Ask a Pastor Column

Q: What does it really mean to love God?

A: The first thing to know about love is the Bible sets God Himself as the ultimate example of what it means to love (I John 4:8). This is one reason why love is so difficult to define: to understand love we must understand God! The best I can do is share the biblical passages that describe what love is. From these we can glean the elements of real love and work towards a definition that lines up with Scripture.

One clear element of love is that it involves self-sacrifice. John 3:16 and I John 3:16 tell us that the best example of love is Christ laying...