We Have Not a Definition for Love, But an Example

D.A. Carson, in For the Love of God: A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God's Word, Volume 1, on 1 Corinthians 13:1-3:

It may be difficult to provide a perfect definition for Christian love. But it is not difficult to find its supreme example. Christ's love for us is not grounded in our loveliness, but in his own character. His love is not merely sentimental, yet it is charged with incalculable affection and warmth. It is resolute in its self-sacrifice, but never merely mechanical self-discipline. If we wish to come to terms with the apostolic depiction of Christian love as "the most excellent way"...that all believers must follow, we need only imitate Jesus Christ.