Where can I find true love in this world?

God's love for the world is unconditional and sacrificial love, which will not change under any circumstances...

If we talk about the word "love" from the beginning, this word is too ancient, too modern, and too popular.

Who has not loved or been loved? Who has never had hope or been completely disappointed in "love"? No matter how long you have lived, have you ever doubted in your heart: Is there real love in the world? If there is true love, where to find it?

Kinds of love

Love (love) has only one word that can be written in Chinese and English, but in the original text of the Bible (Greek), it has three different meanings, representing different types of love in the world.

Among them, the most familiar to us is"Philia" (philia), this word mainly refers to the love generated by blood relatives, such as: the blood relationship between parents, children, brothers and sisters, this kind of love can also be extended to friendship, and the scope is relatively wide.

Another word is"eros" refers to the love between men and women, the scope of this kind of love is relatively narrow, limited to between a man and a woman. The poet Schiller said: "The realm of love is very small and can only be tolerated between two people." These two kinds of love are experienced by everyone. The former develops the ethical relationship of filial piety and friendship, and the latter extends to the relationship of marriage. inherited.

These two kinds of love seem simple but ever-changing; throughout the ages, countless tragedies and comedies of grudges and hatreds in the world have been written and sung into endless stories and poems. And you and I have lived in these two kinds of love all our lives, and no one can be outside of "Phelia" and "love fulfillment". These two kinds of love are the delicacies of the world, which people can enjoy endlessly; but they may also be the poison of life, and some people have been harmed miserably by these two kinds of love, falling into the abyss of pain and eternal damnation.

Family happiness─family love

Let’s first talk about the family love generated by blood. It is natural for parents to love their children. It is amazing how many such touching stories there are in the world. We are deeply moved by how deeply children love their parents. Take the "Twenty-Four Filial Piety" stories in Chinese legends. Although some of them are criticized as inhumane or even cruel (such as "lying on the ice to seek carp", "cutting the thighs to treat relatives", etc.), these "Twenty-Four Filial Piety" Even if it is no longer followed as an example today, isn't it still a traditional virtue in Chinese history?

However, this kind of familial love born from natural blood can also deteriorate. Once many circumstances change between parents and children, this kind of familial love born from blood will also change overnight. Some children kill their parents, and some parents kill their children. Turn on the TV and newspapers, and you will see such tragedies happening every day. This dark side of sin has already destroyed the love between parents and children. It is more common for brothers who wait for the next generation to fight against each other and kill each other. The tragedy of the first murder case in the world was recorded in the fourth chapter of the Bible Genesis when his elder brother Cain killed his younger brother Abel.

I do - love between men and women

Let’s talk about the love between men and women in the world. There are countless beautiful love stories throughout the ages. Aren’t you creating this kind of love story yourself? When a man and a woman fall in love together, have you ever made a beautiful vow like "I wish to be a winged bird in heaven, and a twig in the earth"? When a man and a woman decide to become husband and wife, aren't the words "I do" they say in front of the witnesses sincere?

Although there are many such beautiful couples in the world who can stay together, the love between men and women is also extremely fragile and fragile. When a man and a woman fall in love, they want to live together, but when the opposite of "realized love" is turned over, they hate each other and want to die. The positive and negative aspects of love are polarized. Modern modern people think before marriage and sign preparatory clauses in case of divorce, fearing that it will be too late to regret. It seems that divorce is more prudent than marriage. And this is "love implementation".

Are the family love passed down through blood and the love between men and women of the opposite sex real? is fake? "Love", the most precious treasure of mankind, do you still believe in it? Still have hope for "love"? If you were full of hope for both kinds of love but unfortunately were disappointed, do you want to look for another true love? "Is there still true love in the world?" Yes, I will tell you now.

Double love—God’s divine love from heaven

There is indeed a third kind of love in the world. This kind of love does not originate from human blood, nor is it formed from human lust, nor does it develop from human consciousness, but comes from God (see John 1:13).

This kind of love is called"Agape" (agape), that is, the "holy love" with which God loves the world."Bible" John Chapter 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."The apostle Paul had unique research and experience on this "holy love." He drew us a very surprising blueprint; he described this kind of true love that is unique in the world. The negative aspects are:“Even if I give away all my possessions to others, even if I sacrifice my body to be burned, if I don’t have love, what I do will still be of no benefit.” (1 Corinthians 13:3, New Version)

I don’t know whether Paul is ignorant of the world or has a mental problem. How can a person who sacrifices himself in this way still be without love? Otherwise, the love he is talking about should not belong to the two types of love mentioned above. In fact, this is indeed the case. What Paul is talking about is really another kind of true love that does not exist in the world. He goes on to talk about the positive meaning of this kind of love:“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, does not do rash things, is not selfish, is not easily angered, does not remember the wrongs of others, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, has faith in all things, has hope in all things, and endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, New Version)It turns out that Paul is not an idiot who talks about love. There is indeed such a kind of holy love: only because it does not come from human emotions, people will feel it is novel and strange.

This kind of holy love of "double love" is the love in which Jesus Christ crucified the cross for mankind and atoned for mankind's sins. It is a kind of sacrificial love, and it is also the love of "loving your enemies" that Christ talked about. This kind of love goes against human emotions because it does not exist in human nature at all. It is the holy love given by God from heaven. This kind of love is true love. When we accept the love of the cross of Christ, we become believers in the Lord and children of God; our souls will gain peace and our lives will be saved.

eternal love

The first two types of love generated from human emotions may deteriorate due to human sinfulness and selfishness; once love deteriorates, it will turn into hatred or enmity.God’s love for the world is unconditional and sacrificial love that will not change under any circumstances.. Your loved ones may abandon you, but God will not abandon you, and He nailed His only begotten Son to the cross for the sins you committed, sacrificing His life and shedding His blood to atone for your sins. This kind of love is holy love. Isn’t this kind of love what you are searching for so hard? God’s true love is by your side. As long as you believe and accept Jesus as your Savior, you can get it immediately. Heavenly Father, we are always waiting to welcome you with outstretched hands. You can immediately bow your head before the Lord anytime and anywhere and accept God’s true love with joy. You may not know that the sooner a person accepts divine true love, the more likely his human love will last and not deteriorate.

Author profile

Pastor Yin Ying is a writer who loves literature, nature and praising the Creator. He is also an editor, publisher and communication worker. He once served as corporate editor and president of church news weekly, producer and administrative director of radio and television programs, and pastored the church for more than 20 years. He is the author of many works such as "Return to the Pastoral", "The Bitter Cup and Feast of the Soul", "The Temptation of Stones", "The Footprints of Jesus", "Meditations under the Cross", etc.