What's Love Got To Do With It?
What is true love?
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There are three types of love mentioned in the bible: Eros, Phileo, and Agape. In English these three Greek words are all translated as "love". So lets take a look at each.
Eros is a greek word that refers to a romantic type of love. This word isn't specifically found in the New Testament of the Bible, which is translated from Greek. However, there are definitely instances in the Old Testament where this type of romantic love is eluded to such as in the Song of Solomon. This book is about a man and his romantic and intimate love with his wife.
Phileo is a greek word that refers to a friendship type of love. This word is used throughout the New Testament. One case is in John 11:36 which reads,
The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!”
Agape is the greek word that refers to a selfless love and is also used when dealing with God loving something or someone. In 1 John 4:8 it reads,
But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Also in 1 Corinthians 10:4 it reads,
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
So what is true love then? Is it Eros, Phileo, or Agape? Well, God is perfect and Holy and the Bible says that God is love (Agape). Therefore a perfect love would be an Agape love.
Ok so God is love but obviously we are not God so how might we see or express this Agape love? Well the Bible mentions Agape love over 100 times in the New Testament. One of my favorite verses about Agape love is 1 Corinthians 10:1-7,
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
This is a pretty good place to start if you want to know what true love is. Notice that love is not just a word, but an action. Another verse about love is John 15:13,
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
These are pretty high standards, but there was one example of a man who met these standards. Romans 5:8 says,
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus Christ was 100% God but he was also 100% man. How amazing is this! John 15:13 says laying your life down for a friend is Agape love, but Jesus went a step further. He laid down his life for us, while we were still sinners, while we were his enemies.
I think it would be impossible to love perfectly because we are imperfect people. However, we can strive to imitate Christ's love. This first starts with us having a relationship with him. If you would like to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, check out my "What must I do to be saved?" section or message one of our friendly counselors in our CHAT section. Next we have to give love like Jesus gives us love. Show other people what Agape love is.
Ultimately, True Agape Love is selfless. It is giving and doing without expecting anything in return. It is giving and doing undeservingly. It is giving and doing without regard to merit or worth.
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