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Love Is An Action

Love is an action

When we love someone, we may say that we “have feelings” for them. But is that all love is—a feeling? Let’s look at the way the Bible and the Know the Word Study Bible talk about this subject. Perhaps, love is an action.

Jesus talks about love as an action.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” —John 13:34-35 NKJV

Faith is compelling when it is seen in action.

When Jesus announced that He would be leaving, He gave one very simple and profound instruction: “Love one another.”

This is harder than it seems. We are prone to argue, hate, and fight. We default to selfishness and wanting to win. Love doesn’t naturally fit.

But we crave it.

And love is the mark of Jesus’ followers.

Jesus asked His disciples to practice the love that He modeled. If they reflected the example of Jesus’ love, they would stand out in a world that does not understand love.

Jesus explained, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (v. 35).

The distinguishing mark of Jesus followers is how faith influences their daily actions: how they work alongside coworkers, how they solve problems, how they speak to spouses and children, how they work out problems with church members. Jesus’ followers live differently, demonstrating love consistently toward others.

Jesus kept it simple.

He taught and demonstrated that love is an action. As John explains, “Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).

Faith transforms us into people of love who live differently in the world. There are plenty of distinguishing characteristics when it comes to the church. Unfortunately, and all too often, outsiders looking into the church see it as a place of hatred and condemnation. Our churches are to be oases of love. In a world where so many people feel beat down, insecure, and worn out, the behavior of a loving Christian is refreshing water for parched and weary souls.

Love is an action.

What actions can you take to love more like Jesus? A helpful exercise may be to write down a list of ways you remember Jesus loving others as told in the Gospels. Not only will this help you to remember God’s love for you, but it will inspire you to be a person who loves as well.

Know the Word Study Bible

Need help thinking through other passages of scripture? Know the Word Study Bible Notes (where we snagged this excerpt!) can run parallel to your Bible in our app, helping you navigate and apply God’s Word to your life.

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28 Comments

    • Jaiyeoba Paul Daniyan

      This is inspiring, may the name of the Lord be forever praised for this revelations

      • Eric

        First i believe we have to first love ourselves in order to love someone else. We then have to build up a relationship with Jesus Christ. That is trying to know Him. Not knowing about Him but rather knowing Him.

  2. Elder Samuel B Ogunseitan JP

    I am interested in the KNOW YOUR WORD for my candid analysis of scriptures

  3. Kushimo Muisi Olaniran

    God of love, full of love, that is who He is. He came down to earth to spread this love. How sweet is our Lord. I love you Lord.

  4. Modelle

    Oh GOD, give me love for the lost world and them that you have already brought my way in the mighty name of Jesus.

    For if I have not love, I will not enter the GLORIOUS Kingdom of Christ.

  5. Rev Jaiyeoba Paul Daniyan

    This is inspiring, may the name of the Lord be forever praised for this revelations. May God’s grace to love even the unloved be multiplied unto us in Jesus name.

  6. Adeola

    Amen Hallelujah!! Lord let me love as you have loved me, forgive as I’m forgiven ,show mercy as i have received Mercy. Lord make me more like you.

  7. Jeffrey

    GOD is love, we all know this from small but do we really love God how he want us to love HIm,by living every word that proceed out of the mouth of God,or do we show love to others what we find is good enough for us. Pls read all of 1jn especially 1jn: 2-3,1jn 18-21. Carefully research it I believe you know will understand what is the true love of GOD.

  8. Angela

    Being kind and smiling is good step towards learning to love. Love is the most. powerful and personal emotion. But, if we can be kind to everyone and deliver a warm smile, this will open our hearts to love.

    • Eric

      I must say sister humanity has been given the ability to love from a loving GOD but because of sin we lean towards hating each other. Fortunately we can be restored to that ability to love not of our own free will but by the mercies of Jesus Christ. We therefore have to know Him personally.

  9. Keiren

    To know love is to understand that no one is good and though we all fall short we were given the son as a gift who showed us how much he loved us to die for us for all of our sins and transgressions. Ephesians
    5

    • Eric

      Even though what you say has truth in it you miss the most important ingredient and that is to know Christ that is having a personal relationship with Him.

  10. Eric Johnson

    Reading the Bible daily is an action that I take to remind me of the love that Jesus has for all people. It also brings me joy which other people can see. The joy I have, through Jesus Christ, is expressed toward others on the street, or co-workers, or anyone for that matter, with a smile and a friendly greeting. This sometimes sparks a conversation about why I seem to be so happy. This opens up an opportunity to share my faith in love.

  11. Paul Lukey

    Love doesn’t necessarily look like what we’re expecting. From scripture (John 3:16) we know that God “so loved the world” that He gave for our salvation “His one and only Son”.

    His Son said “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth” (Matthew 10:34), and also “For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law” (Matthew 10:35).

    Real love (God’s love) leads to our salvation, not to our dignity, or to the justification of our proclivities. Our Savior was crucified, and was, and is reviled and mocked for the real love he bears for us.

    (**Scripture quotes from NIV)

  12. Michelle King

    Love was the ultimate sacrifice. Thank you Jesus!

  13. Eunice

    Thank forvthe revelation , sure we need to practice the Jesus kind of Love. He is our love model.

  14. Jeffrey

    Steps of true love which is from GOD to man. 1jn 4:8,jn3:16,1jn 3:17-18,1jn 4:16,1cor 13:13. He came to us in a temple of flesh and we are to walk the way he walk.

  15. Don

    In Leviticus 19:18 God told the Jews “thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, so this is not a new commandment or even related to the laws given to the Jews as the entire Old Testament was written for the Jews only (see Romans 2:14-15)
    John 13:34-35 – “Agape” a Greco-Christian term referring to “love: the highest form of love, charity”, and “the love of God for man and of man for God. Jesus is about to leave the disciples and make the ultimate sacrifice so he is telling them to love others, to demonstrate actions that are charitable so that those the disciples come in contact with prove sincerity regarding the gospel message. (see 1 John 2:7-11)
    Bottom line – the “love” (agape) in these verses is not
    affectionate feelings, but charitable (helping others) by continuing to spread the gospel message to everyone. The key to understanding agape is to realize that it can be known from the action it prompts.

    • Eric

      Even though what you say has truth in it you miss the most important ingredient and that is to know Christ that is having a personal relationship with Him.

  16. Fred rapp

    The Greek word Jesus uses is Agape not Phileo. Paul wrote in Gal. 5:22 that agape is the fruit of the spirit. 1 Cor. 13 explains what agape does and doesn’t do. Paul wrote in Eph. 3:17 that we are to be rooted and grounded in agape. Paul also wrote in Ro. 13:10, that agape works no ill to his neighbor therefore it is the fulfillment of the law. The greatest commandment as repeated by Jesus in Matt. 22:37-40 is to agape God and agape your neighbor, upon these two commandments hang the whole law and the prophets. It is God’s love (agape) that will enable us to love the way Jesus loved.

    • Don

      Fred – one caveat. The issue argued by Pelagious and Augustine around 400 A,D. Pelagious taught that God would not command something that was not in the ability of man to do. Augustine on the other hand argued that God must “Give what he commands, …” In other words, unless God enables man’s spirit to be made alive (2 Cor. 4:6), man will be naturally opposed to God (Romans 3:10-31) and choose to continue in sin. So just like God commands man to keep the law or to believe in him, or commands love as stated in Matt. 22:37-40, it is not within man’s power to comply unless enabled by God as stated in John 15:5. The much mis-understood verse from Ephesians 2:8 says God’s grace is a gift and that nothing spiritual (faith, love, works, etc.) comes from within ourselves.
      Jeremiah 17:9 and Isaiah 64:6 describes natural man.

  17. Choki David

    Thank you Jesus for you offered yourself to die on the cross coz you love mankind

  18. Rev. Ron de Gray Birch MA; LTh

    Jesus commands us to “Love One Another”. My only example of what this means for me is Calvary. After 30 years pastoring Presbyterians, Baptists and Seventhday Adventists in South Africa and Papua New Guinea I have met just a handful of sincere Christians who really try to live the Gospel of Love according to Jesus. After taking a severe beating from many church people I find it most difficult to love them.
    God forgive me for harboring the many hurts inflicted on me and my wife.

    • Eric

      Bro look at what Jesus went through, the pain, the sufferings, the insults and many other things all for what or for who. He didn’t had to do it yet He did it anyway. Ask yourself why, at the end of it all He said. Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Look to Jesus bro He had a reward awaiting you.