There are literally hundreds of teachings of Jesus Christ that center on love, so narrowing it down to four was quite the challenge. I decided to pick four teachings that I feel are fundamental in understanding the love of Christ and how we can develop that love in our lives.
An entire sermon could be written (and dozens have already been given) on each of these teachings, so the brevity in my explanations is intentional. My hope is to instead provide a good starting point to your own study of these life-saving principles.
So, without further ado, let’s get into it!
To start off, it is important to know the why behind everything Christ has done, will do, and is doing in your life today. This teaching from the gospel of John is famous for explaining this purpose:
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
These scriptures state that Jesus came to save the world, but I would suggest that Christ came to this world to save one person and one person only: You.
He came to save you.
He came to save me.
Christ doesn’t save people by the hundreds of thousands. No, He saves people one-by-one. When he suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, He felt each of our individual pains, weaknesses, and sufferings. He felt your pains, weaknesses, and sufferings.
Our Heavenly Father loves us all very deeply and wants every single one of us to return to Him. This love is so powerful, so pervasive, so punctual, that He sacrificed His Son so that we may have a chance of being in His presence again (and becoming like Him in the process).
Understanding the infiniteness of Christ’s love for you and me will help us accept more of that love in our lives. And there is a reason why I said accept and not feel — you see, Christ’s love is always there. We can always feel His love if we acknowledge its presence. Therefore, it is our choice whether we accept the love that He has and is extending our way.
Never forget that Christ loves you.
I feel this teaching of Christ does a great job of explaining the intimacy of our relationship with Him and highlights a key principle in developing Christlike love in our lives.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Have you ever thought about Christ as your friend? Someone who is always there for you, who laughs with you, cries with you, celebrates with you, does everything with you?
I never really did until I read this scripture.
When I think of Christ as my friend I feel more inclined to ask for His love, guidance, and presence — because that is what friends do.
I believe this teaching also uses the term friends in order to make a stronger application into our lives. Here is my attempt to modernize this scripture into the principle it teaches:
There is no time when we show greater Christlike love than those in which we are sacrificing for our friends.
This is not a matter of being a pushover. It is not a matter of helping our friends at the detriment of our own well-being or mental health. It is a matter of turning outward in love and compassion when the natural instinct in each of us is to turn inward in self-absorption.
In a world full of greed, pride, and selfishness, we could all stand to try and think of others more than ourselves. That is how love is cultivated.
One of the most fundamental teachings of Christ that center on love is found in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Nephi, an ancient prophet, testified of Christ in his parting words to his children. This is what he said:
33 …He inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.
The past year alone should be evidence to all that we could do better at including those around us. To Christ, skin color doesn’t matter. Your gender doesn’t matter. Your past doesn’t matter. He will always invite you to come to Him, and if you do, He will not deny you.
This teaching boils down to the importance of loving everyone. One of my favorite authors, C. Terry Warner, explained the implications of this statement brilliantly in his book, Bonds That Make Us Free:
“Those who love only the people they prefer do not love at all.”
Love is the expression of the one who loves, not the one who is loved. No matter what someone has done to us in the past, what our preconceived notions may be of them, or what we have heard about them, we decide whether or not we love them. It really is a beautiful thing. Christ loves all and denies none.
We should do the same.
I decided to include this teaching last because I feel it best summarizes what we can do each and every day to love more as Christ would. At this point in the gospel of John, the Apostles have gone back to their old ways as fishermen after the resurrection of Christ. Seeing that Peter, the head of the Apostles, led them to stop proclaiming the gospel as they were prior to the death of Christ, Jesus decided to have a heart-to-heart with Him:
15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. he saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Christ is the Shepherd. We are His sheep. He is the one who has provided a way for us to return to live with Him again and leads us to everyday goodness and joy. How do we show our love for our Shepherd?
Feed His sheep.
When Christ admonished Peter to feed His sheep, He was inviting Him to continue to share the gospel with the world. We similarly can feed His sheep by loving others and inviting them to live lives more in harmony with Christ’s teachings, all the while being examples of faithful disciples ourselves.
Photo from churchofjesuschrist.org
Jesus loves and cares for us — cares for you. This teaching helps us know what we should do when we accept that love and how we can show our gratitude for it. After all, we are all brothers and sisters, aren’t we? Don’t we want our whole family to feel the joy that we feel as we follow these teachings?
And the best part is that we don’t have to stand on a podium and deliver an eloquent sermon in order to feed His sheep! Most of the time, all it requires is that you try to love others as Jesus loves you.
We might know these things are true but it is just as critical to be true to the things we know. I understand a short article will not be enough to internalize these wonderful teachings from the Savior; however, I do hope that you have gained a greater understanding of Christ’s love for you and that you feel (at least a little) inspired to extend that love to others.
I invite all of us to study these teachings on our own and, most importantly, apply them into our lives. We are promised happiness, fulfillment, and His help as we do!
Important Things to Remember:
Christ loves YOU. He is your individual Savior and Redeemer.
We show the most Christlike love when we sacrifice our personal interests to serve others.
Just as Jesus loves everyone and denies none, so should we.
If we love Christ, we ought to feed His sheep by spreading that love to those around us.
Inspiring & well-written! Loved this article.
“ Christ came to this world to save one person and one person only: You. He came to save you.
He came to save me. Christ doesn’t save people by the hundreds of thousands. No, He saves people one-by-one.” This article is exactly what I needed to hear today. If we are to “have charity,” as we are commanded, we must first acknowledge and let God’s love for US in. It is so personal and real if we but come & receive. And I love how you said “accept and not feel,” because we can always feel His love, if we allow it in. Once we accept His love, we feel so full we can’t help but share it. Thank you, Colton, for reminding us all of these truths of Christ’s love.
This was so inspiring to me as a person who is struggling with my own personal matters and has been feeling very alone sometimes. But what you said about looking at Christ as your Friend as well as your Savior was just what I needed. This was so well written and amazing!
Thank you Colton 💖
I had a great experience with the missionaries and one of their investigators. I was guided by love and have made a new friend. I’ll tell you more personally. Love your four points and Jesus Christ.
Thanks Colton! I felt your love for the Savior. We all can be filled with His love and reach out to love others!❤️