1.1 Love as the Greatest Commandment: Jesus Himself declared that the greatest commandment is to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Matthew 22:37-39
1.2 Love as a Defining Characteristic of a Christian: Christians are known by their love. It is the mark that distinguishes us from the rest of the world. John 13:35
2.1 Love is Selfless: True love is not self-seeking. It is willing to put others first and to sacrifice for their benefit. 1 Corinthians 13:5
2.2 Love is Unconditional: God's love for us is unconditional. He loved us while we were still sinners, and we are called to love others in the same way. Romans 5:8
3.1 Without Love, Our Actions Are Meaningless: Even the most impressive deeds, like giving all we have to the poor or surrendering our bodies to hardship, are worthless without love. 1 Corinthians 13:3
3.2 Without Love, We Are Nothing: Without love, we are nothing. Love is the essence of who we are as children of God. 1 Corinthians 13:2
4.1 Love Covers a Multitude of Sins: Love has the power to forgive and to heal. It covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8
4.2 Love Never Fails: Everything else will pass away, but love never fails. It is eternal, just like God Himself. 1 Corinthians 13:8
5.1 Love in Action: We must not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18
5.2 Love Your Enemies: Jesus calls us to an even higher standard of love to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Matthew 5:44