What is "Love" according to Jesus Christ?

we are told to love our neighbors and our enemies being merciful just like the heavenly father who is kind to the wicked and ungrateful (Luke 6:35-36), but what is love?

Jesus Christ says there is no greater love than for a man to lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).

The love Jesus speaks of is called agape in Greek. Agape is selfless love and when John writes in his letters what he was taught by Christ, that God is love, this is the word being used.

Love is selfless giving - Charity, Generosity, even to the point of giving your own life to protect others like a parent would do for their child.

God is Love
God is Charity ( selfless love / giving)
God is Agape

There may have been confusion about who God truly is but Jesus tells us that this, what He taught, is Truth.

This is why Jesus says I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one goes to the father except through me. Jesus's view of God, that God is Love and there is no darkness within him is the true view , if you believe in another God then you are following something else not the heavenly father.

This is also why everyone who has a near death experience comes back saying they saw The Light and God is that Light and God is Love. These experiences testify to the truth.

a reply to: arpgme

we are told to love our neighbors and our enemies being merciful just like the heavenly father who is kind to the wicked and ungrateful (Luke 6:35-36), but what is love?

Proven many times! Let me give you some examples.

Sodom and Gamora.

The great Flood

Killing the first born of every family.

Etc etc etc.

I like my love just a little differently, thank you all the same.

P

a reply to: pheonix358

Did you read the entire post? Jesus told them that they did NOT know God until they knew him and all who came before him were liars and thieves.

a reply to: arpgme

I would like to ask a question about agape love or unconditional love and forgiveness.

Does this teaching of unconditional love make Christians weak when dealing with the Jewish religion which teaches in the torah to explloit the goyim - something jewish children are taught so accept as they learn this principle whilst in their formative years (which means they are unlikely ever to question it)?

Does this teaching make Christians weak when dealing with muslims which although it teaches to help the poor and has many good qualities as a religion goes, it demands people to be converted to Islam 'for their own good'.

So are Christians who accept the principle of agape weak and open to exploitation by other less scrupulous people?

Bankers get round the principle of usury without any conscience but most are not from Christian backgrounds, our politicians who all tread the carpet intothe Christian church when necessary don't seem to adhere to this principle as they are bought by corporations and openly exploit the people they govern. They are even taught not to answer direct questions which I think if disrespectful and deceitful.

Although so-called fringe religions and the veritable religions of the East which are excellent in much of their teachings all include love and respect and I am sure the majority of people of no religious persuasion all adhere to the principle of 'Do as you would be done by' so it beggars the question why as God made all of us are we capable to deep hatred with this ealth of teachings of love and respect? And does it matter who the 'original teacher of this principle is - its the same principle?

A reply to: Shiloh7

Luke 14:11 Those who humble themselves will be exalted and those Who exalt themselves will be humbled. Those who are of the world see the spirit as weak but Love is The Power of The Spirit.

Love is Spirit and The Spirit gives Life Everlasting.

Love is eternal And the meek shalL inherit the earth.

originally posted by: arpgme
a reply to: pheonix358

Did you read the entire post? Jesus told them that they did NOT know God until they knew him and all who came before him were liars and thieves.

yeah and kind to wicked? lets kill 'em all.

kind?

"you dont know me so.. I'l lkill you?"

your god sucks pants...

a reply to: sn0rch

Death (murder) entered the world through evil (the Lack of Love),
Not through God the spirit of Love and Light of Life.

The Spirit is Love and The Spirit gives Life Everlasting.

a reply to: arpgme

Sounds like one "god" didn't want humans to worship other "gods" that he knew hmmmm....

a reply to: arpgme

And I don't think your being humble by Preaching what you think love is by quoting the bible, which is just a passed down story made many many of years ago *cough* Story of Horus *cough*.

Love is what it is. It's understood but not well know.

a reply to: SirKonstantin

Humble
not proud : not thinking of yourself as better than other people

I am not superior to anyone. No one is lower than myself. I see everyone as human each with Spirit within. No one is 'lower' than me.

It's The Spirit that inspires me to Love and Share with others.

originally posted by: arpgme
a reply to: SirKonstantin

Humble
not proud : not thinking of yourself as better than other people

I am not superior to anyone. No one is lower than myself. I see everyone as human each with Spirit within. No one is 'lower' than me.

It's The Spirit that inspires me to Love and Share with others.

Your claiming to have special knowledge that everyone needs to hear and then you make 5 threads about it every friggin day. You place yourself above me when you claim i'm living my life wrong and i should come around to your way of thinking. You are not spreading love. You are stepping on my neck and saying i'm not good enough.

It's The Spirit that inspires me to Love and Share with others.

Nope. It is your ego.

originally posted by: Woodcarver

originally posted by: arpgme
a reply to: SirKonstantin

Humble
not proud : not thinking of yourself as better than other people

I am not superior to anyone. No one is lower than myself. I see everyone as human each with Spirit within. No one is 'lower' than me.

It's The Spirit that inspires me to Love and Share with others.

Your claiming to have special knowledge that everyone needs to hear and then you make 5 threads about it every friggin day. You place yourself above me when you claim i'm living my life wrong and i should come around to your way of thinking. You are not spreading love. You are stepping on my neck and saying i'm not good enough.

This is exactly what i mean. The more you call yourself "humble" and "spreading the love", the less you actually do. Just stop it. Religion Nuts Piss Me Off.

Had you just made a thread about being good and nice to eachother for humanities sake. I would be on your side. But when you post five scripture quotes and tell me i should get right with jesus, then you become an oppressor.


a reply to: arpgme

Death and murder entered the world when the first few single celled organisms formed billions of years ago.

Life can only continue if we consume the children of other organisms. Everything you have ever eaten had a mother who probably loved it.

There is an amazing variety of perspective in this world. On one hand people feel persecuted by religious "nuts", and on the other hand, you have people who value morality also trying to make it in the same world. It is a conflict of interests to be neighbors with someone who doesn't respect your boundaries- religious or otherwise.
As an example, I lived in an apartment several years ago, and there were 2 younger boys that lived downstairs. They would listen to there music so loud, and were very disrespectful about boundaries. Apartment living was not so bad until they moved in. There bad behavior drove me insane. I would knock on their door very often in hopes that I could help change their behavior. I tried to interact with them and help instill in them some kind of respect for the way others are trying to live. Finally one day their behavior caught up to them. An ex-girlfriend broke into their apartment and trashed it, and they were kicked out as a result. Hey guys, I tried.
Those kids were just like me when I was a kid. Dangerous to society, and no happy future in the deck of cards. But, thanks to all the religious nut that have come through my life, I have changed.
Maybe some of you are correct in stating that it is no ones business how you live in your own home, back yards, and clubs- but when your life starts intruding into my home, and poisons the neutrality of the community I live in, you can bet I will say something, and I am going to bring it back to you house, and dump it back on your door steps.
Yes there are a lot of religious nuts out here, but there are a lot of people misbehaving openly and aggressively.

a reply to: Woodcarver

a world with no love or peace is what Oppression really is - pain and suffering from life that we cannot escape from except through love/compassion.

Someone speaking about Jesus Christ's message of forgiving enemies and treating others as you would like to be treated is not oppression.

originally posted by: arpgme
a reply to: Woodcarver

a world with no love or peace is what Oppression really is - pain and suffering from life that we cannot escape from except through love/compassion.

Someone speaking about Jesus Christ's message of forgiving enemies and treating others as you would like to be treated is not oppression.

Where is there a world with no love and peace? You exaggerate to justify the need to spread your opinion of jesus. I have been an atheist my entire life. I have never needed fairey tales to scare me into being a good person.

Is that what you are afraid of? That if you stop preaching, and religion falls apart, then the entire world will explode in violence and wars? That people will start thieving and killing indiscriminately? The only reason to be good is because jesus said so? If you found out that jesus wasn't real and he didn't really write the bible,would you start robbing and lying and killing?

Your not spreading the love of jesus. You are spreading the fear of retribution for not loving jesus. People aren't good because they love jesus and listen to his words. And plenty of people who believe in jesus , still do despicable things. Your saying to the world, that believing in jesus is the only way to peace and that is just not so.

a reply to: Woodcarver

I didn't say believing Jesus exist is the only way to peace , nor did I tell anyone to be scared of anything, nor did I say that people are only compassionate because they believe Jesus exists. You are making a lot of assumptions

The only thing I did actually say Is that the golden rule ( treat others as you would like to be treated) is the oNly way to peace.

A couple of powerful quotes about the topic:

“Don’t boast about having great faith. Don’t judge other faiths. I believe Jesus is the only way, the truth and the life. I will not try to be politically correct. It’s simple. The line has been drawn in the sand. Jesus is the only way. I’m ready to die for this statement. But then, how you convey the way, is only through love.” ~ Philip Mantofa

You can be the most successful person in the world but if you don’t have love in your life you’re a failure.

"But what you do in this age with your heart response in love is the only thing, the only thing, the only thing that matters. In the truest sense of the word. Why are you here? To choose love. Set your heart on a pilgrimage to be great in eternity. You are going to be there in just a moment, you are going to be there in just a moment. And what you have done in love and service is what is going to stand in that day."

Well from my point of view Jesus taught loving your enemy but that do not mean he is letting the enemy/wolf thru the door to get at the sheep on the higher levels.

Loving your enemy is understanding that some people are not there yet in understanding and in a way have empathy for their lack and wishing them to evolve to that stage. Just because you love them do not mean you let them harm you in their ego madness.

You call it Agape. I call it the oneness (non duality). The knowing that 2 souls are like 2 cells in a bigger body that can be connected by the light/energy/chi that Christians call the holy spirit.

The golden rule most people can accept. It is the idolizing of Jesus that Paul created that some people have a problem with since from some people view including my own, some people are using Jesus as a scapegoat for their sins against the golden rule.

I am one of those people who say you prove what you are with your actions and works and saying divine names is done with intention not words.