The Affections of Christ Jesus: Love at the Heart of Paul’s Theology

by Nijay K. Gupta, Michael J. Gorman (foreword)

A new perspective on an often-overlooked aspect of Paul’s love
 
Pauline scholars have long debated the so-called center of Paul’s theology, focusing on themes like justification by faith, reconciliation, union with Christ, and the apocalyptic triumph of God in Christ. In this innovative study, Nijay Gupta offers a new perspective that emphasizes Paul’s understanding of love at the heart of the gospel he preached.
 
Through careful examination of the historical, cultural, and linguistic milieu in which Paul was working, Gupta identifies what is unique and important in Paul’s theology of love. In so doing, Gupta helps readers develop a deeper appreciation for the extent to which love permeates Paul’s understanding of the triune God, the gospel, the community, and the mission and lifestyle of God’s people.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies, New Testament, Love

259 pages, Paperback

Published February 20, 2025

About the author

Nijay K. Gupta is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. He has written or edited more than twenty books and has published dozens of academic articles. He is an award-winning researcher and a member of the Society of New Testament Studies.

Reviews

[Christina Embree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was honored to receive an advance copy of this book and I am so glad that I did. I have often read Paul's epistles and wondered why we didn't speak more about the amount of times he speaks of love. Sometimes I feel like we only look at 1 Corinthians 13 as Paul's exposition of love. But love is everywhere in Paul's writings and, as Gupta points out, it is a specific kind of love, the love taught by Christ which is two-fold - love of God and love of neighbor. Not only is love throughout Paul's writings, Gupta argues (I think correctly) that the love taught by Jesus is central to and foundational for everything else that Paul shares, from repentance and the gospel, to generosity and evangelism. Paul's approach to his faith is grounded in love and since he starts there, so should we. And while I am more of a "popular" level reader, Gupta substantiates his thesis with strong academic credibility, diving into the different meanings of love throughout the Old Testament, Greek culture, and Jesus' teachings and then applies his thesis to the book of Ephesians in the final chapter as a demonstration of love's centrality. I highly recommend this book and its approach to Pauline literature and the love of Christ as central to Paul's faith and our shared Christian tradition.

[Kyle Newman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much new ground broken here.

[Jennifer Layte · Rating 5 out of 5]

In an era where toxic aggression (I'm not even going to say "toxic masculinity") has made its way into the church, in large part due to misreadings of the Apostle Paul, this book couldn't be better timed. The work is intellectually rigorous, but also approachable/readable. I'm so glad this book exists.

[John Koeshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever heard "Paul" and "love" being put into the same sentence? How about "love" and "theology"? Nijay Gupta's "The Affections of Christ Jesus: Love at the Heart of Paul's Theology" solves that problem.

In an approachable and accessible manner, Gupta systematically:
- demonstrates how "love" has been neglected by Pauline scholarship.
- summarizes Christian and secular, modern and ancient understandings of "love."
- explores the language of love in the Old Testament, carefully rooting his later study in YHWH's demonstrable expressions of love for his people.
- looks at 1st Century usage of "love" in the Greco-Roman culture.
- explores how love language is used in the gospels and the Jesus tradition.
- over several chapters lays out Paul's use of "love" in his various letters to the churches.

What I loved in particular was:
- Gupta's careful yet thorough approach to the topic;
- those word studies are an absolute goldmine for absolutely anyone;
- Gupta's careful exegesis through the majority of the Pauline epistles, what a gift to any reader, in particular for a pastor/teacher who wants to help others learn and grow.
- The summary and synthesis at the end was brilliant, offering word groupings along with their locations in the text, as well as 6 theses about love and what it means for us today.

This is an astounding piece of work from a theologian at the height of his craft.

[Jared Greer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important study on love in the writings of Paul. It’s surprising that a book like this hasn’t already been written, given how ubiquitous the concept of love is in Paul’s letters. Gupta traces Paul’s conception of love against the backdrop of Jewish conceptions of love and the Jesus tradition. He argues that Paul—influenced by Jewish Scripture, Jewish tradition, and (likely) the teachings of Jesus—had love at the heart of his theology. He saw love as the heart of the gospel, the foundation of atonement, and “the distinguishing mark of a Christ-centered, Spirit-filled church.” More, for Paul, love is not just a fuzzy warm feeling or fickle, fleeting emotion; but neither is it detached from emotion altogether. Love involves heart, will, and action. It involves deeply investing ourselves into someone or something, from the core of our being.

My only reservation with this book is that Nijay attempts to find a middle way between academic writing and popular-level writing; and he doesn’t always find a great balance. Popular audiences may find this tedious and technical at times, while academic audiences may find it a bit too simplistic at times. Overall, though, this is a really helpful book that needed to be written, and I’m glad to have it as a resource.

[Gaylene Comfort · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love God, I love to knit, I love my children, I love tacos. Love is a complex and many-splendored thing, and we use the same English word to express fealty to the divine as we might respond to a suggestion for what to have for dinner. In his ambitious new book, Nijay Gupta takes on love and the apostle Paul. Paul and love are big topics, but Gupta approaches the subject from a whole Bible point of view, which I appreciate.
'The Affections of Christ Jesus' expands our view of Paul's theology of love, as Gupta's previous 'Paul and the Language of Faith' explored Paul's interpretation of faith. And for me, there was a lot of expanding to do. Sometimes, we come to Paul gingerly because he's a guy with big theological opinions. Still, Gupta convincingly shows that Paul understood and taught that love is at the core of all of God's interaction with humanity. It's not the law vs love; instead the love is the basis for the law and the fulfillment of the law.
Big themes, right? The book is scholarly, and I recommend taking your time with it, but it is very readable, approachable, and quite rewarding. The cover illustration is a beautiful icon of Paul and Christ, perfect for the book, and worth meditating on as you read.

[Mike Normoyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author’s intent is to fill a gap in Pauline studies. Most scholarly or academic work has ignored or given little attention to the topic of love. The heart of the book as stated by the author in the introduction is to examine Paul’s theology and to notice how love permeates Paul’s understanding of the triune God, the gospel, the community of believers, and the mission and lifestyle of God’s people. (p12) By showing how Paul expresses love through the virtues of grace, compassion, kindness and suffering one is able to clearly see how love permeates Paul’s correspondence. His use of the Shema frames his thinking. Paul uses “love of one’s neighbor” to affirm Jesus teaching as well as the central tenet of the Law given by Moses. This is a rich book that deserves a wide read and one should read it slowly and reflect on the many ways Paul expresses God’s love through Jesus Christ his Son. I think the author achieved his goal of showing how Paul’s theology was guided by love for all people.

[Amanda Hecht · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I read this book, I kept asking myself "why has no one written this before?" Gupta argues convincingly for his thesis that love is the center of the Apostle Paul's theology. This book also demonstrates the careful scholarship combined with accessibility and ease of reading that we have come to expect from Gupta's writing. I highly recommend The Affections of Christ Jesus!

[Devin League · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nijay Gupta truly has a gift for writing on scholarly topics in an easy to understand way. In each of his books he perfectly bridges the gap between academia and popular or lay-level reading with such skill, and this book is no different. An engaging, challenging, thought-provoking and incredibly helpful book for anyone wanting to understand Paul more.

[Rylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Oddly enough, perhaps because of the phenomenon of how common it is, you can forget just how central love is to the Bible. Can easily hide in plain sight and it is good to slow down and meditate on it a bit. Believe it or not, God's love is a big deal.

[Joshua Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling argument for love being at the heart of Paul’s theology. We need not forget this.

[Joseph McBee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this rich and powerful book on the love of Christ in the writings of the Apostle Paul. My copy is LOADED with underlining and little flags and marginalia. I have set it aside for a bit and then I am going back to it and making notes in a learning journal because there is so much here you can't just read it and throw it on your shelf.

Gupta writes with a depth of knowledge of the Scriptures and he also writes with a depth of love for God and His Word. He is one of those rare subject matter experts that understands that not everyone is an expert so while his writing is challenging, it is accessible. I found no trouble at all following him.

I also loved that this is not just a book of scholarship, although it is certainly that. It is also a book with encouragement, implications, and applications throughout. In that sense, it is richly pastoral.

[David Vartanian · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Jesus but don’t like Paul, because you think the latter is harsh and unloving, or if you think the NT is about love and the OT is about law, then I highly recommend this book. It’s scholarly but not overly technical and the topics are thought-provoking and challenging for our discipleship. What does it mean to be the Beloved of the Father, accepting His extravagant love, and then radically “walking in love” with our brothers and sisters in Christ? At first glance, it seems like this book is pointing out something that most Christians commonly hear and believe as fundamental: that the Bible is most importantly about love. But when Gupta gets into the weeds of what love is in relation to the appraisal theory of the mind, the Old Covenant, the Jesus Tradition, and Paul’s gospel, then it becomes clear that there are a number of things to correct about how we understand love language in the Bible and what’s at the center of Paul’s teachings. Why is this important? As Gupta says here, love is the mark of maturity because it is the master virtue. As believers, nothing in life is more important than loving God and loving our neighbor. Love is well-ordered desire, as Gupta picks up from Augustine. There is so much in life that can compete for our affection and commitment, but we can’t be devoted to everything. In fact, what we are truly devoted to masters us, as Jesus pointed out in relation our faith and money. How does Gupta define love? It is affectionate, deep, self-giving devotion that looks like a passionate pursuit of fellowship with the Father through worship and holiness; as well, as kindness, gentleness, and self-sacrifice in pursuit of the well-being of others. “The only thing that counts is faith working through love.” (Gal 5:6)

My highlights from this book are: 1) the comparison of Paul’s religion to Greco-Roman religion and how the latter is bereft of love language, 2) how Deuteronomy presents a God of Chesed, who brings his people into a covenant of mutual affection and whole-being commitment, 3) the common misunderstandings of “agape” as the preferred Greek word for love in the Bible, 4) how love relates to Paul’s more widely used language of faith and pleasing God, and 5) Gupta’s fresh translation of Ephesians, which he uses to reflect on love in Paul’s view of God and life of the saints, as that epistle curiously summarizes the major ideas from his other undisputed letters.

What is missing from this book is a larger discussion about how Paul’s theology of love compares to popular presentations of the gospel and discipleship in major denominational streams? What’s at stake for the church? It’s clear that we have a maturity crisis in the church, when you look at how much division there is, the partisan politics, and the overall impression from non-believers that Christians are not Christ-like. It’s not often that you hear discipleship defined; when it’s treated as a necessary part of faith (and often it’s not), principally as an imitation of Christ’s gentleness and compassion. Too often harshness and aggression is justified by good intentions and zeal. Gupta could have confronted this issue more in his chapters on loving insiders and outsiders. But his discussion of Romans and how Paul was gracious and devoted to the well-being of those with a “weak” conscious is challenging and inspiring. I also loved this comments on the Cross as a non-transactional/non-retributive act of love toward the “weak, sinners and the enemies of God.” Overall, I recommend this book, and think it should be read alongside other short and powerful theology books like Why the Gospel? and Paul and the Power of Grace.

[Richard Meehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Affections of Christ Jesus is a well-written exploration of love in Paul's theology. Gupta's approach bridges the gap between the academy and the church, providing thought-provoking insights for all to ponder.

For academics, Gupta challenges modern debates regarding the center of Paul's theology which have missed love as a core (not peripheral) value of the apostle. His exploration of the linguistics surrounding love in the Hebrew Bible, Greco-Roman context, Jesus tradition, and Paul's letters is intriguing and raises questions for further research. His engagement with the theology of Augustine, as well as modern theories of emotion, provides helpful historical and scientific approaches that buttress his readings of Paul.

Yet this book is also a great resource for non-academics. While churchgoers may have never questioned love being at the center of Paul's theology, the book still provides ample insights into Paul's letters, with many reflections having a devotional quality to them. Discussions of the background surrounding Paul's thought are sure to add insight into not just Paul's theology, but also the interpretation of the rest of Scripture. In addition, the more technical parts of the book are written in very accessible ways, providing helpful insight into modern academic discussions and giving a taste of Greek to those who may not (yet) be experts.

All in all, this book is highly recommended to all who wish to learn more about the theology of the apostle Paul, especially when viewed through the crucial lens of love.

[Cherise Billington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nijay Gupta’s The Affections of Christ presents a compelling case for love as the central theme of Paul’s theology. Far from being a detached or purely intellectual concept, biblical love—rooted in both Jewish tradition and the teachings of Jesus—encompasses heart, will, and action. Gupta argues that Paul’s vision of the gospel is inseparable from divine love, expressed through a range of terms like grace, faith, compassion, mercy, and kindness. Regardless of one’s preferred atonement theory, the foundation of Paul’s theology remains the love of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Furthermore, Paul saw love as the defining characteristic of a Christ-centered, Spirit-filled church.

Gupta’s writing style is engaging and accessible, making theological insights digestible for both lay readers and scholars. His conversational tone, even when handling complex academic concepts, makes this book an enjoyable yet thought-provoking read. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking not only to understand what Paul writes, but how he writes, deepening their grasp of the affections that drive his theology.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an age of anger that has crept into the church itself comes Nijay Gupta’s refreshing and inspiring work, The Affections of Christ Jesus. Gupta points the reader to the profoundly missing link to the testimony about God across the Scriptures and the power of the Gospel itself. The message is a message of love—love that transforms and reshapes broken and fallen humanity in the pattern God always intended from the beginning. This is no simplistic presentation of what the Bible has to say about love, but a penetrating analysis and, at times, a corrective to misconstrued notions of love driven by well meaning but simplistic presentations that plague the church. Love permeates the Scriptures—both testaments. Perhaps the most significant contribution of this accessible and engrossing book is the reaffirmation of the emotional side of love, its intimate connection with faith, and the fact that God’s deep emotions stand behind and sustain the gospel itself. “The love of Christ urges us on” (2Cor 5:14) and therefore ought to be the defining mark of the community that names itself after its loving saviour, Jesus Christ.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gupta offers a compelling case for seeing love as the leading theme not only in the writings of Paul but also throughout the Old and New Testaments. He also touches on discussions of love in philosophical discussions. To make his case he looks to the widest semantic range, including antonyms. Given the ambiguity of the word 'love' this is very helpful.
This is an ambitious undertaking in a relatively short space. At times the central question of the study is lost amid the range of further considerations. The argument for love as the heart of Paul's theolgy rather than other contenders for that title is not made as tightly as the title promises.
Having said this is to invite further research along these lines and by no means is it meant to rebut the ideas presented.
The book references key studies and achieves this with a light touch which makes it very accessible for a wide range of readers.

[Kevin Wildman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gupta does a thorough job doing a deep dive on love. I am convinced this subject is of vital importance for the church today. The roots of the Hebrew faith center around the call to love God, and Jesus repeatedly calls for His followers to love, both God and others.

That said, I have two warnings with this work. 1) Only around half of the book deals with Paul's writings, the rest does a deep dive into laying a historical, theological, and cultural foundation for love. I think this study is good and fruitful, but if you're coming to this to study Paul, know there is a lot more. Also, to be fair, Gupta explains all of this in the introduction and gives the reader a free pass to jump ahead.

2) Much of this work is on more of an academic level rather than popular level. Again, great and important work, but probably not for Sunday School book club.

All that considered I am thankful for this book and the work Gupta has done to help bring love to the forefront of our theology.

[Freddy Lam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nijay Gupta writes on the theme of love and affection in this tome on Paul’s letter. He engages directly and indirect Greek words, including agape but also words which exhibit affection God has for us, we have to God, to one another and to the outsider. The book is most interesting when he compares to contemporary non-biblical sources like Plato on 1 Corinthians 13-like exposition on love, or imagining the context and community Paul is engaging in, and encouraging the love that is shared despite growing pains and challenges. It broadens the idea of love to themes like unity and grace and shows how it is rooted in a demonstration of love. Always Christocentric, ultimately the love theme in Paul’s letter is the result of the model lover, Jesus Christ, through his life, death, resurrection and enthronement.
Read this book if you wish to study on the theme of love in Paul’s letter, do a word study or Bible study in small groups, or for your own edification.

[Matthew W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love at the Heart of the Gospel

3.5/5
Some good information here, but not enough depth. While the focus on Love in Paul’s Gospel as reflected in his letters is important and brings a refreshed reading, the work feels rushed or obligatory. Gupta can be engaging in parts, especially around the middle—the two chapters Love at the Heart of Paul’s Gospel of God and Paul’s Religion are very well done—but the opening chapters and the end felt forced. If you can pick the book up on discount ($15 or less) it has value especially if you want/need a reminder that LOVE is the innermost meaning of the gospel; God’s love, Christ’s love, and the call for reciprocal Christian love for God and neighbor.

[Fliggin4 · Rating 5 out of 5]

In an age where love is sentimentality and let’s all get along-ism, this book is a helpful voice in understanding how love is at the heart of the gospel and how love was understood and framed by Paul. The book offers fresh insights and reaches back, with depth, to the Jewish tradition, the Greeks, and into the Christian tradition, yet is also accessible. I suggest this brilliant book be thoughtfully engaged and studied, not just read.
It will be well worth the investment of time.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

For twenty years, I have been preaching and teaching about Paul and the love of Christ, but I have never conducted an in-depth analysis of the topic. Nijay Gupta has done the heavy lifting by producing outstanding work on the love of Christ that will benefit pastors and seminary students for years to come. His writing is clear and well-researched, and it inspired moment of worship to God for His incredible love.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really solid study of the very concept and language of "love" itself, and an examination of the pervasiveness of "love" in all of Paul's New Testament writings.

Full video review here: https://youtu.be/cXMdsZXqrxs

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Paul's Gospel is not merely a divine solution to a pesky problem we call sin. God sent Jesus Christ with good news for the whole world, and Jesus Christ himself is the embodiment of the compassion and affections of God "

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good entry in Pauline studies that argues Paul has a great deal to say about love. This is fairly accessible for a scholarly work. I especially appreciated his section on the different Greek words for love and common misconceptions. I saw this book was on a great sale and grabbed it on a whim.

[Russell Matherly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid. Not a game changer (though it did have some really illuminating moments), but helpful overall to see the theme of love woven through the NT.