The Commandment to Love with the Greatest Love

The word Love: In our languages or dialects, the word Love does not clearly distinguish the various meanings of what is intended, “I love God”, “I love my wife”, or “I love a pizza”. We speak of the love of amusements, the love of books, the love of money, and the love of whatever contributes to our pleasure or supposed profit. Does the word “love” have the same meaning in these examples? Certainly not! Instead in Greek there are five different meanings for the word Love.

Agape

Agape is the love of intelligence, of reason and comprehension coupled with the corresponding purpose. Its concept is vastly superior to any other form of love, In essence “agape” is a permanent benevolent attitude toward God and human beings, without any condition, that freely springs out of the agape God has placed in the heart of his own.  It is a love that does not need anything in return. We can only agape others only if God has firstly filled us up with his agape. All the other forms of love need a reaction, a return, whilst agape comes from God and the beneficiaries that are full of it do not need a confirmation from others, being fully satisfied in the agape of the Lord.

Phileo

Phileo expresses love of personal affection. It does not involve intelligence or high purposes.  This concept places phileo at a level inferior to that of agape.  It is a feeling that finds attraction in another person and it expects a return.

Thelo

Thelo is related to the desire to do something, to be occupied, to be in prominence, the love to gain reputation and status.

Eros

Eros is sensual and sexual desire. It is a physical attraction often confused with agape and phileo.  For example, the majority of people marry for eros, and sometimes for phileo, but rarely for agape.

Storge

Storge is affection between brethren, soldiers in battlefields, team-mates playing together.

Understanding the meaning of Agape

It is important to know the different meanings for Love for we get a better understanding of what God is requiring of us. God cannot phileo but agape a sinful world. John 3:16 or John 15:13 and every other reference to these two types of love, the distinction is great and the two are never the same.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

“Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends.”

It can never be said that God phileo this sinful world, as far as phileo is concerned, He could only abominate this disgusting world. Jesus has never asked us to love our enemies in the sense of phileo. Jesus himself has never loved his enemies this way. With agapao form of love, God so loved the world and sent his beloved Son to the cross to save his people from sin, damnation and death.  We can love our enemies with agape, understanding all that is wrong, sanctifying the world, and converting our enemies.

The characteristics of Agape

The Bible does not leave us high and dry on the definition of Agape. It is found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:

1) Agape has patience, is kind;

2) Agape is not envious;

3) Agape is not vain, is not puffed up;

4) Agape does not behave indecently, does not pursue its own things, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil;

5) Agape does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth;

6) Agape quietly covers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things;

7) Agape never fails;

8) And now faith, hope, and agape, these three things remain; but the greatest of these is Agape.

When you are reading the word Love in the Bible, always think of agape as a benevolent love expecting nothing in return. With this understanding, the meaning of love will have a deeper meaning to you.

A New Commandment

Agape is the expression of the love of God and the mutual relation between God and us.  To have agape is to know God: “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16). God is eternal and he is the almighty and the greatest being. So, since he is agape, his agape is the greatest of all affections.

When Jesus commands us: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35) To what type of love he is referring to? It is agape, of course.  This is the highest love, and Jesus is not asking us to do what he has not done himself, for he says: “As I have loved you.”

Love shall become the essential and distinctive mark of all the disciples of Jesus. When they love one another with pure hearts, fervently, even unto death, then shall it fully appear that they are disciples of Jesus who laid down his life for his sheep, and who became, by dying, a ransom for all.

The disciples of different teachers were known by their habits, or some particular creed or rite, or point of strictness, which they had adopted. But the disciples of Christ were known by the love which they demonstrated to each other. The early Christians were particularly known for this among the Gentiles. Tertullian, in his Apology, gives us their very words: Vide, inquiunt, ut se diligunt; et pro alterutro mori parati sunt (Latin phrase), which translates to “See, said they, how they love one another, and are ready to lay down their lives for each other.” This is real love, the Biblical agape, the one that God commands to us to put it in practice toward him and toward all men.

Selie Visa