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"God is love. True love

"He who does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:8

What is love? When we, as humans, think of love, we think of some kind of good and pleasant feeling. However, true love does not depend on feelings. She means a lot more than what I feel for someone. This applies to romantic love, and love for one of the relatives, for a friend or for a colleague - We often give our love or accept it based on what benefit it will bring to ourselves. But, what will I do if loving someone will cost something? What does the Bible say about love?

“Love is long-suffering, merciful, love does not envy, love does not exalt itself, does not pride itself, does not behave violently, does not seek its own, is not irritated, does not think evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; covers everything, believes everything, hopes everything, endures everything. 1. Kor. 13:4-8

When I do this in spite of my feelings, and regardless of what other people do, then I am in love. I don't feel like I'm in love when I'm tempted to anger, to impatience, to seek my own, to believe in everything bad, or to lose faith in someone. When I reject all these feelings and instead rejoice, become long-suffering, humble myself, bear others and endure everything - this is true love. Love sacrifices itself, all its natural reactions, demands that are part of human nature, then I don't expect anything in return.

“There is no greater love than if a man lays down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

Love first

“In this is love, that we did not love God, but He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1. John 4:10. It's good when someone loves me and I answer such people with mutual love. It is not hard. But this is not proof of love. God loved us before we loved Him, and we did nothing to earn God's love. How do I react if I have been mistreated? Where is my love then? Love gives, gives not only to those who treat us well. But love loves its enemies, it loves first. This love does not disappear, even if it is not reciprocated. This love endures everything.

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” Matt. 5:44-45

Divine love

“Whoever says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And we have such a commandment from Him that loving God He also loved his brother." 1. John 4:20-21

Our love for God is no greater than our love for our neighbors. Divine love does not change according to circumstances. She is firm.

We often wish others would change. We find it difficult to love people the way they are, and we want them to change. This is proof that we are more concerned with our own well-being and comfort. We are looking for our own, instead of loving others.

The truth is that instead of hoping that others will change, we must find the sin in ourselves and be cleansed of it. Personal interest and thoughts that "I know better", vanity and stubbornness, etc. - all these sins I find in myself when I deal with other people. When we are free from all this, then we can endure, believe, hope and endure everything for the sake of others. We love those around us as they are, we begin to pray for them with sincere love and care.

With no exceptions

There are no exceptions here. There should not even be a thought that this person did not deserve it. Jesus gave His life for us and this is irrefutable proof of how much He loves us. No one else deserves it less than we do. To love does not mean agreeing with the sins of others or agreeing with everything they do. Love is when we carry others in our hearts, pray for them, believe in them, and wish them the very best, no matter what their feelings say. Then I can love the one for whom I initially felt reluctance. Then I can instruct, give advice, or correct to help others move away from all that can be harmful. But all this only when I am driven by sincere concern for other people.

Everyone I meet should feel drawn to Christ through fellowship with me. Love draws people. Kindness, humility, meekness, patience, understanding. How can I feel attraction if I am emanating: impatience, pride, rudeness, hatred, etc.?

When I feel that I lack this divine love, then I can ask God to show me how I can get it. I must be willing to sacrifice my own will and start thinking about others.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope, love; but the love of them is greater." 1. Kor. 13:13

, "celebrated" on a grand scale on February 14. This "holiday" is strange not only because its attributes - bright pink hearts and flowers - for some reason turned out to be tied to the name of the martyr Valentine, who was beheaded by the pagans, but primarily because, while glorifying love, it cultivates feelings, very far from true love. Alas, modern people often they do not understand what love is, they replace it with inflated emotions and lust. Love was even used to justify sin, motivating it to legalize same-sex marriages, euthanasia, abortion, and so on.

So what is love? This is told to us through Holy Scripture by the Lord Himself, called in it Love, as well as the Church Fathers, ascetics and saints, who experienced, and not speculatively, loved their neighbors.

HOLY WRITING ABOUT LOVE

“If I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have no love, then I am a ringing brass or a resounding cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries, and have all knowledge and all faith, so that I can move mountains, but do not have love, then I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions and give my body to be burned, and have no love, it will not profit me at all” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

“Let everything be with you in love” (1 Cor. 16:14).

“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins” (Proverbs 10:12).

“You heard what was said: love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven, for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:43-45).

“The first of all commandments: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord; And love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength—this is the first commandment! The second is similar to it: love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).

“Most of all, have fervent love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet. 4:8).

“We have known love in this, that He laid down His life for us: and we must lay down our lives for our brothers” (1 John 3:16).

“Let us not love in word or tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).

“Love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:7-8).

“God's love for us was revealed in the fact that God sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might receive life through Him. This is love, that we did not love God, but He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10).

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because there is torment in fear. He who fears is not perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).

“Love does no harm to the neighbor; Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:10).

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph. 5:25).

“Most of all, put on love, which is the bond of perfection” (Col. 3:14).

“The end of exhortation is love from pure heart and a good conscience and an unfeigned faith” (1 Tim. 1:5).

“There is no greater love than if someone lays down his soul (i.e. life - Red.) his own for his friends” (John 15:13).

HOLY FATHERS ABOUT LOVE

"He who has love is far from all sin" ( Hieromartyr Polycarp of Smyrna).

“Love is the union of brotherhood, the foundation of the world, the strength and affirmation of unity, it more faith and hope, it precedes good works and martyrdom, it will forever abide with us with God in the Kingdom of Heaven" ( Hieromartyr Cyprian of Carthage).

“What is the nature of loving one’s neighbor? Look not for your own benefits, but for the spiritual and bodily benefits of your loved one. Whoever loves his neighbor fulfills his love for God, because God transfers his mercy to Himself. Saint Basil the Great).

“Love has two remarkable properties: to grieve and suffer because the beloved is harmed, and also to rejoice and work for his benefit” ( Saint Basil the Great)

“All the perfections that lie in the concept of virtue grow from the root of love, so that he who has it does not lack in other virtues” ( Saint Gregory of Nyssa).

“Love does not consist in empty words and not in simple greetings, but in the appearance and performance of deeds, for example, in delivering from poverty, helping the sick, freeing from dangers, patronizing those in difficulty, weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice” ( Saint John Chrysostom).

“Carnal love is guilt, but spiritual love is praise; that is the hated passion of the soul, and this is joy, gladness and the best decoration of the soul; the former produces enmity in the minds of those who love, but the latter destroys the existing enmity and establishes it in those who love great world; from that there is no benefit, but still a great waste of money and some unreasonable expenses, a perversion of life, a complete disorder of houses, and from this - a great wealth of righteous deeds, a great abundance of virtues ”( Saint John Chrysostom).

“Do not speak to me of vulgar and vile love, which is more sickness than love, but understand the love that Paul requires, which is aimed at the benefit of loved ones, and you will see that such people are more tender in the love of the fathers themselves ... He who nourishes for another love agrees to endure a thousand calamities rather than to see his beloved suffer harm. Saint John Chrysostom).

“Love, which has Christ as its foundation, is firm, constant, invincible; nothing can terminate it - neither slander, nor danger, nor death, nor anything else like it. Whoever loves in this way, even though he has suffered a thousand defeats for his love, will not leave it. Whoever loves because he is loved, if something bad happens to him, he will interrupt his love; but whoever is united by that love will never leave her" ( Saint John Chrysostom).

“Love is the root, source and mother of all that is good. Every good deed is the fruit of love." Saint John Chrysostom).

“Love does not harm the neighbor; where love reigns, there is no Cain killing his brother" ( Saint John Chrysostom).

"He who loves does not understand appearance; love does not look at ugliness, that is why it is called love, because it often loves ugly things" ( Saint John Chrysostom).

“Love presents your neighbor as yourself and teaches you to rejoice in his well-being as your own and to feel his misfortunes as your own. Love unites many into one body and makes their souls habitations of the Holy Spirit, because the Spirit of the world can dwell not in those who are separated from each other, but in those who are united in soul. Love makes common to all the blessings of each" ( Saint John Chrysostom).

“He who loves not only desires to subdue, but also to be submissive, and rejoices more in being submissive than in being in command. He who loves would rather do good than receive good deeds, because he would rather have a friend as his debtor than be himself indebted to him. The lover wants to do good to the beloved, but does not want his good deeds to be seen, he wants to be the first in good deeds, but does not want him to appear the first in good deeds ”( Saint John Chrysostom).

“The work of love is to teach one another the fear of God” ( Saint Ephraim the Syrian).

“Whoever has love in him never abhors anyone, small and great, glorious and inglorious, poor and rich: on the contrary, he himself covers everything, endures everything (1 Cor. 13: 7). Whoever has love in him does not exalt himself before anyone, does not puff himself up, does not slander anyone himself, and turns his hearing away from those who slander. In whom love does not flatter, does not stumble upon his brother, does not compete, does not envy, does not rejoice at the fall of others, does not slander the fallen, but sympathizes with him and takes part in him, does not despise his neighbor in need, but intercedes and is ready to die for him ... In whom there is love, he never appropriates anything ... In whom there is love, he considers no one a stranger, but all his own. In whom love is not irritated, not proud, not inflamed with anger, does not rejoice over iniquity, does not stagnate in a lie, does not regard anyone as his enemy, except for one devil. Whoever has love, he endures everything, is merciful, long-suffering (1 Cor. 13: 4-7) ”( Saint Ephraim the Syrian).

“O immeasurable power of love! There is nothing more precious in heaven or on earth than love. She, divine love, is the head of the virtues; love is the cause of all blessings, love is the salt of the virtues, love is the end of the law… She sent down to us from heaven the Son of God. Through love, all blessings are revealed to us: death is destroyed, hell is captivated, Adam is called; love is made up of angels and people a single flock; Paradise is opened by love, the Kingdom of Heaven is promised to us. She wised the fishermen; she strengthened the martyrs; she transformed deserts into hostels; she filled mountains and dens with hymns; she taught husbands and wives to walk the narrow and narrow path ... O blessed love, giver of all blessings! ( Saint Ephraim the Syrian).

“Love does not seek what is useful to itself, but what is useful to many for their salvation” ( Saint Ephraim the Syrian).

“Love actually has nothing but God, because God is love” ( Rev. Nil of Sinai).

“Love belongs exclusively to God and to those people who have restored in themselves the image and likeness of God” ( Saint John Cassian).

“Love is evidenced by non-judgment of neighbors” ( Reverend Isaiah).

“No one has more love than if someone lays down his life for his friends. If someone hears a grievous word and, instead of responding with a similar insult, overcomes himself and keeps silent, or, being deceived, endures this and does not take revenge on the deceiver, then he will thereby lay down his life for his neighbor. Abba Pimen).

“Carnal love, not being bound by spiritual feeling, as soon as some even insignificant occasion presents itself, it evaporates very easily. But spiritual love is not like that: but, although it happens to suffer some grief, in a God-loving soul, which is under the influence of God, the union of love is not stopped. Blessed Diadochus of Photiki).

“If you hate some people, treat others with indifference, and love others very much, then conclude from this how far you are still far from perfect love, which prompts you to love every person equally” ( ).

“Perfect love does not share a single human nature according to the disposition of people, but loves all people equally. He loves the good as friends, and the unkind as enemies (according to the commandment), doing good to them and patiently enduring everything they cause, not only not repaying them evil for evil, but even suffering for them if necessary, in order to make them his friends as far as possible. So our Lord and God Jesus Christ, showing His love for us, suffered for all mankind and gave one hope of resurrection to all. However, each person makes himself worthy of either glory or hellish torment. Saint Maximus the Confessor).

“Love is a good disposition of the soul, according to which it prefers nothing of the existing to the knowledge of God” ( Saint Maximus the Confessor).

“Many have said a lot about love, but you will find it among some of the disciples of Christ” ( Saint Maximus the Confessor).

“Love, aroused by something, is like a small lamp, fed by oil, by which its light is sustained, or like a stream flooded with rain, whose flow stops when the rainwater component of it is depleted. But love, which has God as its culprit, is the same as a source gushing from the earth: its streams are never cut off (because God alone is the source of love), and the one who feeds this love does not become impoverished ”( Reverend Isaac the Syrian).

“Do not exchange love for your neighbor for love for some thing, because by loving your neighbor, you acquire in yourself the One Who is most precious in the world. Leave the small to gain the great; neglect superfluous and meaningless things in order to acquire valuable things" ( Reverend Isaac the Syrian).

"Love is not sad to accept a heavy death for those who love" ( Reverend Isaac the Syrian).

“There is nothing more and more perfect among the virtues than love for one's neighbor. Its sign is not only not to have a thing that another needs, but also to endure death for him with joy, according to the commandment of the Lord, and consider it his duty. Yes, and rightly so, for we must not only by the right of nature love our neighbor to death, but also for the sake of the Most Pure Blood shed for us, who commanded that of Christ ”( Hieromartyr Peter of Damascus).

“What does it mean to love someone? It means to wish him well and do it when possible. Saint Demetrius of Rostov).

“If someone came to me with questions: should anyone love? should anything be done with love? - then I would not answer, but would hasten to retreat from the questioner: because only one who is on the threshold of hell can offer such questions. .

“Let us imagine love enclosed in a more or less close circle of kinship, acquaintance, reciprocity, and let us see what its dignity is. Do fathers and mothers need a feat to love their child? Does a child need to learn to love his father and mother? But if nature does everything in this love, without feat and almost without the knowledge of man, then where is the dignity of virtue? This is just a natural feeling, which we notice in wordless ones. Dislike of parents or children is a deeply low vice, but love for parents and children is not yet a high virtue, except in special cases when it is exalted by the self-sacrifice and self-sacrifice associated with it. (St. Philaret (Drozdov)).

“I understand only that love that acts according to the sacred commands of the Gospel, in its light, which itself is light. I don’t understand another love, I don’t recognize it, I don’t accept it. Love extolled by the world, recognized by people as their property, sealed by a fall, is unworthy to be called love: it is a distortion of love. That is why it is so hostile to holy, true love ... Love is light, blind love is not love ” .

“The gospel rejects love that depends on the movement of the blood, on the feelings of the carnal heart. The Fall made the heart subject to the dominion of the blood, and through the blood to the dominion of the ruler of the world. The gospel frees the heart from this captivity, from this violence, brings it under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us to love our neighbor holy. Love fueled by the Holy Spirit is fire. This fire extinguishes the fire of natural, carnal love, damaged by the fall. (St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov)).

“In what ulcers our love is natural! What a grave ulcer on her—addiction! A passionate heart is capable of any injustice, of any lawlessness, if only to satisfy its painful love. (St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov)).

“Natural love delivers to its loved one only earthly things, it does not think about heavenly things. It is at enmity against heaven and the Holy Spirit, because the Spirit requires the crucifixion of the flesh. It is at enmity against heaven and the Holy Spirit, because it is under the control of the evil spirit, the spirit of the unclean and perished ... He who has felt spiritual love with disgust will look at carnal love as an ugly distortion of love ” (St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov)).

“Love for God has no measure, just as the beloved God has no limits and limitations. But love for neighbor has a limit and a limitation. If you do not keep it within its proper limits, it can alienate you from the love of God, cause great harm, even destroy you. Truly you must love your neighbor, but in such a way that you do not harm your soul. Keep everything simple and holy, have nothing in mind except to please God. And this will protect you in deeds of love for your neighbor from all wrong steps. Saint Nicodemus the Holy Mountaineer).

“Love is born from faith and the fear of God, grows and strengthens through hope, comes to perfection through goodness and mercy, which express imitation of God” ( ).

“There is no higher virtue than love, and there is no worse vice and passion than hatred, which seems unimportant to those who do not pay attention to themselves, but spiritual meaning likened to murder (see: 1 John 3:15). Mercy and indulgence towards neighbors and forgiveness of their shortcomings is the shortest path to salvation. Saint Ambrose of Optina).

“If you love someone, then you humble yourself before him. Where there is love, there is humility, and where there is malice, there is pride. Reverend Nikon of Optina).

“Everyone must be loved, because every person is the image of God, even if he, that is, the image of God, is polluted in a person, he can be washed off and be clean again” ( Reverend Nikon of Optina).

“Love, first of all, extends to self-sacrifice ... The second sign of true love is that it is eternal, never stops ... The third sign of true, heavenly love is that it excludes complete dislike for someone, that is, you cannot, for example, love only , but there are no others. Whoever has holy love is completely filled with it. I can grieve, regret that such and such is full of passions, committed to evil, doing bad things, but not loving a person as God's creation, I cannot and must be ready to show love for him in any case. The fourth sign of true love is that this love at the same time is directed towards God and neighbors, being in such a connection that whoever loves God certainly loves his neighbor. Hieromartyr Arseny (Zhadanovsky).

“If love is not in God and not from God, then it is only a sensual passion that people use like a drug in order to delight a life devoid of any meaning with this little nonsense” ( Saint Nicholas of Serbia).

“Love is joy, and the price of love is sacrifice. Love is life, and the price of love is death. Saint Nicholas of Serbia).

“Love is not just a feeling of the heart. Love is the queen of all feelings, noble and positive. Indeed there is love the shortest way to the Kingdom of Heaven. Love has destroyed the separation between God and man" ( Saint Nicholas of Serbia).

“When the soul loves the body, it is not love, but desire, passion. When the soul loves the soul not in God, then it is either delight or pity. When the soul in God loves the soul, regardless of appearance (beauty, ugliness), this is love. This is true love, my daughter. And in love - life! ( Saint Nicholas of Serbia)

“God gave people the word “love” so that they would call this word their relationship with Him. When people, having abused this word, begin to call it their attitude to the earthly, it loses its meaning. Saint Nicholas of Serbia).

“Love and lust are opposites. Whoever calls lust love is mistaken. For love is spiritual, pure and holy, but lust is bodily, unclean and not holy. Love is inseparable from truth, and lust from illusion and lies. True love, as a rule, constantly increases in strength and inspiration, despite human old age; lust quickly passes, turns into disgust and often leads to despair ”( Saint Nicholas of Serbia).

“Love has nothing to do with adultery and fornication. They mock love." Saint Nicholas of Serbia).

“It is not difficult, not at all difficult, to love people who love us; it is not difficult, not at all difficult, to love a father, or a mother, or a wife, or one's children. But what is the price of this love? Oh no, it has almost no price, because we love our loved ones, our children, according to the instinct of love, which is embedded in us by nature. What mother does not give all the affection, all the warmth of her heart to her child? What will not even give his life if he is threatened with death? This, of course, is good, but does it have a higher moral value? Oh no, it doesn't. We know that if we decide to destroy a bird's nest, then the mother of the chicks will fly in, curl over us, beat us in the face with her wings and squeak desperately ... This is the same love, love by instinct, invested in every living being. Don’t a she-bear, a she-wolf protect her cubs, don’t go to a man who comes with a weapon?

“What does it mean to truly love a person? Everything sublime is difficult to logically define. How to say what is the Christian life in love, if its strength is manifested most of all in patience? Where there is love, there is always trust; where there is love, there is always hope. Love endures everything because it is strong. True love is constant, does not dry out and never ceases. This hymn of love sounded for the first time in the mouths of the first apostles of Christianity. (St. Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky)).

“It is love! Neither faith, nor dogma, nor mysticism, nor asceticism, nor fasting, nor long prayers constitute the true image of a Christian. Everything loses its power if there is no main thing - love for a person. Even the most precious thing for a Christian - immortal life- is determined by whether a person in his life loved people as his brothers " (St. Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky)).

“There is mutual love: the love of spouses, the love of parents for children, the love for people, worthy of love. All love is blessed, blessed is this love too, but this is the initial, lower form of love, because from conjugal love, by learning in it, we must rise to a much higher love for all people, for all the unfortunate, for the suffering, from it still rise to the third degree of love — Divine love, love for God Himself. You see, until people achieve love for everyone, Divine love, the value of love only for those close to them is small. (St. Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky)).

“The main duty of a person is to love God and then his neighbor: every person and, above all, his enemy. If we love God in the right way, then we will keep all of His other commandments. But we love neither God nor our neighbors. Who is interested in another person today? Everyone is interested only in themselves, but not in others, and for this we will give an answer. God, Who is all Love, will not forgive us this indifference towards our neighbors. ).

“A good Christian loves first God and then man. Excessive love is poured out both on animals and on nature. What we modern people destroy environment, shows that we do not have an excess of love. Maybe we have love at least for God? Unfortunately no. This shows our very life" ( Saint Paisios the Holy Mountaineer).

“He who labors out of pure love for the sake of his neighbor, the weariness itself brings rest. The one who loves himself and is lazy gets tired of his inaction. We must pay attention to what should encourage us to deeds of love, as the elder points out to us. I have to work for another out of pure love, and I mean nothing more. Many show their love towards some people and immediately make them subject to themselves ”( Saint Paisios the Holy Mountaineer).

“In love for our neighbor our great love to Christ. In our reverence for the Mother of God and the saints, our great reverence for Christ is again hidden. This preserves Christian love and qualitatively differs from the love of worldly people. Saint Paisios the Holy Mountaineer).

“Love is visible when a person gives, being in hardship himself. When you meet someone in need, think: if Christ Himself were in the place of the poor, what would you give Him? Undoubtedly, the best ... The Lord says that by doing something to one of the unfortunate, you thereby do it to Me ”( Saint Paisios the Holy Mountaineer).

“Just loving someone is not enough. You have to love the person more than yourself. A mother loves her children more than herself. In order to feed the children, she remains hungry. However, the joy that she feels is greater than the joy that her children experience. Babies are carnal, but the mother is spiritual. They experience the sensual taste of food, while she rejoices in spiritual joy" ( Saint Paisios the Holy Mountaineer).

« Real love unselfish. She does not have an egoistic predilection in herself and is distinguished by prudence ”( Saint Paisios the Holy Mountaineer).

"Willingness to drink the cup of another's sorrow is love" ( Saint Paisios the Holy Mountaineer).

“Question: How can I understand, Geronda, if I have true love? Answer: To understand this, you need to test yourself whether you love all people equally and whether you consider everyone to be the best of yourself. Saint Paisios the Holy Mountaineer).

“The secret of love for a person begins at the moment when we look at him without the desire to possess him, without the desire to dominate him, without the desire in any way to use his gifts or his personality - we just look and are amazed at the beauty that we opened" ( Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh).

“When we begin to lead a Christian life, all our work, all our feat is aimed at accepting even our enemies with love. This is the martyrdom of a Christian." .

“We do not think how to change the world on our own. We strive to receive strength from God in order to act with love in all cases. ” (Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov)).

“Love for humanity is verbal fornication. Love for a specific person, on our life path Given by God, it is a practical matter, requiring labor, effort, struggle with oneself, one’s laziness” (Archimandrite John (Krestyankin)).

“If love is in the heart, then it pours out from the heart on everyone around and manifests itself in pity for everyone, in the patience of their shortcomings and sins, in not judging them, in praying for them, and when necessary, in material support” ( hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev)).

PROVERBS AND SAYINGS ABOUT LOVE

Advice and love - this is the light.

Where there is love, there is God. God is love.

The sweetest of all is who loves whom.

The mind is enlightened by truth, the heart is warmed by love.

Where there is advice (union, love), there is light.

You can't hide love, fire and cough from people.

Love us in black ones, and in white ones, and everyone will love.

To love a friend is to love yourself.

Love and remember.

Love is a ring, and a ring has no end.

One day a man walked into a bookstore. Lively interest could be read in his eyes: books were part of his life. After a few minutes, the person who entered, in confusion, stopped in the middle of the hall and, although his eyes still continued to glide over the shelves, surprise and bewilderment were reflected in his whole appearance: where am I? Man first entered the world of Christian literature.

– Are these all books about God? The visitor was surprised, not believing his eyes.
Yes, this is a Christian bookshop. We have no other literature.
– What can one write about Him to write so many books?
– And how many books have been written about love in your opinion? the salesman asked him.
“So, the same, about love-and-and,” the man answered in a singsong voice, shaking his head from side to side.
“The Bible says that God is,” said the salesman, opening the first epistle of John, the 4th chapter. – What is God… yes, you can read it yourself, right here…, the eighth verse.
“He who does not love does not know God, because God is love”

For some time, both the seller and the visitor silently stood in front of an open book, mentally repeating to themselves every word they read.

“You know,” the man finally said, “I never thought about that before!”
- Understand. We rarely think about it. I advise you to purchase this book. I assure you that in the Bible you will find a lot of interesting and useful knowledge for yourself!

THE BIBLE ABOUT LOVE

Love is patient, kind,
Love does not envy, Love does not exalt, is not proud,
He does not act out of order, does not seek his own, is not irritated, does not think evil,
Does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth,
Covers everything, believes everything, hopes everything, endures everything,
LOVE NEVER ENDS…
1 Corinthians 13

"Our mouth is open to you...our hearts are widened."
(2 Cor 6:11)

Take care not only of yourself, but of others.”
(Philip 2:4-5)

“I give you a new commandment: love one another! As I have loved you, so you also love one another.”
(John 13:34)

“More than anything, have fervent love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.”
(1 Peter 4:8)

"He who says, 'I love God,' but hates his brother, is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?"
(1 John 4:20)

“Beloved! Let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is Love.”
(1 John 4:7-8)

“Beloved! If God so loved us, then we must love each other… If we love each other, then God abides in us, and His perfect Love is in us.”
(1 John 4:11-12)

“God is Love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”
(1 John 4:16)

"Don't owe anyone anything but... love."
(Rom 13:8)

“If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, then I am ringing copper ... If I have the gift of prophecy and know all the secrets, and have all knowledge and all faith, so that I can rearrange mountains, but I do not have love, - then I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions and give my body to be burned, but I do not have love, it does not profit me at all.
(1 Cor 13:1-8).

“Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you…”.
(Matthew 5:44)

“... If you love (only) those who love you, what is your reward?”.
(Matthew 5:46)

“… If you have bitter envy and quarrelsomeness (instead of love) in your heart, then do not boast and do not lie about the truth: this is not wisdom descending from above, but (“wisdom”)… demonic…”.
(James 3:13-15)

"He who says he is in the light, but hates his brother, he is still in darkness."
(1 John 2:9)

“Let love be unfeigned! Turn away evil, cling to good! Be brotherly-loving to one another with tenderness!…”.
(Rom 12:9-10)

“…Love your neighbor as yourself…”.
(Matthew 22:39)

“There is no greater love than if a man lays down his life for his friends.”
(John 15:13)

“... May my joy be in you, and may your joy be perfect! This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you!”
(John 15:11-12)

“This I command you: love one another!”

The theme of the relationship between a man and a woman in Christianity is as old as the world, moreover, in literally these words: after all, according to the Bible, already a few days after the creation of the world, God created people of different sexes, commanding them to be fruitful, multiply and populate the earth. Many readers are surprised that at this solemn moment the Creator does not say a word about love, focusing precisely on procreation. But, if you think about it, this is explained very simply: at the time of creation, there was no sin yet, and, consequently, there were no negative feelings: God's love permeated everything, and this love, according to the Bible, was transmitted to everyone, including, and man. In other words, Adam and Eve simply could not help but love each other - it was so natural that it did not even require clarification.

However, the Holy Bible does not stop talking about love even after the fall of the first people: throughout the Old Testament, we meet many couples who were able to achieve the highest manifestation of this feeling.

What is love according to the book of the Bible?

Before reading what the Bible says about love, it is worth understanding exactly what feelings are meant by this word. Surprisingly, love in the Holy Scriptures is not much different from our feelings today: in the Bible you can find self-sacrificing love (Zechariah and Elizabeth), vicious and sinful (David and Bathsheba), passionate (Song of Songs), chaste (Joseph and Mary), insidious (Samson and Delilah). There are so many examples that it is very difficult to determine for yourself the signs of true love, according to the book of the Bible. But the Lord Himself helps us in this: “Let a man leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and let them be two as one flesh.” In this definition, you can see two components of love: the desire to be together at all costs and carnal attraction. Theologians, interpreting this phrase about love from the Bible for us, focus on connecting spiritual intimacy with physical intimacy: in the absence of the first component, love becomes lust, and if the second is removed, friendship.

The Bible about love: how to keep feelings?

So, according to the Bible, the relationship between a man and a woman is not even just a norm, but the fulfillment of one of the first commandments of God.

It is more or less clear with what the Bible says about love as a feeling. Does it contain the answer to the most main question, exciting people for many millennia: how to maintain your love for each other? It turns out that yes, such a recipe exists, but following it requires effort on the part of both husband and wife. This answer is given to us by the Apostle Paul, who says that true love is merciful, long-suffering, does not envy, does not think evil, does not desire another's, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. True love covers sins, is built on trust, is not irritated and is not proud.

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