LOVE IS LOVE

LOVE IS LOVE - Dr. Voddie Bauchman

• Is there one kind of love that that is religious and another that is irreligious?
• Is there one definition of love that governs my prayer life and nother that governs my family life?
• Answer: NO! Love is Love

GRECO-ROMAN TYPE OF LOVE

Myth #1: Love Is a Random Force

• “We don’t choose who we fall in love with”

Myth #2: Love Is an Overwhelming Force

• “This is bigger than both of us”
• This is the movie type of love

Myth #3: Love Is an Uncontrollable Force

• “We just fell out of love”
• Love sometimes goes away as mysteriously as it came

Myth #4: Love Is Sensual

• Love = sex
• The question used to be “Did he pop the question?” now it is “Have you slept with him?”
• If sensual love is the ultimate end of romantic love then why bother with such formalities as courtship, propriety, and marriage?

The End Result: Love Doesn’t Translate

• If love is a random, uncontrollable, overwhelming, sensual force, how do I love my parents? My job? My friends? My God?
• If this is what love is can you blame children of divorce for wondering if mom and dad are going to stop loving them the same way they stopped loving each other?
• If this is what love is how does God love me? (this understanding of love causes many doubts with God’s love)
• What if God’s love is as capricious as the love of Hollywood? Is God going to divorce me?
• The myth won’t endure hardship, overcome adversity, or triumph over disaster.
• The myth brings no comfort to the woman whose beauty has faded, as the must live in constant fear that her husband will be zapped by this random, uncontrollable, overwhelming, sensual force as he looks upon the beauty of a younger woman.

THE BIBLICAL PORTRAIT OF LOVE (Deut. 6:4)

Love is an act of the will accompanied by emotion that leads to action on behalf of its object.

Love Is an Act of the Will – “Love the LORD your God with all yourheart”

• Love is a choice
• You can no more love without my mind than you can speak without your tongue.

Love Is Accompanied by Emotion – “with all your soul/being”

• Love being a choice does not negate its emotional aspects. Love is not void of emotion.
• While emotion is a large part of the love equation, it must not be the sum total. Although love is accompanied by emotion, biblical love is not led by emotion.
• Why? Emotions change.
• The Greco-Roman myth of love has led to many emotion-led marriages that almost always end in divorce.

Love Leads to Action on Behalf of Its Object – “with all yourstrength/muchness of force”

• Love acts, love does, love moves
• Deut. 6:5-6; 7:9; 10:12; 11:1, 13, 22; 13:3-4; 19:9; 30:6, 16, 20
• John 14:15, 21; 15:10
• 1 John 2:3-4; 3:22; 5:3
• Love is proved by our efforts.
• If I say I love someone, it should be evidenced by actions
• If my actions are self-centered, I am demonstrating love for me.

ADVANTAGES OF THE BIBLICAL MODEL OF LOVE

The Biblical Model of Love Is Volitional

• What value is there in a love that is overwhelming and uncontrollable?
• What value is there in being told that someone is with you because they can’t help it?
• It is far more comforting to know that my wife wakes up in the morning choosing to love me than to know that she woke up with a finger in the air trying to discern which way the romantic wind is blowing and wondering whether or not she had “fallen out of love” yet.

The Biblical Model of Love Is Transferable

• The Greco-Roman myth is absolutely useless when it comes to other relationships like your children, parents, neighbors, or God.
• I love my wife as an act of the will, not as a response to a mystical force.

The Biblical Model of Love Is Secure

• What happens to a love that is based on sensuality when your spouse is disabled, or just unattractive?
• What happens when your spouse is on a business trip and Cupid strikes him with an errant arrow?
• What happens if your wife becomes “uncontrollably overwhelmed” in the presence of another man?
• The Greco-Roman myth of love says this is all perfectly normal.
• The Biblical love says, “I choose to love you, and I’m not going anywhere.”
• Biblical loves knows nothing of backing out when things get touch.
• Biblical loves gives without expecting, goes the extra mile, sacrifices for others, and views divorce as a tragic and unnecessary plague visited upon a culture that has settled for a life.
• Biblical love is not constantly seeking the emotional high that often characterizes immature relationships but instead is content with the depth and breadth that only the love of a maturing, godly relationship can provide.

The Biblical Model of Love Satisfies

• Biblical love doesn’t ebb and flow like the tides, it is substantive, satisfying, and more rewarding than the raw adrenaline rush of brand new infatuation.
• Biblical love is not constantly looking for a better deal; it is too busy thanking God for the real deal.