What Is Love; Baby Don't Hurt Me No More!

The words "love of God" and "conditional" can never go together for God IS love. For the love of God to be conditional GOD needs to go in and out of existence. GOD would then only exist under the correct conditions. 1Jn 4:8 ...for God is love. Bertie Brits

The above quot is by Bertie Brits, one of my favorite preachers whom God used to bring me into His truth after having been in the wilderness torn between the mixture of Grace (the Gospel) and the Law. I borrowed the title

What is Love, baby don't hurt me

from Haddaway's song that was released in the early 90's. In one way or another, people are looking for love - unconditional love. This manifest itself in various forms. No matter how much love we offer as humans, we're going to fall short. We can't be there and offer unconditional love 24/7 365 days a year. Its humanly impossible. There's usually a price tag involved. As the saying goes,

there's no free lunch

. This is just the way of life as humans. However,

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.

Isaiah 55:8. What is love then? God is Love. He does not possess love, He is Love. And in His own reasoning, He chose to love us unconditionally. That is, His love for us has nothing to do with our performance. Whether we love him or not, He loved us. In fact He loved us so much that He gave up Jesus Christ as a sacrifice. He did that without asking for guarantees; He didn't say I'm going to send Jesus if you will get your act together. He didn't lay down any conditions for Christs' coming. He only foretold of His coming through the prophets; through Isaiah he said, "I'm going to do a new thing". He was going to change the order of things. Below is the Chapter of Love, as it has been called in 1 Corinthians 13 (NIV). I've placed in parenthesis God wherever the word love is to make a point.

If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love(God), I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 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(God), I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love(God), I gain nothing. 4 Love(God) is patient, love(God) is kind. It(God) does not envy, it(God) does not boast, it(God) is not proud. 5 It(God) does not dishonor others, it(God) is not self-seeking, it(God) is not easily angered, it(God) keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love(God) does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It(God) always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love(God) 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.9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 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. 12 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. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love(God). But the greatest of these is love(God).

Thats a great passage of scripture. That is the picture of Christ. And indeed, Christ is the exact image of God, and the brightness of His glory as the scripture says in Hebrews. As Bertie puts it above, God will have to cease to exist in order to put conditions for His love. So, what is love? Baby don't worry, God won't hurt you and will never hurt you. But you need to allow Him to love you and accept His offer. He has already manifested His love for you. I don't need to tell you to believe....this will produce believe in you. His love and His Gospel will stir up faith in your heart.