Love is THE Pattern - Part 2

Mike Criswell

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In our last article, we considered the idea of “pattern.” Patterns are everywhere. We see them in nature, in creation, in human relationships, and especially throughout Scripture. God has never acted randomly or carelessly. His work is ordered, intentional, and filled with meaning.

But there is one pattern that rises above every other pattern. Without it, all other patterns lose their beauty, their purpose, and their power.

Love is THE pattern.

Of course, the word love is often misunderstood in our world. It is used casually, emotionally, and sometimes selfishly. But biblical love is much deeper than sentiment. Biblical love is a giving love. It is a love that acts. It is a love that sacrifices. It is a love that seeks the good of another, even at great cost.

We see this first in the very nature of God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are perfectly united in love. The Godhead is not bound together by force, rivalry, or need, but by perfect divine love. Before man ever sinned, before the world ever needed redemption, love already existed in the eternal nature of God.

Then we see love in the grand story of redemption. Man sinned. Creation was broken. Fellowship with God was fractured. Yet God did not abandon His creation. Instead, “God so loved the world” that He gave His only begotten Son. The cross was not an accident. It was not a backup plan. It was love in action—holy love, sacrificial love, redeeming love.

We also see love in God’s commands. At Sinai, God gave His law, and even there the pattern of love is evident. The Ten Commandments teach man how to live before God and how to live with others. The first commands direct the heart toward God, and the remaining commands govern our conduct toward our neighbor. When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He defaulted to love: love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.

That is not merely one teaching among many. That is the heartbeat of Scripture.

From beginning to end, the Bible is the story of God’s love. In the beginning, God placed man in a garden prepared by His goodness. After man’s rebellion, God continued to pursue, promise, correct, rescue, and redeem. In the fullness of time, Christ came as the ultimate expression of divine love. And at the end of the story, God will dwell with His people in the new heavens and new earth, where righteousness will finally and fully reign.

God has always wanted to be with His people. He has always moved toward us in love. He has always given, sacrificed, and made a way.

Jesus showed us that true love is more than words. In Matthew 25, love is seen in action—feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the needy, visiting the sick and imprisoned. Paul gives us the great portrait of love in 1 Corinthians 13, reminding us that even the greatest gifts and accomplishments are empty without love.

As we have discovered, love is not simply a pattern in Scripture. Love is THE pattern.

Charles Wesley captured this beautifully in the hymn:

Love divine, all loves excelling,

Joy of heaven to earth come down,

Fix in us thy humble dwelling,

All thy faithful mercies crown.

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