1 John 4:16. God is love. Love is God (1 John 4:16, "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."). The Greek word, agape, defines love as unconditional favor and devotion to the well being of someone. This is the love that God has shown to all of mankind. This is the love that He desires from us of our own free choice. This is the love He desires us to express to all of mankind (Mark 12:30,31, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.").

1 JOHN BIBLE SCRIPTURE 1 John 4:16, "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."

God has shown us real love by his grace and the giving of His Son that all of mankind may have eternal life (John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."). Though all of us through our sin nature fall short of God's righteousness, He expressed His love for us by Christ paying the penalty for our sins (Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."). This love of God is unmerited favor in that this love goes out to all of mankind. When asking what is love, the characteristics of God's love includes patience, kindness, generosity, humbleness, courtesy, unselfishness, good temper, righteousness, and sincerity to name a few (1Corinthians 13:4).

JOHN 3 BIBLE SCRIPTURE John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.").

Love is never inpatient, mean, envies, prideful, short-lived, or self-serving. Many people think of love as a two-way agreement with if and then statements. They say, " If you love me or take care of me or satisfy me or say good things about me or give me a lot of money or maintain your beauty, then I will love you." This is not love. Love is patient, kind, generous, humble, courteous, unselfish, good temper, righteous, and sincere (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, "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 BIBLE SCRIPTURE 1 Corinthians 13:5, "Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;"

1 John 2:5. By us accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, God gives us the spirit of power, love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.") He has given us a part of him. He asks for us to grow in love of Him and our fellow man. He desires for us to grow in our love of Him and our fellow man that the love of God may be perfected in us (1 John 2:5, "But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him").

1 JOHN 2 BIBLE SCRIPTURE 1 John 2:5, "But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him"