In 1979, England Dan and John Ford Coley released a song called “Love is the Answer.” Whether or not it was written with Jesus in mind is up for debate. The chorus of the song goes:
“Light of the world
Shine on me
Love is the answer.”
So, even if Jesus was not the inspiration for this song, it certainly carries obvious spiritual overtones.
We know that love is the basis of our faith. Love is why we have the opportunity to have eternal life. Jesus explained it to Nicodemus in John 3:16–16 “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.” God loved His creation, man, so much that even knowing they would fall from the perfection of the Garden to needing a Savior.
When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
Just from these two verses alone we can see the importance of love. God demonstrated His unconditional love by sending Jesus to die on the cross. And the most important thing we can do to please God is love Him and love our neighbor.
Now, love can be an ambiguous term. Jesus, however, explained (and illustrated) love so that we could fully understand what He meant. Jesus stated in John 14:15– “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” So, love is demonstrated through obedience. Part of being obedient is putting God first in all things. Not only does this demonstrate love, but it also demonstrates our faith. Allowing God to be the center of our lives leads us to a greater understanding of what love is. We see how God loves us and then we can pass that on to those around us.
That leads us to the second greatest commandment. Love your neighbor. In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan to illustrate who a neighbor is. In Matthew 25:31-46. Jesus describes the great judgment scene. In this passage, Jesus describes how we can show love for others. Pay close attention to verses 35 and 36-35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
Looking at that list, love is just a matter of seeing needs and meeting them. It is a matter of encouragement and showing care and kindness. These actions are done without expectations of receiving anything in return.
It is obvious that love is the answer to eternal life. The love of God, and the love we show to our fellow man. Jesus came to earth and demonstrated to us exactly how to love God first and love our neighbor. This by no means is an exhaustive study on love. It is very basic, however, it is with the basics we must begin in order to grow. Do you want to be a disciple of Jesus? Love is the answer!
Read John 13:34, 35