Love

[Wherenextcolumbus]

And according to the bible we were made in the image of God also

 

[Straw Dog]

Why does love have to be perfect?

 

[sojourner]

Do you not believe the "two greatest commands"?

Luke 10:27 He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength

"Command" and "force" are two different things. love is a product of free will, not coersion.

 

[Falvlun]

God's love and God's Son's love comes with NO qualifier. They are the only ones who's love comes with no qualifier. That is the difference between "love" and God's love.

Unfortunately, according to most Christian teaching, God's love does come with a qualifier: God loves you if you believe in him.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

Everalasting life is not for everyone. God's love was not for everyone. It is only for those who believe.

 

[sojourner]

Someone asked if angels are perfect in love. I say no they are not. Why would I say such a thing?

Angels are commanded by YHVH to love. Man is commanded by YHVH to love. And they will if they are able. But angel's love and man's love comes with a qualifier. The qualifier is if. For example; I will love you if you are my child.

God's love and God's Son's love comes with NO qualifier. They are the only ones who's love comes with no qualifier. That is the difference between "love" and God's love.

We can learn how to do it too, but why? Because we are told to and that is the qualifier which is OK. But the creation will never be perfect like God and Yehoshua are perfect that way.

Someone might say Yehoshua's love also came with a qualifier in that he was sent to do not his own will but the will of Him that sent him. That is the difference between a believer and an unbeliever, perhaps? To believe his love is true is to be a true believer imo.

I disagree. Love is inherently unconditional. If our love comes with an "if," then it's not really love. God is love -- God does not possess love; love is not an attribute of God. God loves perfectly because God is perfectly God.

 

[savagewind]

Than why did satan tempt him if he knows he was created in a different way and can't fall like him and the Angels?

Satan was tempting his patience, not his love.

 

[savagewind]

"command" and "force" are two different things. Love is a product of free will, not coersion.

ok

 

[savagewind]

Why does love have to be perfect?

I think love does not need to be perfect, and a good thing too!

 

[savagewind]

I disagree. Love is inherently unconditional. If our love comes with an "if," then it's not really love. God is love -- God does not possess love; love is not an attribute of God. God loves perfectly because God is perfectly God.

Of course it's conditional. You love the members of your family because they are your family. You don't love me because you do not know me.

Because means condition.

 

[Straw Dog]

To be fair, there are different types of love. I suspect the kind being held as "perfect" here is the unconditional agape love.

 

[savagewind]

To be fair, there are different types of love. I suspect the kind being held as "perfect" here is the unconditional agape love.

Yes. God is agape. The creation can learn to reflect agape love.

 

[Meshak]

I believe God's free gift of love is the same for everyone.

How we understand and practice love is vastly different.

"To show love" and to love are not the same imo. Love means to show it of course. But showing one's own concept of what love should be is not love.

If we are not obedient to Jesus we cannot practice love. Love is action, not concept.

BTW, I am speaking from Jesus' point of view, not world's point of view.

 

[Straw Dog]

Yes. God is agape. The creation can learn to reflect agape love.

But is that a good thing in all situations?

For example, a wife who has unconditional love for her abusive husband. She won't leave him or seek help because she has no conditions for her affection.

 

[Meshak]

For example, a wife who has unconditional love for her abusive husband. She won't leave him or seek help because she has no conditions for her affection.

If you love yourself, you will not just being abused. Jesus want you to love yourself too, especially the child or children are involved. Parents have responsibility to protect children from abusive relationship..

 

[Straw Dog]

If you love yourself, you will not just being abused. Jesus want you to love yourself too, especially the child or children are involved. Parents have responsibility to protect children from abusive relationship..

Okay. That makes sense.

I don't think agape love is necessarily a wrong basis for ethics. I mean, at least love is something that we naturally experience.

 

[savagewind]

How we understand and practice love is vastly different.

True.

If we are not obedient to Jesus we cannot practice love. Love is action, not concept.

Very true.

BTW, I am speaking from Jesus' point of view, not world's point of view.

I hope you mean to say about Jesus' point of view. I think no one can share his point of view, therefor no one can speak "from" his pov.

 

[Falvlun]

How we understand and practice love is vastly different.

If we are not obedient to Jesus we cannot practice love. Love is action, not concept.

BTW, I am speaking from Jesus' point of view, not world's point of view.

Do you really believe that non-Christians can't or don't love?

 

[Falvlun]

I disagree. Love is inherently unconditional. If our love comes with an "if," then it's not really love. God is love -- God does not possess love; love is not an attribute of God. God loves perfectly because God is perfectly God.

You are mixing up two concepts here, I think.

First you say that if it is conditional then it is not love, but then you seem to describe "unconditional love" as "perfect love".

Did you mean to say, then, that perfect love must be unconditional? And that the rest of us mere mortals are able to muster up regular old conditional love?

 

[savagewind]

Non-Christians can and do love but they can not practice it in the fashion Christ loved.

 

[Falvlun]

Non-Christians can and do love but they can not practice it in the fashion Christ loved.

What fashion is that?