According to psychologists, “Man’s greatest need is not money or material things but to love and be loved.”

In 1880, Henry Drummond wrote and published a classic on love, “The Greatest Thing in the World” – According to the Bible, the greatest thing in the world is love. Drummond’s book is based on the love chapter of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13.

Sometimes we get so busy in life that we omit the most important things. One of those things is the value of “Love, the Greatest Thing in the World.” There is a story about a doctor who rushed to the bedside of a patient one morning and said, “Please forgive me; I have been so busy I’ve not had the chance to talk to you. I have some good news and some bad news.” The patient replied, “Well give me the good news first.” The doctor replied, “You have about a month to live.” The patient said, “Wow! if that is the good news, what is the bad news?” The doctor replied, “I’ve been so busy I should have told you three weeks ago.”

In this article, we will be discussing Agape, which is God’s supernatural love. God’s love is different in that it is unchanging, unconditional, and perfect in nature. Other kinds of love can and do change, have conditions, and are less than perfect. Agape love is vertical in nature. It comes from God to us; philia is horizontal between people.

In the English language, there is only one word for love. We use it to describe all types of things. For example, we say we love to go fishing or we love someone etc. In the Greek, which was the original language of the New Testament, there are as many as 8 Greek words relating to some type of love. Only two are found in Scripture, Philia and Agape. Eros, a word not mentioned in the Bible is one which relates to romance. If you want to read a good book to enhance the romanic love in your marriage, I recommend Gary Chapman’s, “5 Love Languages.” They include words of Affirmation, physical Touch, acts of Service, gifts, and quality time. The author does a great job of outlining these five areas in which people give and receive love.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Here are some things you need to know about God’s supernatural love:

Love’s Affirmative nature: Our emotional support or encouragement for love comes from Jesus, so agape love is Christ like. In John 13:1-17, we see Jesus affirming His love for His disciples by washing their feet:

 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Love’s Selfless nature: It was a custom in those days for a servant to wash the feet of a visitor to the home. This was the lowest position for a servant. Here we see Jesus, the master, assuming the lowest position showing His selfless love for others.

Love’s Steadfast nature: In, John 13:1, we read, It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. God’s love for us is a steadfast, everlasting love. In His last words to His disciples, Jesus said, (Matthew 28:20) “Lo, I am with you ^[f]always, even to the end of the age.”

Love’s Serving nature: Jesus gave an example of serving love to his disciples. Even though He was their leader and master, He humbled Himself to be their servant.

Love’s Sanctifying nature: Peter at first refused to let Jesus wash his feet, and Jesus explained why it was necessary. Dirty feet represent sin in the believer’s life which must be cleansed or forgiven. Sanctification means to be set apart. God through His love for us wants to cleanse of sin and set us apart to be the person He created us to be.

Love’s Actions: Love acts a certain way. In Galatians 5:22-23, we read, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace.” These are the inward results of God’s indwelling love. Outwardly there is “patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control; against such things there is no law.

Love’s Value: In 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter of the Bible. Paul first draws our attention to the value of love. Love, the greatest thing in the world, greater than tose things men consider most valuable:

Corinthians 13:1-13: If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love’s attributes: Love is patient; love is kind; it does not envy; it does not boast; it is not proud; It does not dishonor others; it is not self-seeking; it is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs.

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth; It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

Love’s eternal nature: These are the only things we can take with us when we die: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.