The love of God is not a feeling but an action: keeping God's commandments, as I John 5:3 defines it. Feelings of pity or compassion do not become love until a person acts on them, and the act then gains depth from the feeling. Because feelings are educated by carnal experience, they can mislead, so the will must be set by faith to follow God's law, which defines the direction love takes and keeps it from becoming aimless. As people obey, the Spirit re-educates their feelings until the right feeling accompanies the right act, even toward an enemy. Love is always costly. David refused to offer a sacrifice that cost him nothing, and Christ's whole life of self-expenditure is the standard by which all acts of love are measured. God is love in the sense that He is a loving Personality, and love is the underlying motive for all He does: creating, sustaining, redeeming, and giving hope of eternal life. Love is others-centered, unlike natural human self-centeredness, and human love for God is only a response to His love. Love is the greatest virtue, the permanent bond that unites other qualities and directs them rightly. It originates in God, was manifested in His Son, and is perfected in His people, both completing its cycle back to God and maturing through use. It is expressed first within the fellowship of believers, and love for God and for the brethren cannot be separated. Without love one does not know God, and knowing God is eternal life.

Love is not a warm feeling, a thrill, or a preference for ice cream, a team, or a style; caring must be part of true love, but a feeling of caring is not love by itself. Biblical love is agape, which has God as its source and is not normally part of man's nature. Human love apart from God is at best a pale reflection of what God is all the time. "God is love" does not make God an abstraction or reduce Him to one attribute; it means the God, by nature, is loving, so that all He does (creating, ruling, judging) is an expression of love. Love's nature is to share, and God created life because He did not want to live alone. Love is the sum of all duty (Romans 13:8-10): it is a debt owed to every person every day, never paid in full, and it does no harm to a neighbor, so it fulfills the law by supplying the right motivation that law alone cannot give. It is also the bond of perfection (Colossians 3:14), the one thing that holds groups together, and it outlasts prophecy, tongues, and knowledge (I Corinthians 13). Love is learned and perfected through growth: knowing God enables loving, and loving deepens knowing Him, a cycle God begins and sustains. God's love is made known by acts, above all giving His Son. Love is therefore an action, what one does, as Christ loved us (John 13:34-35).

God is love, and true love originates with Him and reflects His Spirit in those who exercise it. The Greek agape means affectionate regard, good will, and benevolence: God's willful direction toward people, doing what He knows is best for them rather than what they desire, as a parent who stops a child from running into the street. Love is an outgoing concern for others, a disposition to do good expressed in kindness, sympathy, and generosity. The world's idea of love is deep affection, sexual passion, or enjoyment of things, and it ignores God. God's love is proven supremely in sending His Son as payment for sins while people were still sinners. Whoever does not love does not know God, however much Bible knowledge he has, and one who claims to love God yet hates his brother is a liar. Love of God means keeping His commandments, the first four showing direct love toward Him and the last six love toward neighbor, which includes even enemies, as the Good Samaritan shows. Love is the bond of perfection and the greatest virtue, outlasting prophecy, tongues, and knowledge. First Corinthians 13 defines it: love is patient, kind, free of envy, boasting, pride, and selfishness, not easily provoked, thinks no evil, keeps no record of wrongs, rejoices in truth, bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things, and never fails. Love does not come naturally but requires conscious effort, and as it is practiced it is perfected and removes fear.

Love, in its truest form, is defined as an outgoing concern for others, a selfless dedication to their well-being above one's own desires. It is not primarily an emotion but a decision of the will, leading to right action, as exemplified by acts of sacrifice and kindness even in the face of hostility. This agape love can be commanded, for it stems from a deliberate choice to behave in a loving manner, regardless of personal feelings or conditions. Love is fervent, meaning it is continual, intense, diligent, careful, earnest, and perpetual. It requires sincerity, being unfeigned and without hypocrisy, genuinely expressed from the heart. It involves stretching oneself to love others, even when personalities or backgrounds do not align, pushing beyond barriers to show care and concern. This love overlooks faults, forgives offenses, and does not broadcast sins, reflecting a deep commitment to harmony and understanding. Love, as a standard, is patient, enduring trials without losing faith or giving up. It is kind, showing tenderness and compassion, always ready to help or assist. It does not envy or boast, nor is it puffed up with pride, but rejoices in the blessings of others without jealousy. Love does not behave rudely, provoke anger, or think evil, instead giving the benefit of the doubt and forgetting wrongs. It bears all things, covering faults in silence, believes the best in others, hopes even when all seems lost, and endures under any strain with trust in God. Ultimately, love sets a powerful example, becoming a light to the world through consistent, caring actions that demonstrate a difference in character. It covers a multitude of sins by forgiving and hiding offenses, prioritizing reconciliation over resentment. As the highest standard, love reflects the mind of Jesus Christ, guiding us to live a better life through selfless concern for others, just as He demonstrated through His ultimate sacrifice.

Love, as revealed in the Bible, holds supreme importance to life. It surpasses all other qualities and gifts from God in value, completeness, permanence, and necessity. Unlike temporal gifts such as prophecy, tongues, or knowledge, which may become obsolete or situational, love never ends and remains essential on every occasion. It is the attribute that enables us to receive and use God's gifts without corruption, preventing pride and destruction that can arise from other powers. Biblical love is not merely a feeling, preference, or caring, as often misunderstood in the world. It is not a warm, emotional thrill or a casual expression of liking something. Instead, love is an action, demonstrated through obedience to God's commandments. Keeping His commandments is the proof and expression of love, reflecting God's own nature, as He is love and cannot sin. His commands, given in love, guide actions toward right and good results. Love also serves as the bond that holds communities together, restraining individuals to act in unity despite frictions. It is not limited to specific virtues but encompasses traits that enable communal living, requiring strength to resist natural urges and follow God's commands. Furthermore, love must be pursued and perfected, as it is not innate but comes supernaturally through God's Spirit. While it can be shown coldly or dutifully, the ideal is to express it with joyous, wholehearted enthusiasm and thankful devotion. The love of God and the love of man are inseparable. True love for God necessitates love for others; without it, claims of loving God are false. Obedience to His commands, principles, and examples is the foundation of godly love, empowered by His Spirit, guiding us into truth and creating His image in us as the supreme virtue of the Almighty Creator.

The agape love is broader in application than the phileo love. Agape embraces judgment and the deliberate offense of the will as a manner of principle or duty with or without an affectionate feeling. The agape love involves judgment. It involves evaluating a situation as to whether or not it is right to do it. It embraces judgment and the deliberate offense of the will. One evaluates a situation and how one is going to handle it, and then one decides it would be love to do such and such and so and so, and then one sets one's will to do it. The agape love does not necessarily have to have an affectionate feeling attached to it. It can be the kind of love when one is performing a duty or an obligation, but it can and most frequently does include the feeling of affection as well. However, phileo expresses family affection. It has nothing to do with the will at all. Phileo love comes without one asking for it, because one loves one's family members. It is present there simply because one is a member of a certain family. It expresses family affection. It is a personal attachment as a matter of sentiment or feeling. God is love.