Love: The Essence of the Spirit

 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love…” (Galatians 5:22)

Among the fruit of the Spirit, love stands as the foundation. Love is not just a virtue to be admired—it is life itself. Scripture tells us plainly, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). To know God is to know love, for His very nature flows into the lives of His children.

Love is more than a virtue—it flows from the very Person of God. God is love, and all true love finds its source in Him. And love is also a command. When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, His answer was simple yet profound: “Love the Lord your God… and love your neighbour as yourself.” Both commands are rooted in love. A believer who does not love God or love others cannot truly claim to follow Christ. As John writes, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8).

Peter reminds us that “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). This is not a shallow covering-up of faults but a deep expression of grace. Love forgives, bears patiently, and restores relationships that sin seeks to destroy.

When God gave the Ten Commandments, they reflected His design for love. The first four pointed to loving God; the last six directed us to love others. Jesus did not abolish these but fulfilled them, summing them up with two commands: love God and love people. In this way, the law and the prophets find their true purpose in love.

And yet, our love does not begin with us. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). We love not merely because we are commanded to, but because His love has been poured into our hearts through the Spirit. Love, then, is both the gift and the evidence of being born again.


  1. In what ways do I show love for God daily, and how does that overflow into how I treat others?
  2. What specific action can I take today to reflect God’s love to someone around me?

Prayer:
Lord, thank You for first loving me. Teach me to love You with all my heart and to love others as You have loved me. May my life bear the fruit of love as a testimony of Your Spirit at work within me. Amen.

 

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