“If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36
In the 1960s and 1970s, the “free love” movement championed a sexually active lifestyle with casual partners and little to no commitment. It was a rebellion against societal norms, government standards, and biblical principles regarding sexual purity—principles that clearly condoned fornication and adultery. Today, these boundaries have been pushed even further, expanding sexual definitions far beyond heterosexual relationships.
But did the “free love” movement actually produce more love or did it simply produce a more selfish culture?
The opposite of love isn’t hate—it’s selfishness. True love—only found in God—who IS love—seeks the good of another, not the gratification of self.
If you look at the heartbreaking number of children in foster care in our nation—over half a million—you hear the silent cry of those who would emphatically say, “No, there is not more love, and we are proof.” Each one of these children would long to have the two people who brought them into this world also commit to loving them for a lifetime. The sobering reality is this: the act of so-called “love” that brought each child into existence often had little to do with the work required to raise that child in love.
The “free love” movement had very little to do with real love at all. It was, and still is, a myth and a dangerous deception.
The promise that one can pursue sex without consequences to themselves or others has only led to a culture enslaved in the relentless pursuit of pleasure. This is not freedom—it’s bondage. It is like fool’s gold: shiny in the moment, but ultimately worthless. Once the thrill fades, emptiness remains, driving people to chase more fleeting pleasure in a desperate search for a love that continually eludes them.
Whether it’s sex, substance abuse, or any other addiction, the endless pursuit of self-gratification is a false god that eventually destroys everything truly precious. This is where we find ourselves as a nation.
But there is hope.
We can make a difference. We can pull our families, our communities, and our nation out of this freefall by choosing to live in the truth. REAL LOVE is impossible to experience outside of the parameters of God’s presence. To be in His presence, we must be born again and love according to His Word—NOT in violation of it. God’s Word is clear that we cannot possess God’s love—without Him:
“And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16
Only in God’s presence can we experience REAL love.
If we claim to be “in love” with someone but violate God’s Word in order to “make love” to them, we are not making love—we are destroying it. How? Because by sinning, we move away from God, the very source of real love. To love without God produces a foretaste of hell because it weaves a web of perpetual dissatisfaction. Only God’s presence satisfies us. Hell, which is eternal separation from the presence of God, is a place where we will never experience the soul-satisfying love of God.
My friend, the only free love is God’s love, and it cost Him His life.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
God’s love is a gift, freely given through Jesus Christ. You can experience this love by receiving the gift of salvation through Jesus. God’s love will not enslave you—it will set you free.
God’s love is the treasure your soul has been searching for.
Reflection Thought:
Real love is not found in freedom TO sin, but in freedom FROM sin. Pursue the love that lasts forever—the love of God.
Closing Prayer:
Father God,
Thank You for loving me with a love that is true, pure, and eternal. Forgive me for the times I have believed the lies of this world and sought love apart from You. Help me to walk in Your truth and to love according to Your Word. Teach me to reflect Your love in my relationships and to show others the beauty of abiding in You. Draw those who are lost, empty, and hurting back to the only love that satisfies—the love of Jesus. In His precious name I pray, Amen
