifying God and giving your life to others, not gratifying every desire you have.

In other words, love is always regulated by truth. The two are never in conflict. Love is never an excuse to ignore truth, and upholding the truth is never a violation of love.