Love

Definition and Meaning

In Christianity, love refers to the heart and attitude with which God regards human beings, and also to the human response to that love, by which people cherish and serve God and their neighbors. The First Epistle of John states, "God is love" (1 John 4:16). Christianity therefore understands love not as merely one virtue among many but as something bound up with the very nature of God.

Greek (ancient Greek), the original language of the New Testament, has several words for love. The New Testament primarily uses agape, meaning "self-giving, unconditional love," and philia, meaning "friendship." In the Hebrew of the Old Testament, the principal terms are ahavah (love) and hesed, meaning "steadfast love" grounded in the covenant.

Biblical and Historical Background

When asked which commandment of the Law was the greatest, Jesus answered by naming love for God and love for one's neighbor (Mark 12:28–34). Paul called love the fulfillment of the Law (Romans 13:8–10) and described the character of love at length in 1 Corinthians 13, a chapter commonly known as the Love Chapter. Love is also listed first among the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

In church history, Augustine is known for making love a central theme of theology and for discussing the proper ordering of love for God and love for created things. John Wesley described the goal of sanctification (the process of being made holy) as "perfect love" toward God and neighbor.

Practice in the Korean Church

In Korean churches, the Love Chapter is frequently read at wedding services. At Christmas, many sermons focus on the love God showed in sending his Son. Love of neighbor finds expression in diakonia (service) ministries such as relief for the needy, local community service, and overseas aid. The Rev. Son Yang-won's adoption of the young man who had killed his two sons is widely known as the "atomic bomb of love."

Emphases differ by denomination.

• The Reformed tradition, including Presbyterian churches, tends to explain God's love in connection with sovereign grace and election. It regards human love not as a condition of justification but as fruit borne after salvation.
• The Wesleyan tradition, including Methodist and Holiness churches, teaches "perfect love" as the heart of holiness. It holds that believers can be made perfect in love even in this life.
• In Pentecostal and Full Gospel churches, sermons following the line of thought in 1 Corinthians 12–14, which deals with the gifts of the Spirit, commonly stress that love matters most in the exercise of spiritual gifts.