What does love mean in our society today? Affection, emotion, family, feelings, romance, relationships, sex, friendship, brotherhood. These are all words associated with love. Love songs, romance novels and chick flicks are always trying to tack on another definition. If you look it up on Wikipedia or dictionary.com you'll get a variety of explanations. If you google it, you get "The Love Calculator," where you type in your name and someone else's and receive a prophecy about the likelihood of your future together being a good one. You get all kinds of pictures of hearts and couples kissing.
But the problem with all these characterizations is they all fall short and eventually disappoint. They're temporary, they're flawed, they're substitutions. They're selfish. They rely on human power, which will always come to an end.
Take a look at the Bible's definition of love. Romans 8 says that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. First Corinthians 13 says that love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Ephesians 3 says that the love of Christ is so great you will never fully understand it. Second Corinthians 9 calls it an indescribable gift.
Does any of this sound like the world's definition of love? The love that is tied to image and worth and selfish desires? Absolutely not. The greatest lie we are led to believe is that we can find love outside of Jesus Christ. His love isn't human. It's unfathomable. The apostle Paul, who was extremely well educated and eloquent, couldn't even articulate the idea of God's love. He calls it indescribable. Beyond words.
