What does it mean to love like Jesus? In order to understand what it means to love like Jesus, we must first look to the Bible to see how Jesus himself loved people. Jesus’ love was sacrificial, gracious, humble, compassionate, unconditional, merciful, patient, kind, gentle, welcoming, and transformative.
Sacrificial Love: Jesus willingly left his heavenly throne to take on human flesh and ultimately give his life for us on the cross (Philippians 2:5-8). His great love led him to make the ultimate sacrifice for our salvation. We too are called to sacrifice our time, energy, desires, and resources to love others as Jesus has loved us (1 John 3:16).
Gracious Love: Jesus extended grace to society’s outcasts like tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners when religious leaders condemned them (Luke 5:30-32). He loved people unconditionally before requiring change. We must refrain from judgment and graciously love even those who seem unworthy of love.
Humble Love: Jesus, though completely God, humbled himself to take on human flesh and die on a cross (Philippians 2:8). His love led him to set aside his rights and status to meet our greatest need. We are called to clothe ourselves in humility, considering others’ needs above our own (Philippians 2:3-4).
Compassionate Love: Jesus was moved with compassion when he saw brokenness and need around him (Matthew 9:36). His heart broke for the condition of the people, driving him to act on their behalf. We must actively care for others, allowing our hearts to be broken by the things that break God’s heart.
Unconditional Love: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). He did not wait for us to change before offering us his love. We are called to follow this example by loving others regardless of how they respond or behave toward us (Luke 6:27-28).
Merciful Love: Jesus offered forgiveness and mercy, not condemnation, to sinners (John 8:3-11). He saw people’s brokenness and desired their restoration. We must choose mercy over judgment, patience over anger, restoring love over punishing justice.
Patient Love: Jesus endured scorn, mocking, rejection, and betrayal from the very people he came to save. He responded with extreme patience, even asking forgiveness for those crucifying him (Luke 23:34). Our love must exhibit similar patience when others treat us undeservedly.
Kind Love: Jesus spoke truth, but did so graciously. His words sought to restore, not condemn (John 8:11). He perfectly balanced grace and truth. We must hold to truth, but do so with patience, empathy and active kindness.
Gentle Love: Jesus exemplified power under control. He calmed storms with a word (Mark 4:39), yet was always gentle, never harsh (2 Corinthians 10:1). True Christ-like love requires us to handle others with care, sensitivity and gentleness.
Welcoming Love: Jesus intentionally spent time with society’s rejects – lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors. His love had no boundaries or limits (Luke 15:1-2). We must open our lives to love all people, even those very different than us.
Transformative Love: When Jesus loved, lives were transformed as people discovered God’s grace. The woman at the well left behind her shame and spread the gospel (John 4). Zacchaeus turned from greed to generosity (Luke 19:1-10). Our love should aim to see others transformed by grace.
Loving like Jesus requires becoming like Jesus. As we grow in sacrificial, gracious, humble, compassionate, unconditional, merciful, patient, kind, gentle, welcoming, transformative love – we love as he loved. It takes the supernatural work of God’s Spirit, but we must actively seek him to become more loving (Galatians 5:22-23). It is a lifelong process of increasingly becoming like Christ.
Loving like Jesus also requires acting as Jesus acted. As his followers, we are his hands, feet, mouthpiece and heart extended to the world. He loves others through us. We must care for the poor, comfort the hurting, embrace the outsiders, forgive the sinners, value the children, heal the sick, serve the overlooked, and share the gospel – showing Christ’s love in action.
Jesus summed it up simply: Love God and love your neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39). Yet he perfectly modeled the depth of what that looks like. Loving like Jesus requires total surrender to him, crucifying our selfish desires so his supernatural love can flow through us. It means going against our natural human responses and choosing instead to treat all people with Christ-like love – even enemies. When we love like Jesus, we change the world through bringing people from darkness to light.
Loving like Jesus is a daily choice to follow his example. It requires depending on him, spending time in his Word, communing with him constantly in prayer. Abiding in Christ empowers us to love like Christ. As we behold him, the Spirit transforms us into his image and enables us to reflect God’s unconditional love to others (2 Corinthians 3:18). The more we know Jesus, the more we become like him in every way – including his great love.
Loving like Jesus is counter-cultural. It goes against our inherently selfish nature. But it is what we are called to. “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2). By the power of the Spirit at work within us, we can imitate Christ’s love – and so fulfill his prayer that we would be one as he and the Father are one (John 17:20-23).
When we love like Jesus, everything changes. Barriers come down as we humbly serve. Hardened hearts soften when shown undeserved grace. Our differences seem less divisive as former enemies embrace. Relationships are reconciled when forgiveness triumphs over bitterness. We become less as Christ becomes more in us. Loving like Jesus ushers in the kingdom of God – one heart transformed at a time.
Loving like Jesus should be the distinguishing mark of Christians. He said people would know we are his disciples by our love (John 13:35). When we love the unlovable, forgive the unforgivable, sacrifice for others, and live out his Word – we bear witness to the world that we belong to Christ and have been transformed by his matchless love.
So loving like Jesus requires surrendering our all to him, depending fully on the Spirit working within, choosing daily to follow Christ’s example, and bravely stepping out in faith to love the people around us – even when it costs us. The reward is lives changed, relationships restored, fulfillment in obedience, and the blessing of being filled with Jesus’ very Spirit of love (Romans 5:5).
