The Defining Characteristics of Love

The nature of love is beautifully captured in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, offering a vivid portrait of this most cherished virtue. Love is patient, kind, and devoid of envy or boastfulness. It is neither arrogant nor rude and does not insist on its own way. True love is not irritable or resentful and does not take pleasure in wrongdoing but celebrates the truth. It bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things— a testament to its strength and resilience. Such a love is aptly described in Colossians 3:14 as the bond of perfection, a unifying force that transcends all other virtues, compelling us to let all our actions be done in love, as admonished in 1 Corinthians 16:14.