All You Need is Love... Is This True?

What is love and how does this manifest in a believer? Find out as we study this first fruit of the Spirit.

There are nine characteristics when it comes to the fruit of the Spirit, as referenced in Galatians 5:22-23. The first is love and rightfully so. There is much to be said about this first fruit and it could take a lifetime to dissect every possible angle of this since love, much like our Abba Father, is multifaceted. The bible has a lot to say about love. According to the Blue Letter Bible, the word “love” occurs 310 times in 280 verses and this is in the King James Version alone. We are admonished to love one another because love is from God and God is love (1 John 4:7-8 ESV).

Love, much like our Abba Father, is multifaceted.

In the world, we see that “love” takes on a completely different form. Love is said to be blind, shown to be possessive, and used to evoke and manipulate feelings. It is commonly believed that you cannot help who you love and even spoken of as if it is what is being shown when you give your body to someone else. With the various beliefs about and meanings that we have reviewed as it pertains to love, it is easy to see how many of us continue to be misled and succumb to societal beliefs. So, where does the truth lie? We know that of the definitions that have been presented, only one can be infallible. I tend to believe that the bible’s definition of love is the one and only unerring truth.

Let’s go a little deeper in our study. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (AMP), we are given a clear picture of the ways of love. It is here that we can begin to understand how love manifests itself in the life of a believer and, ultimately, as a fruit of the Spirit. To love in the way that God intended for us to love, we must take our cue from the One who is in essence the very thing that we are attempting to understand. It is not about feelings and it is not about comfort because biblical love constantly pulls us outside of ourselves and forces us to examine our motives. Love is not envious, arrogant, boastful, or self-seeking. For example, if my sister receives a once in a lifetime opportunity to do something that she has always wanted to do, I do not try to upstage her by making myself the center of attention; in love, we celebrate others, it is not always about us.

To recap, we know that love is not a feeling because feelings change but love is said to remain (1 Corinthians 13:13 AMP). We know that love does not keep a score of the sins of others (1 Corinthians 13:5 MSG). Love cares more for others than for self (1 Corinthians 13:4 MSG). This is contrary to secular belief because we see that there is a rise in the selfish mindset. The one that tells us to look out for ourselves and not worry about what others think, how they feel, or how our words and/or actions may impact someone else’s life. For this reason, biblical love mandates a follower of Christ to think about what we say, do, and even encourages us to give up our freedoms for the benefit of someone else.

As we continue our study of the fruit of the Spirit, it is imperative that we understand that no one fruit operates alone because the Spirit is not divided. The bible tells us that a house divided against itself will not stand (Matthew 12:25 NKJV). Though we are reviewing the fruit separately, we must understand that they operate as one unified whole.