Love in any language

“Car Dieu a tant aimé le monde qúil a donné son Fils unique,
afin que quiconque croit en lui ne périsse point,
mais qúil ait la vie éternelle.”
French


“Poichè Iddio ha tanto amato il modo, che ha dato il suo unì enito Figliuolo, affinchè chiunque crede in lui non perisca,
ma abbia vita eternal.”
Italian


“Porque de tal manera amò Dios al mundo, que ha dado à su Hijo unigenito, para que todo aquel que en él cred, no se pierda,
mas tenga vida eternal.”
Spanish


“Gayon na lamang ang pag-ibig ng Diyos sa sanlibutan,
kaya ibinigay niya ang kanyang bugtong na Anak,
upang ang sumampalataya sa kanya ay hindi mapahamak,
kundi magkaroon ng buhay na walang hanggan.”
Filipino


“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish,
but have eternal life.”
English

John 3:16. Powerful words…powerful message.

If I was asked to reduce the whole Bible to a single thought…a single idea, it would be this verse.

Jesus emphasized this point in Matthew 22:37-40. When asked “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Christ answered by reciting the Shema, a Jewish prayer that calls on the people to love God with all their hearts, with all their souls and with all their minds. He declares this as the greatest and most important commandment. The second most important commandment stems from the first: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” According to Jesus, the whole Mosaic Law and teachings of the prophets rely on these two commandments.

It’s all about love.

But what is love?

People say love is a many-splendored thing. From a human perspective, it does look that way. The interaction between the various experiences of love and the effects of such experiences all contribute to its assertion to glory.

There is a diversity of loves, from erotic (sexual) to platonic (friendship) to agape (selfless). There are even types of false loves. Love of money, power, fame and prestige. They are based on compulsion or greed, a need to satisfy one’s ego by gaining things. In many of these forms of human love there seems though to be a common thread…the universal need for human beings to belong, to relate…to bond.

However, I believe on many occasions that common thread may also lead us to believe that false loves are true loves. A fit wholesome definition of love is therefore imperative.

The Bible teaches us that love is not limited to sexuality. In fact, love is not simply about feelings. Rather the good book teaches us that love is a commitment. It is not reliant on good feelings; instead it is a consistent and daring decision to offer oneself for the happiness of the beloved. The commitment results in good feelings, not the other way around.

Jesus was the perfect expression of God’s unconditional love for us. He gave His only Son for our benefit, that we may believe in Him and be worthy of eternal life in His presence.


John 3:16. Powerful words…powerful message.


May God’s love be made perfect in us this Valentine’s Day!