There are four words in the Greek language for "love". Stergein is a love that comes from ones own nature. It is a natural love one has for those he feel obligated to love; such as parents, fellow workers, so forth. Eran is a love that has its basis in passion. It is not necessarily erotic, but is a completely absorbing passion of the mind. Philein is a love best described as friendship, or liking. Agapan is a self-sacrificing, giving love. This is the greatest love there is. It is the kind of love that caused Jesus to die on the cross for our sinfulness.

Now read I John 4:8,16 "...God is love..." These verses do not mean that God merely loves, but that God is love.

His love is eternal. Jeremiah 31:3, "...Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love..." This verse teaches that there never was a time (or even before time began) that God didn't love Israel. It is error to believe that God "started" to love. God is an eternal, unchanging God. His love toward us has never changed, either to increase or decrease. He loved us before the foundation of the world. He has not begun to love us because of any work we have done. Therefore, He will not stop loving us because of any work we have done. He will chasten us for sin, but will not stop loving us.

God's love is uninfluenced for He has a pure love. Deut. 7:7,8 declares God didn't love Israel because they were greater or better morally than other nations. He loved them because He loved them. The Lord didn't love us because we were greater or morally better than other people. II Tim. 1:9, We have received a holy calling, not because of our good works, but because of God's own purpose and grace.

The only reason we love God is because He first loved us and gave Himself for us. John, the "disciple whom Jesus loved", is a good example of this. God's love seemed a remarkable thing to him. John's motivation for loving God is God's love for him, not his love for God. Compare with Rev. 2:4, when the church at Ephesus lost their love for God, they stopped serving Him.

God's love is sovereign. Rom. 6:12-21, "Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated". Nobody can tell God who He ought to love and who he ought to hate. God is sovereign, therefore He chooses whom He will love and whom He will hate. If God's love were regulated by anything except His will, then God would be under a law. God is the supreme lawmaker, not one that merely keeps laws that are already established.

God's love is effectual, able to accomplish His desire. Compare the love of King Darius and the love of God for Daniel, Daniel 6. Both God and Darius are kings, both love Daniel, both have power to make laws, both are sovereign (Darius in a limited sense). King Darius was tricked into making a law that condemned Daniel to the lion's den. He loved Daniel, but was powerless to stop the law from being carried out. God also loved Daniel, but He had power to carry out the law and shut the lions mouths, and get glory from the evil law, and punish the evil men that tricked King Darius!!

God's love is infinite (unlimited). Eph. 2:4,5, God loved us even when we were sinners. John 15:13, There is no greater love than a person would lay down his life for his friend. Rom. 5:8, Some might die for a good man, but Jesus died for us when we were sinners. (In reality, the one who died would of necessity be a better person than the one he was dying for.)

We love others because they love us, or do something for us. We love our families because they're a part of us, an extension of ourselves. This is not the kind of love God loved us with. Eph. 2:4,5, God loved us even when we were dead in trespasses and sins.

Matt. 5:43-48, Jesus tells us to love our enemies. This is the true love of God, not the love of a natural man. God's love for His enemies is not compromising with their sinfulness. God doesn't put up with sin anymore than He expects us to. God loved us so much that He not only died for us when we were sinners, but after we are saved, He chastens us to cause us to get closer and closer to Him, Heb. 12:6, Rev. 3:19. If we have a real God sent love, it will cause us to stand for the things of God, even if we must stand against those we love.

Most of the time today, men feel that if you stand against them, or if you disagree with them in any way, then you dislike them. This is error. God loves you, yet many times stands in our way and corrects us when we are wrong.

God stood against us when we were lost. He didn't put up with sin on our part, and actually kept revealing our sin to us. So it is after salvation. God still loves us, yet continually shows us our sinfulness, not our righteousness. Rev. 3:19, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore and repent."