On July 7, 1967, the English rock band known as The Beatles, released a record-breaking hit song that would later become known as one of the anthems of the 1960s. The name of that song was, “All You Need Is Love.”

While the band believed its lyrics to be simple and easy to understand, many people since have come up with varying interpretations. Some are positive and meaningful. Others, often alluding to bad experiences with “so-called” love, are not so positive. Critics of the song often point out legitimate questions about whether love can realistically be “all” a person truly needs to make it in life.

Interestingly, the overarching message of the Bible (also topping the charts as a record-breaking wonder) is, all you need is love as well.

Is there a difference between the two messages?

Yes. Most certainly.

And…

No, not necessarily.

It depends on the type of love we’re talking about.

The iconic Beatles song, which could in part come from the Bible, is mostly used to refer to love rooted in human reasoning and understanding about what is good and right. On paper, this love is usually defined as wanting what is best for another and being willing to sacrifice toward that end. But in everyday life, it often seems to play out more like a search for relationships that:

  • Create good feelings
  • Ensure agreement and the ability to see everything the same way
  • Are centered on liking and enjoying the same things
  • Always make us feel affirmed, approved of, or however we want to feel about ourselves
  • Always allow us to do whatever we want or see as best
  • Have low expectations but offer high returns
  • Offer high returns when we offer high sacrifices
  • In a nutshell, provide warm fuzzies

It’s understandable why we humans are hungry for this kind of love. Living in a broken world that we were never designed to be able to endure leaves deep holes in our souls we long to fill with anything that promises relief. But this sometimes, crazy-making, “Twist And Shout” variety of love we turn to, with its hit-and-and miss assumptions about what things are and aren’t loving, often serves as a wrecking ball that deepens pits we were hoping to fill.

And it is complex. With all its exceptions, clauses, limitations, prenup -type contracts, etc., it can create problems that either need to be “worked out” or tossed out. Love that comes from the reasoning of broken-hearted humans (all of us) simply cannot be 100% pure 100% of the time.

On the other hand, the love song we call, the Bible (which is often mistaken to prescribe human love), points us to God’s love. His love for humanity, and His love being poured out through any human who commits to receiving it on a regular basis (although still imperfectly sometimes). This love can also be defined as wanting what is best for another and being willing to sacrifice toward that end. But here’s how it jumps off the paper pages of our Bibles and plays out in real life.

God, who is love and defines Himself as love, designed humanity in His image (which is love). Everything that is beautiful and amazing about us is our design to both live in God’s love, and love with His love. We fulfill this purpose in the purest ways possible when we are being filled with His love – something that can only happen when we are walking and talking in a love relationship with Him.

When our hearts get filled up with God’s love by spending time with Him, it takes us over and becomes the “law” that rules everything we say and do.

Our loving God also provides every spiritual, mental, relational, material, and physical thing we need to fulfill our purpose of loving Him and each other with His love.  Part of His provision is that He even works all things out (including the very worst that can happen in an unloving world) for the good of anyone who loves Him and is living out His purpose of loving with His love. This drives out any fear we may feel about loving others and enables us to love even our worst foes.

Humans who are experiencing the beauty of living in God’s love as well as living it out, naturally want this very best thing about their lives for everyone else (including enemies) and are willing to sacrifice toward this end.

All of this is why John tells us that love is the proof that we are in Christ, or living in a loving relationship with God. Who is love.

(1 John 4:7-21; John 3:16; Genesis 1:27; John 15:1-17; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Deuteronomy 11:13-21; Numbers 15:37-41; Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34; Psalm 15:5; 2 Peter 1:3-4; Philippians 4:16-19; Romans 8:28; Ephesians 3:14-2)

All the pretty colors of God’s design for humanity and this world just keep looping back around to the exact same thing. “All You Need Is Love.” God’s love, that is. Matthew 6:33 says it this way; Seek First His Kingdom and His righteousness (which is, of course, God’s love) and all these things will be given to you as well. Groovy!

But unlike the psychedelic swirls of the ‘60s, God’s love is stabilizing. It does not make twisty-turny feelings, idealistic assumptions, or unrealistic emotions its foundation. It is rooted in stable standards of objective truth and set apart (or Holy) from broken and wounded human love. Because of this, it is trustworthy and can be counted on.

Here’s how God’s love can become our “Ticket to Ride” out of the dysfunction human love can sometimes be…

The Bible calls God’s love (which looks, tastes, and smells like 1 Corinthians 13 when fleshed out through humanity), a kind of fruit. Of the Spirit. Not of human effort. The symbol given for the Holy Spirit is a flame. When you put your hand up close to a candle’s flame, it automatically gets warm. It is transformed. And you can’t stop this from happening unless you move it away from the flame. In the same way, it is only as we stay as close as possible to the Holy Spirit that He can clean, heal, and empty us of things that cause unfulfilling kinds of love rooted in human reasoning, and fill us with His kind of love (John 15:1-17). Then, what our hearts look like after experiencing the Presence of the Holy Spirit becomes “fruit” that naturally flows out to others (Luke 6:45 Galatians 5:22-23).

Love God first. Then (and ONLY then), love your neighbors, your brothers, your sisters, and even your enemies.

In your big, happy, yellow submarine.

We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19