This document discusses the concept of unconditional love as exemplified by God's love for humanity in sending Jesus. It provides numerous biblical passages that describe love as sacrificial, patient, kind, and the fulfilling of religious law. The overall message is that Christians are called to love others in the same selfless and sacrificial way that God loves humanity through sending Jesus to die for our sins.

1. Daniel Keeran, MSW
Lovea gift of God
COLLEGE OF MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELLING, VICTORIA, CANADA

2. LoveThe kind of love in the following passages is undeserved or unconditional favour. This is the love God had for the
world in giving Jesus to be a sacrifice for sin. This love prefers to die rather than to kill because it is sacrificial in
imitation of the love of Jesus in taking on the sins of the world in his suffering and death. It is the love we must
have for everyone, and it is the foundation of healthy relationships with self and others.
Matthew 5:44, 46 – love your enemies….there is no value in loving those who love you.
Matthew 19:19; 22:39 – love your neighbor as yourself.
Luke 6:27-32 – love, bless, do good, pray for enemies.
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in
him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 13:34 – love one another.
John 14:23 - Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them,
and we will come to them and make our home with them.”
John 15:12, 17 – love one another.
John 15:13 – greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friend.
Romans 5:5 - hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit.
Romans 5:8 - God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us.
Romans 12:9 – let love be genuine.
Romans 13:8 – owe no one anything but to love.
Romans 13:10 - love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – love is patient and kind, is not irritable or resentful… bears all things, endures
all things.
1 Corinthians 16:14 – let all things be done in love.
Galatians 5:13 – by love serve one another.
Galatians 5:22 – love is fruit of the Spirit.
Ephesians 4:2 – bearing with one another in love.
Ephesians 5:2 – Live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us as a sweet-
smelling offering and sacrifice to God.
Colossians 3:12-14 - Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one
another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all
these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
1 Thessalonians 3:12 - May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for
everyone else, just as ours does for you.
1 Peter 2:17 – love the brotherhood.
1 John 2:15 – love not things in the world.
1 John 3:16,17 – love is to give to the needs of others and to lay down one’s life.
1 John 4:9-11 – By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son
into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He
loved us and sent His Son to be the sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought
to love one another.
Enter the Way of Love