5 Ways God’s Love is Completely Different From Human Affection

October 1, 2024 Jenn Murray

1 John 4:16 (NLT) says, “God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”
In other words, God and love are tightly intertwined. The verse doesn’t say “God mostly feels love” or that “God loves sometimes based on these conditions being met.” No, God is love.
Verse 18 then goes on to say, “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”
But what is this so-called “perfect love”?
1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (NLT) says, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
Clearly, God’s love is very different from the love of the world.

There are no limits to God’s love. You can’t sin “too much” and cause Him to stop loving you, for example.
Nothing external or internal can separate you from His love.
Romans 8:38-39 (NLT) says this beautifully: “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
In addition, God’s love is eternal. Did you know that His love for you existed before you did?
Ephesians 1:4-5 (NLT) says, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” (Emphasis added.)
As humans, who sin and make mistakes, all of this can be difficult to wrap our heads around. But to a degree, that’s okay because as Ephesians 3:19 (NLT) says, “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.” (Emphasis added.)

God is sovereign which means no one controls His love - or anything else about Him.
This further means that His love for us is something that He’s chosen to offer.
Let’s look at Ephesians 1:4-5 (NLT) again: “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” (Emphasis added.)
God has gladly chosen to share His infinite, perfect love with us.
A love that we can confidently depend on, everyday, because we also know that God can’t be coerced into changing His mind.
God’s love remains steadfast despite, well, everything and anything!

In addition to all of the qualities listed above, God’s love is also gracious and merciful.
Ephesians 2:4-5 (NLT) says, “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)”
And John 3:16 (NLT) says, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
Jesus being born into human history, dying on the cross for our sins, and being resurrected three days later thereby defeating death, is one of the biggest examples (if not the biggest) of God’s love, grace, and mercy.
God willingly sent His only Son on this arduous, painful mission. He watched His Son be tortured and killed - for our sake. That reflects an insane (or shall we say infinite) amount of love.
By Jesus dying on for our sins (which He also did willingly), we receive grace and mercy.

Mercy is when God withholds something from us that we deserve - such as bearing the full result of our sins (including eternal separation from God).
Grace us when God gives us something that we don’t deserve - such as sending Jesus to be our Lord and Savior.

God’s love does not change. Unlike the love of the world, which can be transactional and fickle, it remains steadfast.
Lamentations 3:22-23 (MSG) says, “God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left.”
Psalm 136: 26 (NLT) says, “Give thanks to the God of heaven. His faithful love endures forever.”
Jeremiah 31: 3 (NLT) says, “Long ago the Lord said to Israel: ‘I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.’”
Remember, to God love is not just an emotion. (Which is how the world often speaks of love - as emotions that come and go.)
God is love. Which means as He exists enterally, so does His love for you. Coupled with His sovereignty and inability to be influenced, this means His love is the most dependable you will ever have or know.