This Is How We Know What Love Is

Live For Jesus | School of Transformation | www.liveforjesus.life

We throw the word love around a lot. But what does it actually mean? Is it just emotion? Kindness? Good vibes? The Bible makes it crystal clear.

If you want to understand what real love looks like, you don't have to guess.

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us."

—1 John 3:16

Love isn't simply a feeling; it’s a sacrifice. It doesn't originate from us; it begins with God. His love is not fragile and isn't limited by our actions or something we must earn. It is stronger, deeper, and more unshakeable than we often realize.

God's Love Is Sacrificial

The greatest love the world has ever known is summed up in one of the most quoted verses in Scripture: 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  - John 3:16 

He loved us so much that He gave, not leftovers or spare time, but His very own Son. That’s the nature of God's love: it gives, it costs, and it pours itself out.

God's Love Showed Up When We Least Deserved It   

Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of the Gospel is this: 

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  - Romans 5:8 

He didn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up or get our lives together; He came to us while we were still sinners—indeed, while we were His enemies. 

"While we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son." - Romans 5:10 

This is a kind of love that doesn’t make sense to the world. It’s irrational, generous, and even scandalous—and it belongs to us.

His Love Redefines Who You Are  

When you truly understand God’s love, it changes how you see everything—especially yourself. 

We live in a world obsessed with identity, where people define themselves through achievements, personality traits, trauma, or failures. But the Word of God offers something better: 

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"  - 1 John 3:1 

You are not defined by your past, what others have said about you, your reputation, your struggles, or your performance. You are loved, chosen, forgiven—you are a child of God. 

As this truth sinks in, it does more than just make you feel better; it transforms the way you live.

You stop chasing after love and begin to live from it. You cease striving and start surrendering. 

You begin to forgive as you have been forgiven and serve as you have been served. Your identity transforms your actions.

Being loved by God isn’t just a title; it becomes the reality you embody. The more you believe who you are in Him, the more you will live like Him.

Real Love Demands a Real Response  

God’s love is freely given, but it is never meant to stop with us: 

"We love because He first loved us."  - 1 John 4:19 

When the love of God truly grips your heart, it does more than comfort—it compels you. It motivates you to forgive, to serve, and to live differently. 

The early Church didn’t just believe in the resurrection; they lived as if they had been raised from the dead, marked by radical love for the poor, the sick, the forgotten, and even their enemies. This same call is upon us today.

Love is not passive; it moves, gives, acts, and lays down its life. When you understand what Jesus did for you, you stop asking how little you can give and instead ask how much you can lay down in return: 

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."  - Romans 12:1 

This Is How You Know  

If you ever doubt your worth, question God's heart, or wonder if He sees you—look to the cross. 

That’s how you know. 

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us."  - 1 John 3:16 

That is your anchor, your starting point. 

That is the love that changes everything.

Want to Learn to Live from That Love?  

At the School of Transformation, we believe that God’s love is the foundation for everything. We don’t just want students who can quote Scripture; we aim to raise up men and women who are transformed by God’s love and who live that love boldly wherever they go.

Whether you’re called to missions, ministry, or simply trying to figure out what it means to follow Jesus in real life—this is a place to go deeper, to be grounded in identity, to be moved by love, and to be changed from the inside out.

Learn more at www.liveforjesus.life