Last week’s article dealt with four very important facts about love.

Jesus said that the world would know that we are His
disciples because of the love that we have for one another,
John 14:34-35.
2. Love is the basis of the two greatest commandments,
Mathew 22:36-39.
3. All that is in the Law and the prophets depends on love, Matthew 22:40.
4. Love is superior to the miraculous, 1st Corinthians 12 & 13.

Obviously, love is huge. We, therefore, need to have a good understanding of what true love really is.

Some believe that love is simply a feeling of affection we have for one another. There is a type of love that can be described as affection and is in view in the New Testament when the Greek word phileo is used. The city of Philadelphia gets its name from this word and is therefore called the ‘city of brotherly love’.

Agapé, however, is the Greek word for love that overwhelmingly dominates in the teachings of Jesus and His apostles. This is the form of love that can operate completely independent of feelings. In other words, agap`e is defined by our actions and their intentions for and towards others.

I believe Jesus best helps us to define the nature of agapé love when He said, ‘If you love Me, you will keep My commandments’, John 14:15. And lest we miss His point here, He repeats it for us twice more in 14:21 & 23:

He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me…

If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word…

He also gives it to us in the negative, so we can see it from that side as well (14:24):

He who does not love Me does not keep My words…

And then, to drive home His point and lead us, as the Good Shepherd always does by His perfect example, He said the following and then followed through on it (14:31):

…but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me.

How did Jesus prove His love for His Father? He obeyed Him as precisely as He could. He makes sure that we understand that if we boast of love for Him, we will prove it to be so in exactly the same way.

Anything less, proves our boast empty.