What’s Love Got to Do With It?
August 24, 2025
Dr. Paul Cannings
“I love you” can become so easy to say but so hard to maintain. Two people dating might say “I love you” a hundred times before marriage—yet say “I hate you” a thousand times after. Maybe that’s why a popular song once asked, “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” Hollywood often plays on this theme in sitcoms and reality shows like The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. When couples from these shows are later interviewed, most of their relationships have ended.
But the truth is: love has everything to do with it—especially because God is love (1 John 4:8). As the world moves further away from God, we see the results: more wars, higher divorce rates, rising domestic violence, crime, and hate—even in a nation filled with churches (1 John 2:9–10; 1 Peter 2:9–10).
The problem is that people often try to base love on how they feel about someone. But if love begins with emotion, it easily shifts depending on whether or not we like the person. The Bible never tells us to like everyone—it commands us to love. In fact, it tells us to love even our enemies (Romans 12:9–20). That kind of love isn’t natural—it’s a faith walk, and one the Lord promises to reward (Matthew 5:43–48).
So, how do we truly love?
It starts by accepting Christ (1 John 4:7)—by confessing our sins (Romans 10:9), and believing in Him. As we grow in our commitment to obey Christ (Matthew 22:36–40), the Holy Spirit begins to renew our minds and shape our hearts. That transformation strengthens our conviction and helps us stay committed—even in the face of rejection, conflict, or hate (1 John 2:3–6; John 13:34–35).
This love empowers us to respond not based on how we feel but based on who we are in Christ. If we find ourselves unable to love because of how someone has treated us, that often reveals the true depth of our relationship with God.
Love that is shaped by the Spirit of God lasts.
The Holy Spirit doesn’t get tired. He isn’t swayed by hate. He never turns away from God’s Word. His nature is love—and it cannot be corrupted (Galatians 5:22–23).
So yes, love does have everything to do with it, it depends on who we love first.
“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.”
—1 John 4:15–17 (NASB)