Biblical Love Is Unselfish Love

Biblical love is unselfish love. One of the best illustrations of love is found in Romans 15:1-2 ESV where Paul states, “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” Then, in the very next verse, he uses our Lord as an example of self-less love (Romans 15:3). True love acts from nobility. It does not think of self first but of others.

The greatest word picture to convey biblical love is found in John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man should lay down his life for his friends.” If we visualize Jesus as he suffered on the cross,  we will be able to visualize true, unadulterated love, for Jesus not only laid down His life for His friends, but for His enemies as well (Romans 5:6,8).

Lustful, erotic love certainly is not unselfish. For the most part, it seeks self-satisfaction at the expense of right. It will even hurt others to gain a momentary pleasure. As noble as the love for friends and family are, even they do not always seek what is best for others. But the kind of love of which Jesus spoke is always actively good. That is the God-like love which God commands us to have toward all men (Matthew 22:39; Romans 13:8-10; Gal. 5:14; James 2:8). True biblical love is good put into action (Acts 10:38; 1 John 3:16-18).

In 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, Paul provides us the unselfish characteristics of biblical love. Reading from the J.B. Phillips translation, we learn that true biblical love: (1) “Is slow to lose patience”; (2) “Looks for a way of being constructive”; (3) “Is not possessive”; (4) “Is neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance”; (5) “Has good manners”; (6) “Does not pursue selfish advantage”; (7) “Is not touchy”; (8) “Does not keep account of evil”; (9) “Does not gloat over the wickedness of other people”; (10) “Shares the joy of those who live by the truth”; (11) “Knows no limit to its endurance”; (12) “Knows no end to its trust”; (13) “Knows no failing of its hope”; (14) “Can outlast anything. Love never fails.”

Paul tells us that the way we learn to love unselfishly, is by putting on the "mind of Christ" (Philippians 2:5-9 ESV). In the latter part of the hymn, “I Gave My Life For Thee,” Jesus is asking us, “What hast thou given for me?” What kind of answer will we give?

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets