Thank you for the question on the foundation of love, “What does the Bible say is the foundation of love?”
The foundation of love is based on the character/attribute of God himself. Among the various aspects of God’s character is love which includes grace and mercy.
I John 4 says this about the love of God: “7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (NIV).
The text states that love comes from God and one of the aspects of God’s character is love. How do we know what is love? Love is self-sacrificing, not self-satisfaction. God demonstrated that self-sacrificing love by sending his Son to die on the cross to redeem sinful mankind. God was required to do so, but he saw our pitiful condition. He extended his grace and mercy toward us.
Our response in receiving God’s love is to love others as God loves us. This is the second part of the Greatest Commandment to love others as ourselves. However, Jesus took it one step further by saying to his followers that they are to love one another just as he loved them unconditionally.
John 15 says this, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (NIV).
Summary: The foundation of love is based on the character of God himself for he first loved us before we loved him.
-Kingston