Love of Christ (concept)
The "Love of Christ" is a core tenet for Christians and Messianic Jews, emphasizing a tripartite love: Christ's love for humanity, the love of believers for Christ, and the love they extend to others. Central to this concept is the idea of *agape*, a Greek term denoting unconditional, sacrificial love that does not rely on personal gain or mutual affection. Followers of Christ are encouraged to reflect this love through their actions, as demonstrated by Christ's teachings and sacrifices outlined in the New Testament, where he exemplified compassion through acts of healing and feeding the vulnerable.
The essence of the Love of Christ is captured in the commandment to love God fully and to love one’s neighbor as oneself. This directive promotes a lifestyle of selfless love towards all individuals, regardless of the nature of the relationship. Adherents acknowledge that embodying this ideal can be challenging due to human tendencies toward self-interest, yet they strive to emulate Christ's model of love in their daily lives. Ultimately, the Love of Christ calls for an active commitment to caring for others, embodying compassion, and prioritizing the well-being of others as a demonstration of faith.
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Love of Christ
Love of Christ is a fundamental principle for Christians and Messianic Jews, or Jews who believe that Jesus is the savior known as Messiah. There are three separate but related concepts included in the Love of Christ. The first is Christ’s love for all people. The second is the love of Christ-followers for Christ. The third is the love of Christ-followers for others, including those who follow Christ and those who do not. These three forms of love are part of the essential beliefs and practices for all Christians and Messianic Jews.
Background
The life and actions of Jesus Christ are known primarily through the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The majority of the seventeen books of the New Testament were written in Koine Greek, a commonly spoken language in the first century. In English, the word “love” can be applied to everything from types of food to one’s cherished family members. Koine Greek has multiple words for love, based on the type of love being displayed. The four most common included philia, used for affection between friends; storge, or love based on family ties; and eros, or love for romantic partners.
The authors of the Bible chose the fourth common word, agape, to refer to the love Christ has for his followers and Christ-followers should have for Christ and others. This word appears more than two hundred times in original Greek texts of the New Testament. Unlike most of the other words used for love, agape does not depend on a relationship. It refers to sacrificial love based on a conscious decision by someone to act in a caring and compassionate way towards someone else. There is no expectation of receiving anything—not even love—in return. Instead, one person puts the well-being of another ahead of their own needs and preferences. The Bible presents God as the ultimate example of agape love as demonstrated in the way Jesus Christ offered himself as a sacrifice for humanity.
Overview
Christians and Messianic Jews believe that Christ is God in human form who came to live on Earth for the purpose of teaching and saving humanity. God created a perfect world for humans but allowed them to have free will. Humans used that free will to ignore God’s love and rules. This damaged the relationship between God and the humans he created. Jesus Christ became incarnate, or took on human form. He spent part of his life teaching and giving examples of how to love like God loves. Then he sacrificed his life to atone for the sins of every person who ever lived.
The Gospel of John puts it this way: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, New King James Version). This demonstrates the main aspect of the love of Christ as seen by his followers: that for no reason other than the love of humanity, Christ left behind heaven to come to Earth, to live and struggle and suffer like a human, and then to die by torture. According to followers of Christ, this was the definitive example of sacrificial agape love.
The words and teachings of Christ, as recorded in the New Testament, outline many different ways for Christ-followers to both reflect this love back to Christ and to show it toward others. During his time on Earth, Christ demonstrated love and caring toward others in many ways, such as healing and feeding them. He also told stories to illustrate the importance God places on caring for others. In one, for instance, a Samaritan man stops to care for a badly injured man, providing not only for the stranger’s immediate safety but for care while he healed. Stories such as this one emphasized the teaching behind what Christ said to a young man who asked him which was the greatest of God’s commandments:
Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39, New King James Version).
In this statement is found the idea that followers of Christ are to love God with everything that they have—heart or body, soul or spirit, and mind or will. In Christian/Messianic belief, God and Christ are inseparable. Therefore, the way people treat others demonstrates their love for Christ and God. In this belief system, Christ-followers are required to attempt to live up to the example shown by Christ’s sacrifice and to love others sacrificially. As demonstrated in the story of the Samaritan man, this sacrificial love can be shown in many ways, such as by offering compassion, sharing time, or sharing material resources.
The concept of Love of Christ also includes the idea of demonstrating love as an act of will. This means that Christ-followers act in a loving manner to everyone—friends, family, strangers, even enemies—regardless of whether they feel like loving them or not. Christ-followers are to choose to act in a loving manner toward everyone as a way of demonstrating their love for Christ.
Christian and Messianic theologians admit that this is a difficult task, and one that people often fall short of accomplishing. Human nature leads people to seek their own comfort and happiness first, though these can often be set aside for family and friends where mutual affection is present. However, the goal and model held before Christ-followers is to live out the love of Christ in loving Christ and others.
Bibliography
Davila-Ashcraft, Jack. “What is the Love of Christ?” Christianity.com, 21 April 2021, www.christianity.com/wiki/jesus-christ/what-is-the-love-of-christ.html. Accessed 10 Jan. 2022.
MacArthur, John. “True Love.” Ligonier, 1 May 2004, www.ligonier.org/learn/art. Accessed 10 Jan. 2022.
Roat, Alyssa. “What Does Agape Love Really Mean in the Bible?” Christianity.com, 20 Dec. 2019, www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-terms/what-does-agape-love-really-mean-in-the-bible.html. Accessed 10 Jan. 2022.
Slyman, Patrick. “A Theology of Divine Love: When Christ’s Love Made Him Tremble.” Master’s Seminary, 8 June 2021, blog.tms.edu/a-theology-of-divine-love-when-christs-love-made-him-tremble. Accessed 10 Jan. 2022.
“The Good Samaritan.” Bible Study Tools, 17 April 2020, www.biblestudytools.com/bible-stories/the-good-samaritan-bible-story.html. Accessed 10 Jan. 2022.
“What Does the Bible Say About Love of Christ?” Open Bible, www.openbible.info/topics/love‗of‗christ. Accessed 10 Jan. 2022.
“What is Love?” Christian Enquiry Agency, christianity.org.uk/article/what-is-love. Accessed 10 Jan. 2022.
“Why Did Jesus Die?” BBC Religions, 18 Sept. 2009, www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/beliefs/whydidjesusdie‗1.shtml. Accessed 10 Jan. 2022.