Topical Bible: Love and Relationships

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Introduction

Love and relationships are central themes in the Bible, reflecting God's nature and His intentions for human interactions. The Scriptures provide profound insights into the nature of love, the dynamics of relationships, and the divine principles that should govern them. From the love of God for humanity to the love between individuals, the Bible offers guidance on how to cultivate and maintain relationships that honor God.

Divine Love

The Bible reveals that God is the ultimate source of love. In 1 John 4:8, it is stated, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." This divine love, or agape, is unconditional and sacrificial, exemplified supremely in the sending of Jesus Christ. John 3:16 declares, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." This love is not based on human merit but is a gift of grace.

Love Commanded

The greatest commandments, as articulated by Jesus, center on love. In Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus says, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" These commandments encapsulate the essence of the Law and the Prophets, emphasizing that love for God and others is foundational to a righteous life.

Marital Love

Marriage is a sacred institution established by God, intended to reflect the relationship between Christ and the Church. Ephesians 5:25 instructs, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her." This sacrificial love is characterized by selflessness, commitment, and mutual respect. Wives are also called to love and respect their husbands, creating a harmonious and God-honoring partnership.

Family Relationships

The Bible places significant emphasis on family relationships, advocating for love, respect, and responsibility within the family unit. Ephesians 6:1-4 advises, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother'... Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." These verses highlight the importance of nurturing and guiding children in a loving and godly manner.

Friendship and Brotherhood

Friendship is another vital aspect of relationships in the Bible. Proverbs 17:17 states, "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." True friendship is marked by loyalty, support, and love. The relationship between David and Jonathan exemplifies this, as seen in 1 Samuel 18:1, where it is said, "Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself."

Love for Enemies

One of the most challenging teachings of Jesus is the call to love one's enemies. In Matthew 5:44, Jesus instructs, "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." This radical love transcends human inclinations and reflects the transformative power of God's love in the believer's life.

Conclusion

The Bible's teachings on love and relationships are profound and multifaceted, offering guidance for every aspect of human interaction. By adhering to these divine principles, believers can cultivate relationships that reflect God's love and bring glory to His name.

Topical Bible Verses

John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give to you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Topicalbible.org

Romans 13:8-10
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loves another has fulfilled the law.
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Library

Forgiveness and Love.
... it is among us to think that only he who has been guilty of glaring offences against
these relationships needs forgiveness. But, alas, how little love there is ...
/.../schleiermacher/selected sermons of schleiermacher/vi forgiveness and love.htm

The Love Passion.
... last word may be loosely grouped the love that one may have for any special object,
to which he may devote his life, outside of personal relationships, such as ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks with world winners/the love passion.htm

"Life, Love, and Light"
... in Light as the manifestation of Being (of Kyndhede = relationships, correspondences
of ... Charity leading him from and through and into the Eternal Divine Love. ...
/.../julian/revelations of divine love/chapter lxxxiii life love and.htm

Provoking Each Other to Love and Good Works.
... If these two things, love and good works, dwell richly among us, not ... would exert
a beneficent and cheering influence in all his relationships, but everything ...
/.../selected sermons of schleiermacher/xxiv provoking each other to.htm

Chapter xv.
... that kingdom, should hate not the persons themselves, but those temporal relationships
by which ... because he who does not hate them, does not yet love that life ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/our lords sermon on the mount/chapter xv.htm

Bands of Love; Or, Union to Christ. "I Drew them with Cords of a ...
... Incarnate God, "Thou art my Brother and my Husband." Surely, if relationships to
ancient ... In love He espoused her to Himself, as a chaste virgin, long before ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/till he come/bands of love or union.htm

The Ministry of Love, the Blasphemy of Hatred, and the Mistakes of ...
... that it was needful, in presence of interference or hindrance by earthly relationships,
even the ... the spirit for the letter of the Law of Love, when, refusing ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xxii the ministry of.htm

Sureness
... a point I long to know, Oft it causes anxious thought; Do I love my wife ... is quite
as unsatisfactory as any doubt about our most sacred domestic relationships. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/howard/standards of life and service/vi sureness.htm

John Chapter xiii. 34, 35
... carnal affection, added, "as I have loved you." For husbands and wives love one
another, and parents and children, and all other human relationships that bind ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate lxv john chapter xiii.htm

The Answer to Trust
... Just as with our earthly relationships and acquaintances, only they who love a man
or a woman know such a one right down to the very depth of their being, so ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/the answer to trust.htm