When We Live the Word: Love That Looks Like Jesus

In our recent Bible study, we spent time in 1 Corinthians 13 and Luke 3 to focus on a simple truth: the Word of God isn’t meant to stay as information—it’s meant to shape our lives. Following Christ isn’t just about what we know; it’s about becoming more like Jesus through what we practice.

Before we walked through Paul’s words, we paused to explain why we call it agape love. As the Bible has been translated over time, the wording in this passage has been rendered differently—some earlier translations use “love,” while the King James Version uses “charity.” But when you look back at the Greek, Paul is pointing to a specific kind of love—agape—not just emotion or affection, but love expressed through action. It’s a love that seeks the good, the well-being, and the spiritual welfare of others. It’s the love that comes from the Father, shown through Jesus, and poured into our lives so that it can flow outward.

With that foundation, Paul’s message lands even heavier. He says that even if he could speak with the tongues of men and angels, without love he becomes “sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal”—just noise. He goes further: even if he has prophecy, understands mysteries, has all knowledge, and has mountain-moving faith, without love he is “nothing.” Even giving everything away, or making extreme sacrifices, profits nothing if it isn’t rooted in God’s love and expressed through obedience. The message was clear: reading the Word is only half the recipe. The other half is implementation—allowing what we read to change how we respond, how we treat people, and how we live day to day.

To show that Christ came to change how people live—not just what they know—we looked at Luke 3, where John the Baptist prepares the way for Jesus. John’s message wasn’t about appearing religious—it was about repentance and real change. When the people asked, “What shall we do then?” John gave practical examples: share with those in need, stop taking advantage of people, stop using power violently, and be content. In other words, true repentance produces fruit. A changed heart produces a changed life.

Back in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul describes what this love looks like in action: love suffers long and is kind. It doesn’t envy. It isn’t puffed up. It isn’t easily provoked. It doesn’t think evil. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. We talked about how real this gets—love isn’t proven in easy moments, but in the everyday situations where our emotions want to lead. Following Christ often includes a discomfort, because His way is contrary to our natural reactions.

One analogy that helped bring it home was comparing spiritual growth to physical exercise. Just like you don’t get stronger by talking about the gym, you don’t grow in Christ by only reading. Growth comes through repetition—showing up, applying the Word, and responding differently over time. Little by little, the Word reshapes our desires, our emotions, and our reactions. Eventually, people begin to notice: “You’ve changed.” And that change comes from consistent practice.

We also looked at an example of love under pressure through 1 Peter 2:23, which describes Jesus: when He was reviled, He didn’t revile back; when He suffered, He didn’t threaten; instead, He committed Himself to the One who judges righteously. That’s what it looks like to “bear all things” and endure without letting offense take control. It means we trust God enough to respond like Christ—even when we’re misunderstood, provoked, or treated unfairly.

At the end, a question came up about the difference between sacrifice and obedience, pointing to the principle that obedience is better than sacrifice. The takeaway was simple: God isn’t impressed by what we offer Him if we ignore what He told us. Obedience will always matter more. At the same time, true sacrifice still has meaning when it comes from a sincere desire to honor God—when it costs us something and reflects a heart that wants to please Him.

The heart of the message was this: following Christ isn’t passive. It’s an active, daily choice to take what we read and live it out. The Word of God is not meant to stay ink on paper. When we implement it—when love becomes our practice, not just our knowledge—it becomes real in us. And over time, that agape love becomes a reflection of Christ working through our lives.