Love Conquers All

1 John 4:8

The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

When the poet, Virgil, penned the phrase, Omnia Vincit Amor or Love Conquers All, around 37 BC, he was referring to love as in eros, romantic, passionate, sexual love. This later developed into representations such as Cupid, fighter for all star-crossed lovers. Depending on who you ask, there are between four and twenty-one kinds of love. So, it’s no wonder that people get confused when we say Love Conquers All. Marriages and relationships dissolve. People can be mean and hateful. There is evil in this world. Where is love and why doesn’t love ride in to save us?

What we fail to understand is Love already did ride in to save us, but many of us have turned our backs on Him. God, in His perfect Triune form, is love, real love, and Real Love does conquer all. (1 John 4:8) Not eros love, romantic lovers full of sexual desire. Not philia love, affection for friends and family. Agape comes the closest when describing a universal, unconditional, expecting nothing in return love. But no word can truly encapsulate God’s selfless, unending, boundless love. It is literally uncomprehensible, and humans cannot duplicate that magnitude of love. So, we assign labels to God with human parameters, but God defies human understanding. (Job 11: 7- 9)

And instead of receiving this incredible gift of unconditional love, we choose to wallow in fear and despair espousing a we versus them attitude. Why? Because some misguided human labeled as Christian hurt your feelings? Because the church is full of people labeled hypocrites? You’re right, it is! The entire world is full of hypocrisy, because we are human. I heard it said that people that say Love the sinner hate the sin are just covering up racist, homophobic, or hateful beliefs. But assigning blanket labels over all people including incredibly sincere loving people is doing exactly what you are telling others not to do! When you are pointing fingers at someone else, take note that three fingers accusingly point back at you! What are you trying to deflect by attempting to transfer a label onto someone else?

And there resides the problem! Let’s drop the labels and seek relationship! But please don’t look at me as a perfect example, because I am human. I will fail you despite my best intentions to truly love you! Instead, look to God in a perfect direct line. There are no obstacles between you and God but for the ones you manifest. Come as you are! Tear down your barriers, step away from fear, and seek Him and Him alone, no religion, no condemnation, no labels, nothing but the two of you in a perfect unconditional love relationship. It doesn’t seem possible, but that’s why it’s so awesome, because it is possible!! (Matthew 19:26)

If you are still cowering and shaking in your boots with your proverbial guns pointed out because of politics or other events of the world, then you have missed a very important message. LOVE CONQUERS ALL AND GOD IS THAT LOVE. He’s waiting for you.