A Biblical View

 The love that we all truly are in need of is the perfect type of love that can only come from God, which is referred to as “agape love.” Since, Jesus’ affirmation of what Christians refer to as the “Great Commandment,” which deals with both the love of God as well as an individual’s love for their neighbor as found in the Scriptures of the “Synoptic Gospels” of Matthew, Mark, and Luke as follows: (1) Mark 12;30-31, 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (NRSV); (2) Matt 22:37-40, 37 He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (NRSV); and finally (3) Luke 10:27, 27 He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." (NRSV) Although, this particular story is not contained within the scriptures in the Gospel according to John, however, there has been placed an even greater emphasis by John upon the topic of love in “Jesus’ teachings,” as can be found in, 1 John 4:8-12, 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. (NRSV) John emphasizes the fact that love is considered to be what he refers to as being the “ indissoluble link that exists between,” both Jesus Christ and God the Father as can be found within the two following Scriptures, John 5:9-10, 9 At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk. Now that day was a Sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat." (NRSV), the love between the believer and God the Father in, 1 John 3:17, 17 How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? (NRSV), and among one believer and another in, John 13:34-35, 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (NRSV) and among believers in, 1 John 3:10-19, 10 The children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those who do not love their brothers and sisters. 11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. 13 Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. 16 We know love by this that he laid down his life for us— and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 17 How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? 18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. (NRSV). When Paul speaks of love he most often uses the noun form of “love,” for example when he is describing God’s love of humanity, which can be found in, Rom 5:8, 8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. (NRSV) Paul also writes primarily using the noun form of the word “love” when he refers to God as being the “God of love and peace” in 2 Cor 13:11 and Paul also refers to the “self-sacrifice of Jesus Christ when he went willingly to the cross as being the ultimate form of “love.” Listed above are examples of the ways that Jesus Christ commands us to love one another as well as well as how we are supposed to love God. However, due to the fall of mankind that occurred in, Gen 3:1-7, Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.'" 4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die; 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. (NRSV), we are not capable of loving each other with the same kind of love that Jesus Christ loves us which is the perfect and pure type of love “agape love.” Since, we all are imperfect in nature due to the fall of man the love that we have for each other is conditional even though we may believe otherwise in our subconscious part of our mind we have presuppositions about what the individual we love is supposed to do for us, such as paying for everything that we want or need due to the fact that they are the man in the relationship. Another example of how distorted that love has become in the view of human beings is, the way that adults have created a structure of love and support that is in all actuality from a psychological perspective what should be considered to be a “culture of abandonment” by moving away from what was previously the viewpoint held by psychologists  as well as educators whose expertise was in the field of childhood education was that adolescents were believed to be the treasures of society. It would be wise to remember the following scriptures, Phil 4:6-7, 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (NRSV) For an individual to be able to achieve happiness, peace, serenity, and joy that individual should memorize the following two verses contained in. Phil 4:8-9, 8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. (NRSV)