Define Love

Love suffers long, is kind, does not envy, does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity. ( 1 Corinthians 13: 4-6).

To describe love as love is neither helpful nor truthful. Without a definition, love is boundless, which is dangerous among a population of people that do not carry the same life experiences. Nowhere in the above scripture is love tied to our physical attractions. Culturally, we have been mislead into believing that our hearts are inherently discerning to what is true when in fact our hearts are quite impressionable. (Proverbs 4:23) Biblically, love is described as an action that is unchanging. So the Bible not only describes love but defines it. But to what end? That end is Salvation.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever so believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16). Love outside the confines of marriage is supposed to lead people to truth, Christ. Love within the covenant of marriage is supposed to imitate Christ’s love for the church, the body of Christ.