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The Bible's most famous passage on love — 1 Corinthians 13 — was written not about romance but about the character of Christian community. Scripture uses four Greek words for love (agape, phileo, storge, eros), with agape — unconditional, self-giving love — as the highest. John declares 'God is love' (1 John 4:8), and Jesus summarizes the entire law as love for God and neighbor (Matthew 22:37–40).
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… Love your neighbor as yourself."
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
1 Corinthians 13:4–7 gives the most detailed biblical definition: patient, kind, not envious or boastful, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeping no record of wrongs, rejoicing in truth, always protecting, trusting, hoping, and persevering. This is agape — love as a choice and commitment, not merely a feeling.
Matthew 5:43–44 records Jesus' radical command: 'Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.' Romans 12:20 adds 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him.' This love is not based on the worthiness of the recipient but on the character of God who 'causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good' (Matthew 5:45).
The word 'love' (in various forms) appears approximately 500–700 times in the Bible depending on the translation. The New Testament alone contains over 250 references. The concept of God's love (Hebrew: hesed — steadfast love) is one of the most pervasive themes in all of Scripture.