Love
Love is God's nature and the greatest commandment. God's love for us, shown through Christ, is the model for all true love. We are called to love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves.
God Is Love
Love is not just something God does—it is who He is.
8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν οὐκ ἔγνω τὸν θεόν, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν.
16And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God, and God in him.
καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐγνώκαμεν καὶ πεπιστεύκαμεν τὴν ἀγάπην ἣν ἔχει ὁ θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν. Ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν, καὶ ὁ μένων ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἐν τῷ θεῷ μένει καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἐν αὐτῷ ⸀μένει.
16For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον ὥστε τὸν ⸀υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλὰ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
3From far away the LORD appeared to me: I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you to myself with faithful love.
מֵרָח֕וֹק יְהוָ֖ה נִרְאָ֣ה לִ֑י וְאַהֲבַ֤ת עוֹלָם֙ אֲהַבְתִּ֔יךְ עַל־כֵּ֖ן מְשַׁכְתִּ֥יךְ חָֽסֶד׃
The Greatest Commandment
Jesus summarized the entire law in the commandment of love.
37He answered, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
ὁ ⸀δὲ ἔφη αὐτῷ· Ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐν ὅλῃ ⸀τῇ καρδίᾳ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ ⸁τῇ ψυχῇ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ σου·
38This is the great and first commandment.
αὕτη ἐστὶν ⸂ἡ μεγάλη καὶ πρώτη⸃ ἐντολή.
39And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
Δευτέρα ⸀δὲ ὁμοία ⸀αὐτῇ· Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν.
40On these two commandments hang the whole law and the prophets."
ἐν ταύταις ταῖς δυσὶν ἐντολαῖς ὅλος ὁ νόμος ⸂κρέμαται καὶ οἱ προφῆται⸃.
4Hear, Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.
שְׁמַ֖ע[5] יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהוָ֥ה ׀ אֶחָֽד׃[5]
5Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃
9For the commandments—"You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet"—and any other commandment are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
τὸ γάρ· Οὐ μοιχεύσεις, Οὐ φονεύσεις, Οὐ κλέψεις, Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις, καὶ εἴ τις ἑτέρα ἐντολή, ἐν ⸂τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ⸃ ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται, ⸂ἐν τῷ⸃· Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν.
10Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
ἡ ἀγάπη τῷ πλησίον κακὸν οὐκ ἐργάζεται· πλήρωμα οὖν νόμου ἡ ἀγάπη.
The Marks of Love
Paul describes what true love is and does.
4Love is patient; love is kind. Love does not envy, does not boast, is not arrogant,
Ἡ ἀγάπη μακροθυμεῖ, χρηστεύεται ἡ ἀγάπη, οὐ ζηλοῖ ⸂ἡ ἀγάπη⸃, οὐ περπερεύεται, οὐ φυσιοῦται,
5is not rude, does not insist on its own way, is not irritable, keeps no record of wrongs.
οὐκ ἀσχημονεῖ, οὐ ζητεῖ τὰ ἑαυτῆς, οὐ παροξύνεται, οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν,
6Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
οὐ χαίρει ἐπὶ τῇ ἀδικίᾳ, συγχαίρει δὲ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ·
7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
πάντα στέγει, πάντα πιστεύει, πάντα ἐλπίζει, πάντα ὑπομένει.
8Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
Ἡ ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε ⸀πίπτει. εἴτε δὲ προφητεῖαι, καταργηθήσονται· εἴτε γλῶσσαι, παύσονται· εἴτε γνῶσις, καταργηθήσεται.
13So now faith, hope, and love remain—these three—but the greatest of these is love.
νυνὶ δὲ μένει πίστις, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη· τὰ τρία ταῦτα, μείζων δὲ τούτων ἡ ἀγάπη.
Love for One Another
Christians are to love one another as Christ loved us.
34A new commandment I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
ἐντολὴν καινὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους, καθὼς ἠγάπησα ὑμᾶς ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους.
35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another."
ἐν τούτῳ γνώσονται πάντες ὅτι ἐμοὶ μαθηταί ἐστε, ἐὰν ἀγάπην ἔχητε ἐν ἀλλήλοις.
12This is my commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you.
Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐντολὴ ἡ ἐμὴ ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους καθὼς ἠγάπησα ὑμᾶς·
13No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.
μείζονα ταύτης ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς ἔχει, ἵνα τις τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ θῇ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ.
11Dear friends, if God loved us like this, we also ought to love one another.
ἀγαπητοί, εἰ οὕτως ὁ θεὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν ἀλλήλους ἀγαπᾶν.
12No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to completion in us.
θεὸν οὐδεὶς πώποτε τεθέαται· ἐὰν ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, ὁ θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν μένει καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη αὐτοῦ ⸂ἐν ἡμῖν τετελειωμένη ἐστιν⸃.
Love for Enemies
Jesus calls us to radical love that even loves enemies.
44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ⸀ὑμῶν καὶ προσεύχεσθε ὑπὲρ ⸀τῶν διωκόντων ὑμᾶς·
45so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
ὅπως γένησθε υἱοὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ ⸀ἐν οὐρανοῖς, ὅτι τὸν ἥλιον αὐτοῦ ἀνατέλλει ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς καὶ βρέχει ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ἀδίκους.
46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
ἐὰν γὰρ ἀγαπήσητε τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας ὑμᾶς, τίνα μισθὸν ἔχετε; οὐχὶ καὶ οἱ τελῶναι ⸂τὸ αὐτὸ⸃ ποιοῦσιν;
27"But I say to you who are listening: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
Ἀλλὰ ὑμῖν λέγω τοῖς ἀκούουσιν, ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν, καλῶς ποιεῖτε τοῖς μισοῦσιν ὑμᾶς,
28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
εὐλογεῖτε τοὺς καταρωμένους ⸀ὑμᾶς, προσεύχεσθε ⸀περὶ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων ὑμᾶς.
35Instead, love your enemies, do good, and lend without expecting anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
πλὴν ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν καὶ ἀγαθοποιεῖτε καὶ δανίζετε μηδὲν ἀπελπίζοντες· καὶ ἔσται ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολύς, καὶ ἔσεσθε υἱοὶ Ὑψίστου, ὅτι αὐτὸς χρηστός ἐστιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀχαρίστους καὶ πονηρούς.
20On the contrary: if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in doing this you will heap burning coals on his head.
⸂ἀλλὰ ἐὰν⸃ πεινᾷ ὁ ἐχθρός σου, ψώμιζε αὐτόν· ἐὰν διψᾷ, πότιζε αὐτόν· τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν ἄνθρακας πυρὸς σωρεύσεις ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ.
21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
μὴ νικῶ ὑπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ, ἀλλὰ νίκα ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ τὸ κακόν.