Few words in Christianity are used more often—and misunderstood more frequently—than the word love.
Many believers hear that they are to love God with all their heart, soul, and mind, yet quietly wonder if they are failing. They compare their relationship with God to human relationships and conclude that love must primarily be a feeling. When emotions are strong, they feel close to God. When emotions fade, they begin to question their faith.
The problem is not with the command to love God. The problem is often with our understanding of love itself.
The New Testament repeatedly uses the Greek word agapē (ἀγάπη) to describe God’s love and the love believers are to express. While agapē certainly includes affection, it is not primarily an emotional state. It describes a self-giving, faithful, covenantal love that expresses itself through action.
God did not merely tell humanity that He loved them. He demonstrated His love.
“But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, CSB)
The cross is not simply a declaration of love. It is love revealed through action.
This distinction is important because many believers unknowingly reverse the biblical order. They believe they must first generate enough love for God, and then obedience will follow. When they struggle to produce the feelings they think should be present, they begin to doubt their relationship with Him.
Scripture presents the opposite sequence.
“We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19, CSB)
God’s love comes first.
Our love is a response.
The Christian life therefore does not begin with striving to love God more. It begins by receiving and believing the love God has already shown through Jesus Christ.
As believers trust that love, something changes. Gratitude replaces fear. Confidence replaces uncertainty. Obedience becomes the fruit of relationship rather than an attempt to earn it.
This is why Jesus could say: “If you love me, you will keep my commands.” (John 14:15, CSB)
Notice what He does not say. He does not say that obedience creates love. He says that love produces obedience.
Likewise, the apostle John writes: “For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden.” (1 John 5:3, CSB)
Why are they not burdensome? Because love changes the relationship. The believer is no longer attempting to gain God’s acceptance through performance. The believer is responding to a love already received.
This helps clear away another common misunderstanding. Some imagine that God’s love makes obedience unnecessary. Others imagine that obedience earns God’s love. Both conclusions miss the biblical pattern.
God’s love is the source. Faith receives that love. Obedience reveals that the relationship is alive.
A healthy tree bears fruit because it is alive. The fruit does not make the tree alive.
In the same way, obedience is not the cause of our relationship with God. It is evidence that His life is at work within us.
The Christian life is therefore not about manufacturing feelings for an unseen God. It is about abiding in the love that God has already revealed in Christ. The more His love is received and believed, the more His life is expressed through those who belong to Him.
Love is not merely something we feel. It is something we receive from God and faithfully live in response to.
Michael Kovach
Covenatn Light Publishing
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