The Characteristics of Divine Love- Posted on Wednesday, April 08, 2009
God’s love is unconditional, pure, supernatural, and different to any other type of human love. Let us look at some of its characteristics:
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
1 Corinthians 13.4-7—(NIV)
1. Love is patient. The word “patient” comes from the Greek word makrothumeo which means: to have patience, to bear long, suffer long, be longsuffering, and to patiently endure people who are difficult and weak (Romans 15.1).
2. Love is kind. The Greek word for “kind” is chrestos which means good, easy, better, goodness, gracious, willing to obey, kind-hearted, friendly, and pleasant (Luke 6.5). If we learn to love—the way God loves—we will be kind and not rude; we will not be repugnant or arrogant.
3. Love does not envy. In Greek, the word “envy” is zeloo, and it means: to burn with zeal; to be heated or to boil with envy. The word is used to express a feeling of disgust or ill-will produced by hearing about or witnessing the prosperity of other people (Romans 9.16). Those who see and hear that others are prospering and rejoice, God will give them more because of their attitude.
4. Love does not boast. The Greek word for boast is megalaucheo meaning: to be pompous, pretentious, and long-winded; to boast great things, to bear one's self in a superior way in speech or action. People whose love is genuine never see themselves as superior to others.
5. Love is not proud. Proud, in Greek, is phusioo, which is a metaphor for: to inflate or blow up with pride; and tuphoo which means to raise a smoke or wrap in a mist. People who walk in divine love do not inflate with pride or allow anyone to wrap them up in vanity; rather, they remain humble and see all things with clarity.
6. Love is not rude. People who live in love do not exhibit improper behavior; their thoughts and actions are full of integrity, and their hearts and intentions are pure and based on the love that guides their lives.
7. Love is not self-seeking. People who walk in love never demand their personal rights or ownership of anything. On the contrary, these people are generous and giving of themselves in order to bless others (Philippians 2.21).
8. Love is not easily angered. People who love are not easily provoked. They do not feel rage, uncontrolled anger, or are violent.
9. Love keeps no record of wrongs. People who walk in love do not keep records of bad times; they forget the offense and let go of all ill-feelings (Leviticus 19.18).
10. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. People who know how to love experience what we might call a “righteous anger” when other people suffer under the hand of injustice. They will fight and demand the blessing to be the same for everyone and rejoice when the truth is revealed because they know that truth leads to justice (Galatians 4.16).
11. Love always protects. The NKJ version says “love bears all things”. This expression describes people who love and keep silent the weaknesses of others; instead, they pray about the situation and the individual. They know how to love and assume the responsibility for their brother’s actions, protecting him from shame. (1 Peter 4.8)
12. Love endures all things. In Greek, endure is the word hupomeno which means to tarry behind and abide; this is an individual who walks in love and never gives up even under the most excruciating or adverse circumstance. The power of love strengthens and makes people capable of facing and enduring any situation with courage.
13. Love believes all things. The expression “love believes all things” means that one is always ready to believe the best of every person; only the people who believe in us, who see what is good, and believe in us until the end, are the ones who really love us. The significance of the expression: “believes everything”, refers to the fact that love does not center its attention on what is wrong in other people unless it is visibly noticeable.
14. Love hopes all things. people who love are not easily discouraged when they witnesses a bad attitude in others; they are always inclined to believe the best and refuse to accept things as if the case was closed. They hope and believe that the circumstance or that people can change because there is always hope in change