by Donna Steward, Guest Author
“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.” (John 3:16, New International Version).
John 3:16 is probably the most well-known Bible verse. The logic goes something like this: God loves every person; Christ died for every person; therefore, salvation is possible for every person because love never gives up on anyone.
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits” (1 Corinthians 4:1-7, The Holy Bible: Easy-to-Read Version).
John 4:7-8 tells us that love originated in God. Romans 8:35-38 tells us that nothing can separate Christians from God’s love.
God is love. God’s love never fails, nor does He ever stop loving us. God’s love toward us is unconditional. That means He loves us no matter what.
Love can be a challenge to define. In the English language, we use the word “love” to refer to many things — personal affection, sexual attraction, platonic admiration, brotherly loyalty, benevolent concern, and worshipful adoration. So what does the Bible mean when it uses the word “love?”
The New Testament was written in Greek, which has four words that refer to various kinds of love — eros, phileo, storge, and agape.
“Eros” refers to sexual love. Although this word is not used in the New Testament, the concept is discussed.
The second type of love is the brotherly love that exists between close friends regardless of gender. There is no sexual connotation; it is the love for and by a friend. It is used to describe the love between David and Jonathan in 1Samuel 20:17. The Greek word for brotherly love or affection is “phileo,” as used to refer to friendship in John 15:19, Romans 12:10, and Hebrews 13:1.
The Greek word “storge” refers to family or tribal love, indicating a deep affection. This is the type of care that exists between family members, friends, or companions. Longer lasting, it goes beyond an initial infatuation or attraction. Built on a familiarity between people, the emphasis is on devotion and intimacy that develops over time. Real-life examples include parents toward children, siblings, spouses, and sometimes very close friendships.
One of the 10 commandments shows what storge love can look like. “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12, NIV).
Finally there is the word “agape,” which is used to express the kind of love God demonstrates toward His children. Agape love is probably the most talked about of the four kinds of love. It is the highest, most complete form of affection. God’s love for us is the foundation of this love. And Jesus gave us many lessons about and examples of agape – a strong, selfless and sacrificial love. It is often translated as “steadfast love” or “lovingkindness.” The word “love” refers to agape love in 1 John 4:9 in the NIV, as it reads, “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.”
How Much Do You Love God?
The English Standard Version renders Matthew 22:38 as, “’Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching” (John 14:21, NIV).
Some think of God as if He were merely a theological concept rather than a being who desires a close love relationship with them. They believe in God but do not believe he is a being to know and love. Do you have personal and growing love relationship with Jesus Christ?
We must love one another. Think about what that means. If you love someone, you will not lie to them, or cheat them, or steal from them, or covet their spouse or their belongings. The apostle Paul learned how important love is in a Christians life. He taught the Christians in Rome the same lesson that Jesus taught (Romans 13:8–10).
No matter who you are or what you have done, Jesus loves you and he always will. He wants us to love (agape) Him back. The most beautiful action of love he ever did for all of us is dying to save all of us from our sins. God loves us and demonstrated His love by sending Jesus to save us from all the evil in this world. And the most important thing is that He gave us all of that for free. We cannot earn His love. We just need to accept His love and love Him as the Bible teaches, and our lives will be completely changed forever.
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Who is Jesus and what does it mean to follow him? Click here to read. If you have questions, just send an email to NLBIministry@gmail.com.
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