Biblical Answer

Love Becomes a Choice

When we think of love, we often associate it with feelings and emotions. However, according to the Bible, love is not just a feeling, but a choice. This concept is known as volitional love, where the choice to act lovingly, not the intensity of the feeling, is the test and ultimate proof of love. In other words, love is not just about how we feel, but about the actions we take to show love and care for others.

The choice to love is not always easy, especially when the cost of acting lovingly gets too high. In these situations, our natural human love may end, but God's kind of love is a choice that can continue even when the feelings are not there. This is evident when we are faced with conflicts and our best interest and the best interest of God come into conflict. In such situations, love must make a choice, and this choice can be either to love and follow God or to choose a different path. As the Bible says, "There is no such thing as not choosing because not choosing is one of the paths." This means that even when we think we have no choice, we actually do, and we must choose to either call out to the Lord or not.

The Bible teaches that our choices are not just simple self-determination, but they are actually the substance of freedom. These choices belong inalienably and forever to the nature of the finite will, and they cannot be destroyed, even by apostasy and sin. This means that even if we are saved and sanctified, God guides us by our everyday choices. If we are about to choose what God does not want, He will give us a sense of doubt or restraint, which we must listen to and choose a different path. In the end, the choice to love is a choice that we must make every day, and it is a choice that can lead us to a deeper relationship with God and to a more fulfilling life.