About 3,465 years ago, God commanded the Israelites, camped at Mount Sinai, to love their neighbors as part of the laws to be kept in honor of his covenant with them. This command forms a strong premise for the significance and acceptable practice of stewarding our relationship with one another.
Several years later, scientific studies show that Emotional and Social Development plays a crucial and central role in the well-being of an individual.
It means that success in stewarding our interpersonal relationships greatly contributes to the overall well-being of any individual.
The Christian faith continues to advocate strongly for the practice of loving others. Furthermore, the Spirit of God facilitates its occurrence and operation in the life of a Believer. How Wholesome!!
In this article, you will discover practical ways to love people based on biblical standards and interpersonal principles. Here at Camp Chieflings, we are raising steward leaders committed to building meaningful relationships and leading a successful Christian life.
Why is Loving Others So Important
Why bother? Why should I even love people?
Loving others is a concept of great importance reaching deep and far into many cultures, faiths, and philosophical systems. Here are some reasons why loving others is so important:
- It is a Mark of Believers: Loving one another is an integral part of our identity as Christians. John 13:35 says, “by this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another”. Your love walk should distinguish you. An observer should be able to look at the way you relate with people and tell whether or not you are a true Christian.
- Encourages Personal Growth: Loving others often requires patience, empathy, and selflessness. These qualities are important for personal development and can lead to greater emotional intelligence.
- Promotes Positive Relationships: Love is the foundation of healthy relationships. It encourages understanding, forgiveness, and support, which are essential for maintaining strong bonds with family, friends, and within communities.
- Fosters Community: Love binds individuals together and creates a sense of belonging and unity. When people love one another, they are more likely to work together for the common good and support each other in times of need.
Biblical guidance on How to show god’s love to others
In Leviticus 19:18, God commanded the people of Israel (and by extension His Chosen People) to love themselves. He said;
You shall not take vengeance, nor hold any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.
Then several years later Jesus describes this instruction as part of the greatest commandment.
Woah!
It means a believer’s love walk is not ordinary and that God is serious about the way we treat people. It is the culmination of our Christian life; a metric by which our lives would be assessed. Because of this, we can’t afford to approach loving others casually or base it on whimsical ideologies.
A fitting response to its spiritual significance is to embrace God’s truth about the matter. Then, set out to do it according to his standards.
The Bible, God’s word, provides the governing rules, measures, and standards for the practice of love.
Based on Bible verses about love, here is how to love others according to the Bible
- Love as Christ Loved us – John 13:34: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
- Love your neighbors as yourself – Mark 12:31. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself, there is no other commandment greater than these.”
In the following sections of this article, we will explore what it means to love and the practical steps to take.
How to Love Others Like Jesus.

Loving people like Jesus is a transformative journey, one that challenges us to move beyond our natural inclinations and depend on the Holy Spirit. To love like Him means to love with a heart of grace, compassion, and humility, showing kindness and care in every interaction.
When we successfully love others like Jesus does, God’s love and goodness is revealed in us.
We are, after all, ambassadors of Christ here on earth so we need to represent Jesus the right way and that includes loving like he does.
Below is a guide to loving others as Jesus loved us;
1. See as Jesus sees
If we see what Jesus saw and did what he did, we will produce the same results he did.
Archie, How are you sure?
Well, because his spirit is alive and active within us. One ministry of the Holy Spirit is to bring Christ-like experience to life in us. Provided you have received the Holy Spirit and yielded to His influence, you will share experiential semblances with Jesus.
Curated Reading: How do I know I have the Holy Spirit?
Okay, but how does Jesus see people?
- He sees believers as an extension of himself. Read Acts 9:4-8.
- He sees people as “worthy enough to die for”.
- As friends (John 15:15).
- As brothers and Sisters (Hebrews 2:11, Romans 8:29, and Mark 3:34-35).
- As extremely valuable to God; God’s most priced possession meant to be devoted to him.
- Like Sheep; Weak and Fragile needing protection: Sheep have little to no defense mechanism. They always need help, care, guidance, and protection. They are not the wisest of animals but are teachable. “I am the Good Shepherd“, Jesus said.
2. Love All People

Jesus loves everyone regardless of their status, past mistakes, and circumstances.
His love isn’t based on what people can do for Him or how they behave. His love is freely given, regardless of merit.
The Bible instructs us to;
- Love your enemies (Matthew 5:44): “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Loving your enemy means extending goodness to those who have hurt us and have failed to do right by us. It empowers us to overcome evil with good
- Love both the righteous and sinners: Jesus extended love freely to both the righteous and the sinners, He loved while we were still sinners showing that love isn’t about perfection but about compassion and human connection.
God loves without partiality and we should love the same way, showing no favoritism. -James 2:8-9. When we love people irrespective of class or any other world standard, we have started loving like Christ and seeing people as he sees.
3. Love without Conditions – Matthew 5:54.
To love like Jesus is to love without Conditions.
Loving without conditions also means choosing to love others even when they don’t deserve it; when it is difficult, and costly to do so.
One thing to learn about how Jesus loves is that his love isn’t dependent on outward influences or factors. It is totally dependent on him. He is sure to take the high road in difficult times.
When you understand love to be something within your control, you gain the power to consistently love people and live in perpetual alignment with God.
4. Forgive Freely- Colossians 3:13.
Jesus’ love is deeply tied to forgiveness. Even as He was being crucified, He asked the Father to forgive those who were hurting Him.
How many of us can forgive people that hurt us?
Even when we are still hurting, can we forgive them?
Jesus has called us to forgive others, just as He forgives us (Matthew 6:14). We have to constantly choose to forgive letting go of bitterness, and restoring relationships where and when repentance is evident.
5. Give
Love gives.
John 3:16, one of the most popular verses in the Bible, reveals a characteristic expression of the love of God — Generosity.
This characteristic trait of love is seen throughout Jesus’s life on earth and beyond as He generously gives his life, strength, time, spirit, peace, power, and more.
Generosity, as an expression of love, is not lost on those who practice secular love. It is expected that if a person truly loves another, he or she will give them something.
They understand this unspoken rule of love albeit, I suspect it is for wrong reasons such as self-entitlement, self-aggrandizement, and feel-good motives.
But for you, give because you want to edify a person. Your gift should thoughtfully fit into the person’s life improving (not worsening) it.
Yes, some gifts can do more harm than good. You might also be handing over gifts to the wrong recipients. Don’t cast diamonds to the pigs(Matthew 7:16). There is a code for welfare. Learn it. Follow it.
6. Obey because Love obeys
I obey my Father, so everyone in the world might know that I love him. It is time for us to go now.
John 14:31 CEV
So when Jesus says, if you love me, you will keep my commandments(John 14:15) he knows exactly what he is saying. He is not telling you to do something he has never done but to express that true love —if it is in you.
Applying it to today’s discussion means you have to honor those people in your life who have authority over you. I am referring to your spiritual leaders, parents, husband, team lead, line manager, etc. You are not doing what they say just to get on their good books or win their favor, but because genuinely love and honor them. It is a different case if you are asked to do something against your moral values or go against the ethics of your job.
7. In Service
Mark 10:45, “For the Son of man came not to be served but serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
You can’t love others without serving, it’s one of the profound ways to reflect His love to people as Jesus came not to be served but to serve and we can see this in
Serving people is about putting them first and making a difference in their lives, just as Jesus made a difference in ours.
How to Serve Others Like Jesus
Serve With Humility
Do you know Jesus washed the feet of His disciples?
Yes, He did in John 13:14, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” Imagine our Almighty God, the King of the universe, washed His disciples’ feet, an act reserved for the lowest servant.
Jesus showed that true greatness in God’s kingdom is not about position or status but about serving others with a humble heart. Serving with humility means being willing to do whatever is necessary, no matter how menial the task, to meet the needs of others.
Serve Sacrificially
Serving sacrificially is another way to love like Jesus. Jesus served others sacrificially, even to the point of laying down His life for us which can be seen in John 15:13, “ Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends”. If that is not sacrifice then I don’t know what is! He calls us to follow His example of sacrificial love, putting others’ needs above our own and this may mean giving up time, resources, or comfort to help someone else, just as Jesus gave everything for us.
Loving Others As You Love Yourself
If you have been following closely, chances are you now realize how difficult loving people according to God’s standard is.
The good news: it’s about to get relatively easier. Or not.
Loving others as ourselves is recognizing that the love we inherently give to ourselves should be mirrored in how we treat others. It’s a call to look inwardly into the core of our humanity to empathize and extend grace and compassion as we hope to receive.
This balanced approach combats the two extremes of self-obsession and self-neglect encouraging support on one hand and vulnerability on the other.
As we cultivate self-love, our capacity to love others sincerely increases. This love standard forces us to tap into our emotional intelligence so that we can understand other people’s feelings while managing ours with the goal of a positive outcome in mind. In its practice, we are fostering a world where mutual respect and kindness prevail. Here’s how to love others as you love yourself
1. Be Present for Others:
Being present with someone is a profound act of love, take time to listen to people around you without judgment, offer a shoulder to cry on or simply sit in silence with someone who is hurting. Your presence can reflect God’s comforting and steadfast nature.
Be happy for others. Celebrate with them. Mourn when they mourn too.
2. Meet the Needs of Others: Be supportive
“If anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”.
1 John 3:17
The above verse about loving others shows that we should be our brother’s keeper and look out for people.
You could be going about your normal day and see someone in need and it’s a situation where you can help, go ahead and do that because Jesus would. Think about the times you were in need and Jesus came through for you. So we ought to live that way.
3. Pray for others.
Prayer is one of the most loving things you can do for someone. We often come across people who are in need of spiritual guidance and also people close to us who come and explain what they are going through.
Praying for them changes things because we know God hears our prayers and answers them. Letting them know you’re praying for them, shows you care about them and also offers some sort of encouragement to them.
4. Show Patience and Grace:
Extend grace as people are imperfect and relationships can be messy. Show God’s love by being patient and gracious when others make mistakes. Offer understanding and support instead of criticism and judgment.
5. Be Kind and Caring.
We’ve experienced when others show love to us and you remember how it felt and you know it was incredible. It’s the same way we’re to show love to others.
Kindness doesn’t have to be complicated as God has said “Let all that you do be done in love” 1 Corinthians 16:14. Smile at a stranger, hold the door open for someone or pay for someone’s coffee. Small acts of kindness reflect God’s love in simple yet profound ways.
I will give you this secret free of charge; it is a quote from John C Maxwell’s Self-Aware Leader;
No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care- John C Maxwell.
6. Be compassionate.
The Bible tells us to be patient in Ephesians 4:2 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” People are on different journeys one we may or may not know about and growth takes time. Show patience with them and give them space to grow and learn.
7. Reduce Defensiveness AKA Give More Grace.

Some of us have built unhealthy boundaries around our social lives that anyone who comes into our lives would be walking on eggshells.
Some people are just too easy to offend because they have erected a tall defensive wall keeping out both the good and bad. Sometimes people unconsciously build this wall to evade personal fears of being insignificant, incompetent, or unlikeable.
I understand that there are legitimate reasons for this attitude but it leaves zero room for expression, mistakes, and second chances.
Check your thresholds for Personal offence. Don’t place an inordinate amount of importance on things that are little or trivial. Let each thing carry its commensurate level of importance
For instance, You can’t be vexed because a friend passed and didn’t greet you. Well if you greet first, you won’t die you know. You won’t reduce in stature instead show you are a mature person. Maybe the person didn’t see you. Maybe the person is suffering from sight impairment or going through any other gazillion life problems.
Give grace. Allow them (the people in your life) some more wiggle room. Lower your expectations of people because people disappoint and most times, it is unintentional. But by holding yourself (not others) to a higher standard concerning your heart, you retain the power to control your emotions.
FAQ Section: Some Questions You Might Have About Loving People
Can you love others without loving yourself?
No, you can’t. The Bible encourages us to Love our neighbors as we love ourselves and we can’t love our neighbors if we don’t love ourselves.
As discussed, You can’t pour from an empty place. To love others you need to recognize what love is and give that to yourself first. Out of this self-enjoyed love flows measures unto people around you.
Do you have to love yourself to love someone else?
Yes, you do. Because loving yourself is seeing God as he sees you, and in order to love others you have to see them as God sees them.
Thus, accepting God’s love for you is the key.
Why do I need to be loved but can’t love others?
Feeling this way stems from emotional traumas and hurts. This is a void only God can fill. Take the high road and confront them one at a time, within a safe environment.
Let God in. Let his love for you shape your sense of self-worth not the tough breaks you’ve had. Let him empower you to forgive people you hurt as you see them from the lens of his love.
It may take time and healing but you’ll surely get there and you’ll learn to love and also receive love again.
How Can I Be More Loving Towards Others
You can’t pour out of an empty cup and in order to be more loving towards others you need to pour into them.
So here’s how to be more loving towards others;
To fill your own cup, you need to connect to God’s love first. You need to prioritize intimacy; spend time in prayer, scripture and worship. Ask God to fill your heart with His love so that it naturally overflows to others.
You can’t be more loving towards others from a heart that’s not yielded to God. So pray and ask God to transform your heart and help you love as He loves. When you ask for His guidance, He will show you how to love others better and See people the way Jesus sees them.
How to Love Difficult People.
Loving difficult people can seem so daunting especially when they hurt us and not just hurt us but when they hurt us and do not apologize. But do you know Jesus calls us not just to love the easy-going people but also the difficult ones so they may see Jesus through us?
For that to happen, surrender to Jesus totally as He will first of all work on your heart and do an inward transformation. Then, He will give you the strength to love those that hurt you and at the end they’ll see Jesus through you and it’ll be for His glory.
Conclusion
One key takeaway is that love is an active force.
Our words alone do not cut it. Love has to be seen in our actions. To love others like Jesus is to show it through action; to demonstrate our willingness to sacrifice, and readiness to give to meet the needs of others.
It’s a way to show we are disciples of Jesus and people know we have love for one another (John 13:35.)
Sacrificial love is biblical. Selfless love is biblical. Unconditional love is biblical. These are the different ways we can love others as Jesus does.
We have such a great capacity for love more than we are letting on. Fan the flames of love in your heart and submit this deep love to God to use in accordance with His will. Herein lies a fundamental part of your mission on earth.
A Prayer to love others
Thank you, Father, for the abundant love you shower me in Christ. Out of this abundance, I am empowered to love people. Therefore, let my bowels of compassion be opened up to the needs of those around me. Help me be a conduit of love in the face of hatred. Going forward, I am more sensitive and aware of opportunities to show love to someone. I declare, “People will see my light and glorify my God in heaven. Amen