Can you imagine a world without love, without mercy, without compassion? Most would agree that there is no greater virtue than love and no greater moral constant. From where did love originate? If love has always existed as a virtue, then some person must have always existed to love. Who would have always existed to love? The best explanation is that God has always existed to love so love must be a constant quality of God’s nature (1 John 4:8, 16). Furthermore, love must exist as the unchangeable nature of God. Without God, then love would not have always existed. Does humanity attest to the constant existence of love?
The Origin of Love
The virtue of love can only have three possible sources: (1) Love came from a survival instinct and lacks the choice to love. (2) People invented the concept of love that became embedded in human nature. (3) Love is the ultimate purpose of humanity and love is a part of the nature of humanity. This would mean that love has always and constantly been morally good. If love is always morally good, then love could not come from instinct or society. The human conscience attests to the truth that loving compassion for others has always been morally good.
Do people love one another from instinct or as an grand idea invented by humanity? If humankind chose to invent love, then people are greater than love. However, if love arose from survival instinct, then love is greater than humanity. People cannot control who they love if love is merely a survival instinct. By what source, do people have the ability to love others — survival instinct, human invention, or being made in the likeness of the Creator?
The argument of this article is: If God does not live, then either love originated from survival instinct, social invention, or both. However, love could not have originated from instinct or human invention. Therefore, God lives. Furthermore, love must have always existed as it is essential to the Creator’s eternal nature as is displayed in humanity’s likeness to God.
Here is a formal argument answering this dilemma in disjunctive syllogism:
1) Either God exists or love is not always morally good.
2) Love is always morally good.
3) Therefore, God must exist.
Likewise, a similar argument in modus tollens:
1) If there is no God, then love is not a constant virtue.
2) Love has always been a constant virtue.
3) Therefore, God is.
The Necessity for the Existence of Love
What is the virtue of love without a person who possesses the attribute? Virtue cannot exist without someone who possesses the attribute of moral goodness. Love requires a person who loves. By accepting that love is the eternal purpose of humanity, there must exist the Being in Persons who eternally possesses love. Therefore, believers worship the eternal Being who is love and who created humankind in His likeness for this purpose. This Being is God. Love is neither greater than God nor is love below Him. As Jesus’s disciple, John taught, “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16). Because of love, the existence of God is obvious. Why else are people here?
Can people learn the full definition of love through secular or materialistic means? God’s nature defines love. One can observe molecular machines through a microscope or see the grand order of the cosmos through a telescope, yet that person could miss the virtue of love. Love is the virtue of God. Love is the epitome of morality. The biblical writer expressed, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor 13:13).
Humanity’s Need for Sacrificial Love
Humanity has the ability to choose to love and the ability to rationalize evil. For this reason, humanity needs a moral corrective. People need an Exemplar. Humanity needs a Savior to rescue them from such corruption of moral degradation. No one can perfectly keep their own moral code. Anyone who is guilty of acting contrary to love has contradicted God’s eternal purpose for humanity. They act in rebellion to God. The world needs saving.
People can know God’s love through Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus’s beloved disciple, John, revealed, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (1 John 3:16). The apostle Paul revealed, “God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). God’s love is far greater than any other and sufficient that no other love is comparable to God’s love. God’s love is unconditional (Rom 8:37–39). Sin cannot hinder God’s love, but only one’s love for God.
The need for sacrificial love is great. Humankind’s neglect of merciful compassionate and forgiving love has left humanity with suffering from the beginning. Jesus of Nazareth lived the life that defines love. Jesus taught that God forgave humanity’s great sins so that all may forgive others of sins (Matt 18:21–35). Jesus declared in John 15:12–13, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Who would die for love?
Conclusion
Love is constant as moral virtues are absolute. Humanity’s existence makes no sense and has no ultimate purpose without love. One cannot accept that love is constant and eternal without accepting that God is the constant source of love. The Christian faith is the only faith to uphold this truth in its foundation of morality by the sacrificial love of God epitomized in Jesus the Christ.
MORE ABOUT LOVE AND THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
All of the Christian Scriptures start and finish with love. The biblical writers intended all commands from love even those instructions that people do not like. Every page of the sacred text teaches mercy, compassion, correction, and even justice from love. Justice and correction must come from love. Jesus said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent” (Rev 3:19).
The more people learn about God, then the more they learn how to love! There will come movements, ideologies, and sects claiming to know love. However, there is only one faith established upon love, and that faith is in the words and life of Jesus of Nazareth. There is only one religion that has the central focus of love as God’s virtue (Jas 1:26–27). Consider these inspired words:
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. (1 Cor 13:4–8a)
The message of the Christian faith is love. Every teaching and good deed is a part of the message of Godly love (1 Cor 13:1–3). The first fruit of the Spirit is love (Gal 5:22). The apostle John observed, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him” (1 John 4:8–9). Furthermore, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Tim 1:5), and the instruction is: “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 1:13). Christians gather for this reason “to stir up one another to love and good works” (Heb 10:24).
Following Christ via Love
Love is the defining character of a Christian. Those who love much are those who see that they are forgiven much (Luke 7:47). That is why people come to Christ. Jesus revealed in John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Therefore, by seeing how God has forgiven each person in Jesus Christ, each person may know love through forgiveness and become a disciple of Jesus. While God’s love is unconditional, God’s grace is conditional for those who believe, repent, are baptized, and walk in the light receive God’s forgiveness (1 Pet 3:21; 1 John 1:7).
Therefore, Jesus commands love your enemies (Luke 6:27–36). Love is without hypocrisy. Paul declared,
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. (Rom 12:9–18)
The Means of Loving God
Loving Christ means loving others unconditionally, and loving others means observing all of Christ’s commands (Matt 28:20). John taught, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:2–3). Christians love others by loving God by obeying Him. Love fulfills the Law — loving God and loving one’s neighbor keeps God’s commandments (Rom 13:8–10). Peter encouraged, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet 4:8). Paul noted, “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col 3:14; cf. Gal 5:13–15; Eph 4:15–16).
By knowing God, believers love Him. By loving God, believers obey God’s commands. Therefore,
Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. (1 John 2:3–5)
God defines love, because He is the standard. Jesus declared in John 14:21a, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me,” and in John 14:23–24a, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.”
Humanity and the Love of Evil
The apostle Paul revealed to Timothy, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money […] lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people” (2 Tim 3:1–5). People reject the message of Christ’s love, because they love the world (cf. 1 John 2:15–17). They love the flesh, what they see, and their pride. Jesus declared, “People loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:18–21).
Can people sacrifice to help others for their own cause? Can someone do a good deed without love and really accomplish something good?
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Cor 13:1–3)
What is the point of all of humanity’s giving and service if humankind does so from their own righteousness? Is this not self-righteousness and self-centered?
Christian love is Christ-centered and calls for followers of Christ to imitate Christ by laying down their lives for others. The apostle John declared,
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:16–18)
Love and Salvation
Is love necessary for salvation? Jesus’s love is necessary for salvation. Jesus expressed in John 15:12–13, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” These are the words of Jesus the night before he died.
The gospel is the oldest Christian creed of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the message of Jesus’s act of love (Rom 5:6–11). This is the gospel that can save humanity (1 Cor 15:1–4). Therefore,
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Eph 2:4–6)
and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Phil 3:9–11)
buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses. (Col 2:12–13)
Become conformed to Jesus’s love by being conformed to His death in baptism (Rom 6:1–7). From the baptismal burial with Christ, there is the beginning of the newness of life. For this reason, only believers can realize God’s love. God exists because love is eternally constant.
The Breath of God 
Yes and amen for the rock of Christ where we can upbuild our the living house daily with sure favor of God with the joy to see of God our life in thanksgiving for him in Jesus name,thanks and bless,keijo sweden