What Does the Bible Say about Love in Action?

We know that we can love others because God first loved us (1 John 4:19)

We know that love binds and covers a multitude of sins ( 1 Peter 4:8).

1 Corinthians 4:18 says, "Do everything in love." The pages of Scripture are filled with a call to love others with a love that is genuine, self-sacrificing, and honoring. But what does that look like practically? How do we act on the call to love in our everyday lives?

1. Love Must Be Genuine

Take a minute to read through Romans 12:9- 21. In many Bibles, this passage of Scripture is titled "A Call to Love," or "Love in Action," or in the ESV, "The Marks of a True Christian." Paul spent the first eight verses of Romans 12 expanding upon believers' call to live sacrificially for God's purposes because of the mercy bestowed on them. In the rest of Romans, Paul spells out how we are to live in a way that displays God's design for our lives and church.

The NLT translation of Romans 12:9 says, "Don't just pretend to love others. I really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. "As I said earlier, we all know that we should love each other, but Paul goes further and tells us that our love must be genuine. The bottom line is that fake, superficial love has no place in our relationships.

If we were to read this verse in the original Greek text, it would say, "Love unhypocritically!" The New Testament writers used the word hypokrites to describe people who had fallen away from Jesus' teachings but still acted like Christ's followers.

Paul tells us that genuine love is the opposite of this; our hearts' motivations match our speech and actions.

It Doesn't mean that we have to walk around giving hugs to everyone and being everyone's best friend; it doesn't even mean that you have to be friends. But, it does mean that we value people as image bearers, look for ways to serve one another, and show honor and respect to one another.

2. Love Hates What Is Evil and Clings to What Is Good

Think about putting something in your mouth that you don't like. What do you do? You spit it out and do what you can to eliminate that taste. That is how we should feel about what is evil. When love comes into contact with evil, it doesn't just turn away but confronts it, not to place blame or point fingers but to point others to righteousness.

Love clings to what is good. I think about my daughter. When I dropped her off at the nursery, she would cling so tightly to my leg that it took two teachers to get her off. That intense hold is what we should have on the Truth of God's word.

3. Love Is Devoted

The use of devoted in this context is a warmth and affection shared by family members. Have you ever heard the phrase blood is thicker than water? That saying means that familial bonds and relationships should be your strongest and most important ones. This would be true within the family of believers. And just like your immediate family, your church family is going to drive you crazy, but it is your devotion to another in love that keeps you together.

4. Love Honors

Honor means to respect or show value- love is a willingness to let others have their way in nonessential matters. We treat others' opinions with care and respect even when we disagree. Paul tells us to outdo or compete with one another in this area.

 In Asian cultures, they practice miànzi, roughly translated as "saving face." It is the concept of outdoing each other for respect. This might look like paying for dinner, returning a favor with a favor, or being the first to fill it in if someone is in need. On the outside, this can seem legalistic or showboating, and perhaps there is some of that, but the practice is rooted in thinking more highly of others than you do yourself.

What if Christians practice this mentality? How different would we be if we all tried to compete for who showed the most honor to another?

5. Love Is Passionate

Romans 12:11 uses zeal and enthusiasm to describe how our faith should be. These words are defined as having enthusiasm or passion. It is not passive or out of obligation, but energetically working hard at loving one another.

For many Christians, we tend to elude joy instead of exuding joy. So, what do we do when we feel that way? We pray to the one who can help us in our weakness. We can pray that the Lord would give me a passion for His Word and His people.

If someone were to describe your faith, would they use words like passion and excitement? Imagine if we were people whose faith was described as committed, contagious, and joyful. What impact would we have on bringing people in to hear the Good News of the Gospel?

Paul concludes this section about love in action with a prescription of how we can love others. Romans 12:12 says, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

All three of these ideas are rooted in patience. We can remain patient in our trials because we are grounded in eternal hope, and when we are grounded in eternal hope while walking through trials, we continue to devote ourselves to prayer.

When these three qualities of love mark the body of believers, people hoping together, devoted to one another, and praying together, we will practice love in action and do so with the right heart motivation.

Laura Bailey is a Bible teacher who challenges and encourages women to dive deep in the Scriptures, shift from an earthly to an eternal mindset, and filter life through the lens of God’s Word.  She is the author of Beyond the Noise, and loves any opportunity to speak and teach women of all ages. She is a wife and momma to three young girls. Connect with her on her website,  www.LauraRBailey.com, Facebook and Instagram.