The Light

Pastor Chuck Swindoll opens Isaiah 53:3–7 to show how Jesus fulfilled the portrait of the suffering Servant—the Lamb who went to slaughter in silence, bearing our griefs and carrying our sorrows as our substitute.

From the Series: How Great Is Our God!

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When we step back and look closely at what love really is, it becomes clear that it’s far more than words, emotions, or routine phrases we say without thinking. True love is demonstrated through action, sacrifice, and consistency. Scripture points us to the ultimate example in Christ—who didn’t just speak love, but proved it through giving Himself for us while we were still undeserving. That kind of love reshapes how we understand God’s heart and how we extend love to others.

Highlights:

• Love is more than words; it is demonstrated through action and truth
• God defines love through sacrifice, seen fully in Jesus on the cross
• Real love often involves giving, serving, and putting others before ourselves
• Biblical love is consistent even when people are imperfect or difficult
• Understanding God’s love changes how we love others in everyday life

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How has your understanding of love changed through your faith journey? Where do you find it most challenging to love others in a sacrificial way, and what helps you reflect Christ’s love in those moments?

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Full Transcript Below:

A Proper View of Love
By Vivian Bricker

Bible Reading:
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). 

Many of us grow up with an incorrect view of what love actually means. From an early age, we are taught that if someone says they love you, we are to say, “I love you” back, regardless of how we are feeling. Without giving these words much thought, we have lost the true meaning of love and its uniqueness in our lives. 

The word “love” has a deeper meaning than just a greeting, a goodbye, or a simple “I love (fill in the blank).” The meaning of love has been distorted by overuse. As believers, we need to understand what love is and avoid using it haphazardly. 

There is a time and place to say we love others, but we also need to show it in our actions. We are told in the Bible, “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18).

My mom used to say she loved me each morning before I went to elementary school, but she didn’t use the word “love” in a way that was repetitive or meaningless. When she said she loved me, she meant it, and she backed it up with her actions. 

If there is a distinction between grace and mercy—it is that God’s mercy speaks of his goodness to us in our misery and distress when we cannot save ourselves, while his grace speaks of his goodness to us in our guilt when we deserve only his punishment. In mercy God spares us destruction—and in grace he forgives us and makes his children, lavishing his kindness upon us.

If you want your heart to be pure, fill it with that which is pure—the pure Word of God.

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