What Love Is This? Part One

 

 

"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law," (Ro. 13:8).

Introduction

In this new series we are going to explore the subject of love.   We will come to understand the various types of love, love versus lust, biblical stories and examples of the nature of each kind of love, and the end-time apostasy of love (Mt. 24:12), and so much more.

God is love (I John 4:8) and all true love originates in Him.   A person who does not love, does not know God.   Love has enemies (Ps. 109:4-5).   Yet, the greatest commandment(s) given to us are in regards to love [Dt. 6:5; 10:12; 11:13; 13:3; 30:6; Joshua 22:5; I Kings 11:2; Mt. 22:37; Mk. 12:30; Lk. 10:27; 2 Thess. 3:5].     

Jesus charged His disciples saying, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another," (John 13:34).   Another word for love is "charity".  The following verses are truer now that when the Apostle Peter wrote them:

"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.  And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.  Use hospitality one to another without grudging," (I Pet. 4:7-9).

As we draw closer to the coming of Jesus Christ, we must determine to guard our hearts against all attacks against the love we are to show towards others.  So, let's explore our love life, shall we?

EROS, STORGE, PHILEO OR AGAPE?

These four types of love form the foundation for our study.  We use the one word "love" in English to mean many things, but there are different original words in the Bible which we translate as "love" and those words mean very different things.    When you say, "I love you" a friend, to a parent, to a sweetheart, to your child, and to God, it means different things.  

Let's do a brief overview which we will expound on in great detail in future studies.

EROS

We get our word "erotic" from this word.  In the beginning God commanded Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiply..." (Gen. 1:28).   Adam "knew" his wife and she conceived (Gen. 4:1).  We understand that  Eros and knowing someone erotically is to be sexually intimate with them. 

God is not against sex!   He's the one who created man with the capacity for Eros love.  Without it, none of us would have been conceived and mankind have ceased to exist.  What God is against is the perversion, the fornication and adultery, the lack of commitment to the relationship, the damage done to the soul, etc.   I'll say it again:  God is not against sex; He's against sexual sins.  This is the area where many people confuse lust with love.  The damage done by sexual sin is far greater than we imagine.  The word of God warns us to "flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body," (I Cor. 6:18).  

¹⁵ Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.  ¹⁶ What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh," (I Cor. 6:15,16).

Without a body, Eros cannot manifest.  Many people get caught up in their bodies and in the bodies of others and can become obsessed with their looks and their "sex appeal".   Many people today have multiple "partners" and have greatly perverted what God meant to be holy and undefiled.  We won't blame this on the devil either.  The perversion of Eros is rooted in the lust of the flesh, not the work of the devil.

¹⁶ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  ¹⁷ For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would, (Galatians 5).

STORGE/PHILEO

 

"A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity," (Prov. 17:17).

"Let brotherly love continue," (Heb. 13:1).

 

These two loves are so closely related that we will study them together.  As Eros is rooted in the body, these loves are rooted in the soul.  

 

 Storge love is a natural love and affection that family members have for one another because they are family.  They share the same genetic make-up; they may look and act like each other and have many inherited similarities and traits.  They live together, eat meals together, and know each other on a level of intimacy that bonds them.   They know what each other looks and acts like early in the morning or late at night.  They gain an understanding of one another's likes, dislikes, gifts and abilities, etc.  God placed a natural love of a mother for her child and that bonding takes place while the child is still in her womb.   Family will take care of one another and share a responsibility for each other.

 

Phileo is the love of a friend.  Sometimes the bond with a friend is so strong that they can feel like family.  Friendship love is formed when you find someone with whom you share things in common.   Perhaps you like the same kind of music, or sports teams or you like to engage in the same kinds of activities such as fishing or bowling or gardening. There is an emotional tie that causes you to not only enjoy one another, but whatever activity you engage in becomes "more fun".  You laugh harder when watching a comedy when you're watching it with a friend versus watching it alone.

 

Your strongest relationship(s) can be determine by who you first share your greatest joys and pains with.   When you have good news, who is the first person you call?   Whoever you share with first tends to be the person you are closest to.  

 

Phileo love is not organic.  It's not something you're born with, but rather, something you develop with someone.  You can live without it, but life wouldn't be nearly as meaningful or rewarding.

 

"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother," (Prov. 18:24).

AGAPE



"And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God," (Eph. 3:19).

God is a Spirit and so His love is not rooted in the flesh, or in the soul, but in the spirit.  This love has height and length and depth and breadth.  It's full of mercy and compassion and power, wonder and awe.  It's truly incomprehensible!   It's stronger than death and the one who possesses it has the power to overcome all things because this love "never fails"  (I Cor. 13:8).

God's love is characterized as an unconditional love for the unworthy... a love given irrespective of merit.  It is a love that seeks to give rather to receive.   It is a gift, not a reward; it is not earned.

"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren," (I John 3:16).

This love was lavished upon us while we were yet in our sins.  It demands that we love our enemies, that we bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us and pray for them that despitefully use us and persecute us (ref. Mt. 5:43-48).  This love challenges us and changes us.  Romans 13:8 is in reference to this kind of love; it is a debt that we owe one another.  The Apostle Peter tells us to love each other fervently with a pure heart (I Pet. 1:22).  

Agape is so immense.  Jesus demonstrated the Father's love and whenever He was moved with compassion miracles occurred.  When a believer allows the love of God to be shed abroad in his heart, he too will see great miracles occur.

No one can stop you from loving like this except you.  If you allow this kind of love to flow out from you to others, you will unlock a life of unbelievable beauty and power.  Nothwithstanding, there will also be great pain and suffering.  Jesus was the greatest Lover ever born, and they crucified Him.  But, He rose again.   When you love like that, death cannot hold you down.   Beyond the suffering is a joy that is unexplainable.   You can tap into it; it's a choice.   I pray that as we go into the depths of this study, you will make a quality decision to move into the realm of God's agape and take up residence there forever.  Amen.