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Questions & Answers

Love

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Youth, Dating and Friendship › Love

The question

Is love a gift or a commandment? Or is it both a gift and a commandment? Is the ability to love given as a gift to all men when we were created, since we are a product of love? What is the difference in regards to love before and after the fall? Did Adam and Eve have to learn love or were they created with it?

The answer

God is love (1 John 4:8), love is a gift (1 Corinthians 13), love is fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and love is a commandment (John 13:34). Humanity was given a free will to choose love over hate, and many other freedom of choice. The Lord Jesus Christ taught us how to love everyone, the sinners and the strangers and how to wash the feet of the others. He taught us love and commanded that we love one another as He has loved us. Many receive gifts which they freely refuse to use and many freely reject to obey and abide by God's commandments.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Related questions

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 2334 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.