The fruit of the Spirit · 1 of 9
Love
Greek agapē
The first of the nine, and the root of all the others. Love that gives itself away, as God has loved us in Christ.
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”1 John 4:7–8 (King James Version)
The word
Paul's word is agapē. The New Testament uses it for the love God shows us in Christ: a love that is chosen and given, not earned. In 1 Corinthians 13 the King James Bible translates the same word as “charity,” from the Latin caritas.
What love looks like
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (King James Version)
Paul describes love almost entirely by what it does and what it refuses to do. Here love is not first a feeling. It is patience, kindness, and a steady refusal to keep score.
Where love comes from
“We love him, because he first loved us.”1 John 4:19 (King James Version)
We do not manufacture this love. We receive it, and then we pass it on. That is why Paul calls it fruit: it grows on a branch that stays joined to the vine (John 15:5). On the night before he died, Jesus made it the mark of his followers: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35).
Three simple practices
- Love one person on purpose. Choose someone who is hard to love, and pray for them by name each day this week.
- Read 1 Corinthians 13 slowly. Where it says “charity,” quietly put your own name, and notice where it is hard to say.
- Be loved first. Before you try harder, spend a few quiet minutes with 1 John 4:19, and receive the love you are asked to give.
A closing prayer
O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing; Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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