It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. New Living Translation This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. Four unique forms of love are found in Scripture. Revelations 2:19). An interesting compound word using storge, "philostorgos," is found in Romans 12:10, which commands believers to "be devoted" to one another with brotherly affection. Philia is the most general type of love in Scripture, encompassing love for fellow humans, care, respect, and compassion for people in need. Nor should we think of the Father forcing the Son to die for man. But what exactly is worship? Eros Love. The word for love throughout the passage is the Greek word agape. The destruction of the Northern Kingdom by Assyria in 722 B.C. This act by Israel cannot be called love for their enemies (cf. Since loving God was the first and all-embracing condition of the covenant promise, it became the first and great commandment in the law: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). To be born of God means to become his child with his character and to be transferred from death to life: “We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren” (1 John 3:14). Now we are in a position to answer our earlier question: Why does faith always work through love? From the beginning of Israel’s history to the end of the Old Testament era God was moved by this great love. But why is it that faith always “works through love”? Eros (Pronounced: AIR-ohs) is the Greek word for sensual or romantic love. It is anything which lays a claim on our affections to be loved other than for Jesus’ sake. Rather, love for God is a deep adoration for his moral beauty and his complete fullness and sufficiency. Here Paul shows that there can be religiosity and humanitarianism without love. Love involves other attributes of God including grace, kindness, and mercy. We can do him a favor only by happily accepting all his favors. That is, one must have the kind of faith described in Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.” Therefore, faith precedes and enables our love for God. Godly love does not change according to circumstances. Having freely chosen to establish a covenant with Israel, God glorifies himself in maintaining a loving commitment to this people. The love that God the Father has for the Son is expressed often in the Gospel of John (3:35; 5:20; 10:17; 15:9, 10; 17:23-26) and occasionally elsewhere (Matthew 3:17; 12:18; 17:5; Ephesians 1:6; Colossians 1:13). It’s better to marry than to burn with lust." In fact, the Bible says that God is love! In chapter 14, verse 1, Paul instructs his readers to pursue love, and the rest of the chapter tells us how that is to be done. Genuine faith in Christ implies a firm confidence that our future is secure (Heb. But more importantly it is the force behind positive deeds of spiritual edification (Romans 14:15; 1 Corinthians 8:1; Ephesians 4:16) and the meeting of material needs (Luke 10:27-37; Romans 12:13; Galatians 5:13; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8; Hebrews 13:1-3; James 1:27; 2:16; 1 Peter 4:9; 1 John 3:17, 18). The answer he gave was, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Mark 2:17). The most basic thing that can be said about love in relation to God is that “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16; cf. “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls” (Proverbs 24:17). Therefore, Christian love exists only where the love of God in Christ is known and trusted. However, the love of God for Israel did not exclude severe judgment upon Israel when it lapsed into unbelief. Faith is the way we receive the Holy Spirit, whose fruit is love. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he becomes the rewarder of those who seek him.” Here the faith which pleases God has two convictions: that God exists and that to find him is to be greatly rewarded. Read through this 31-day devotional to discover how to express your love and live a powerful life of worship! Also called "agape," or agapi in Greek, what the Bible says about love has a lot to do with the emotion of unconditional partiality, which is core to Christianity. “No eye has seen nor ear heard … what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9; cf. 8:17; Jeremiah 5:31; 14:10), idols (Hosea 9:1, 10; Jeremiah 2:25), oppression (Hosea 12:7), cursing (Psalm 109:17), laziness (Proverbs 20:13), foolishness (Proverbs 1:22), violence (Psalm 11:5) and bribery (Isaiah 1:23). Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. Besides these more religious dimensions of love, the Old Testament is rich with illustrations and instructions for love between father and son (Genesis 22:2; 37:3; Proverbs 13:24), mother and son (Genesis 25:28), wife and husband (Judges 14:16; Ecclesiastes 9:9; Genesis 24:67; 29:18, 30, 32; Proverbs 5:19), lovers (1 Samuel 18:20; 2 Samuel 13:1), slaves and masters (Exodus 21:5; Deuteronomy 15:16), the king and his subjects (1 Samuel 18:22), a people and their hero (1 Samuel 18:28), friends (1 Samuel 18:1; 20:17; Proverbs 17:17; 27:6), daughter-in-law and mother-in-law (Ruth 4:15). Another misconception that must be avoided is that the love of God and Christ can be merited or earned by anyone. “The Lord loves the righteous” (Psalm 146:8). Therefore, all boasting is excluded (Romans 3:27; 11:18, 20, 25; Ephesians 2:8; Philippians 2:12, 13), it is a gift of God from start to finish (John 6:65). What makes the New Testament new is the appearance of the Son of God on the scene of human history. It is his nature to love. When directed toward things, love means enjoying or taking pleasure in those things. See especially Romans 11. That is unthinkable: “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty and terrible God who is not partial and takes no bribe” (Deuteronomy 10:17). Ezekiel 36:22, 23, 32). These texts are simply an outworking in the life of the stipulations laid down in the Mosaic Covenant (the Abrahamic covenant had its conditions too, though love is not mentioned explicitly: Genesis 18:19; 22:16-18; 26:5). It’s a rich word that’s difficult to translate into English because it encompasses loyalty, action, generosity, and enduring commitment. It is seldom used in the Bible, but there is a play on words (lost in English) in John 21:15-17. What a person values most is reflected in his actions and motivations. And through faith, the Spirit of Christ, living in us enables us to follow his example. God is very clear in the Bible that eros love is reserved for marriage. It means that we should seek the good of others as earnestly as we desire good to come our way. In our latest blog post, we look at how khesed is used throughout the Bible and how it’s been translated. God’s nature is such that in his fullness he needs nothing (Acts 17:25) but rather overflows in goodness. We must pray for God to cause our love to abound more and more (Philippians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 13). Phileo (verb). While it is true that God in one sense loves the whole world in that he sustains the world (Acts 14:17; 17:25; Matthew 5:45) and has made a way of salvation for any who will believe, nevertheless, he does not love all men in the same way. Four unique forms of love are found in Scripture. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. But after Pentecost, Peter was so full of God's love that he spoke from his heart and 3,000 people were converted. There are seasons when romantic love is not … Especially worthy of note is the Song of Solomon, which expresses the wholesome delight in the sexual fulfillment of love between a man and a woman. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. In thy righteousness, bring me out of trouble.” God would cease to be righteous if he ceased to love his own glory on which his people bank all their hope. God calls his children to love each other with the deep affection of storge love. The best interpretations of it in Jesus’ own words are the Golden Rule (“As you wish that men would do to you, do so to them,” Luke 6:31) and the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). “Turn to me and be gracious to me as is your way with those who love you” (Psalm 119:132). We read in Exodus 34:6-7 how God identified himself more fully before he reconfirms the covenant (Exodus 34:10): “The Lord … proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin …’” Thus the Mosaic Covenant, as with God’s oath to the patriarchs earlier (Deuteronomy 4:37; 10:15), was rooted in God’s free and gracious love. Love does not use others for its own ends; it delights to be a means to their welfare. Jesus was accused of being a friend of tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 11:9; Luke 7:34). As he said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father” (John 14:9; cf. There is a mystery in God’s electing love. 2 Timothy 4:10)? God himself abides in his children by his Spirit (1 John 3:9; 4:12, 13) so that when they love it is because his love is being perfected in them (1 John 3:7, 12, 16). It enables the members to “endure one another” in meekness and lowliness when wronged (Ephesians 4:2; 1 Corinthians 13:7). But above all in the Old Testament, God’s love for his own glory involves him in an eternal commitment to the people of Israel. “The Lord preserves all who love him; but all the wicked he will destroy” (Psalm 145:20). The sum of the matter is that satisfaction is not to be had in setting one’s affections on anything but God (cf. This is the first and great commandment. Many examples of family love are found in Scripture, such as the mutual protection among Noah and his wife, the love of Jacob for his sons, and the strong love the sisters Martha and Mary had for their brother Lazarus. From these texts we can see how much God loves his own glory and how deeply committed he is to preserving the honor of his name. Unlike the legalism of the Pharisees, it was a “light burden” and an “easy yoke” (Matthew 11:30). When directed toward things, love means enjoying or taking pleasure in those things. In this way, we will make our call and election sure (2 Peter 1:7, 10) and bear a compelling witness in the world to the truth of the Christian faith (John 13:34, 35; 1 Peter 2:12). The failure to love God like this characterized many of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day (Luke 11:42). In this way, Jesus showed that his saving love aimed to embrace not those who thought they were righteous (Luke 18:9) but rather the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3) like the tax collector who said, “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13). He says through Isaiah that he created Israel “for his glory” (Isaiah 43:7): “You are my servant Israel in whom I will be glorified” (Isaiah 49:3). We will search to learn what love is and how love behaves as described by Paul in our text. He is the author "Hope for Hurting Singles: A Christian Guide to Overcoming Life's Challenges. True love has a gentle, caring and compassionate heart. And since it does not wrong anyone, but seeks the good of all, it fulfills the whole law of God (Romans 13:19; Matthew 7:12, 22:40; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8; compare Romans 8:4 and Galatians 5:22). But this enemy-love must be qualified in two ways: First, in the Old Testament, God’s way of working in the world had a political dimension which it does not have today. The Bible says that God is love and that humans crave love from the moment of existence. Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44; Luke 6:27). You can tell what a person loves by what he devotes himself to most passionately. We are related by something more powerful than human blood—the blood of Jesus Christ. Everything God does is impelled and influenced by His love. Thus, for example, when God decided to punish the Canaanites for their idolatry he used his people to drive them out (Deuteronomy 20:18). Because of this divine love, God sent his only Son into the world so that by Christ’s death for sin (1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18) all those who believe might have eternal life (John 3:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; 1 John 3:1; Titus 3:4). By using Learn Religions, you accept our, Love in the Bible: From God's Love to the Most Romantic Scriptures, Butterflies in the Bible: Meaning and Symbolism, M.A., English Composition, Illinois State University, B.S., English Literature, Illinois State University. Love is kind. Berean Study Bible This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Love is the foundation of God's law. On the one hand, the New Testament teaches that the things God has created are good and should be enjoyed with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:3; 6:17). This essential oneness of faith and hope helps us grasp why faith always “works through love.” The person who has confidence that God is working all things together for his good (Romans 8:28) can relax and entrust his life to a faithful Creator (1 Peter 4:19). Such instances should not be used today to justify personal vindictiveness or holy wars, since God’s purposes in the world today are not accomplished through an ethnic political group on par with Israel in the Old Testament. Then he said, “On these two commandments hang all the law and prophets” (Matthew 22:40). In Romans 8:35 Paul said, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” In verse 39 he says, “Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This change from “Christ” to “God in Christ” shows that under the heading “God’s love for men” we must include Christ’s love for men, since his love is an extension of God’s. The term originated from the mythological Greek god of love, sexual desire, physical attraction, and physical love, Eros, whose Roman counterpart was Cupid. The reason this is so is that an essential aspect of God’s glory is his sovereign freedom in choosing to bless the undeserving. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; … This is true even when Jesus says that the reason God loves his disciples is because they keep his word (John 14:23), for the essence of Jesus’ word is a call to live by faith (John 16:27; 20:31). We already discussed what this meant in Leviticus 19:18. Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man—though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8). Promiscuity of all types was rampant in ancient Greek culture and was one of the obstacles the apostle Paul had to battle when planting churches in the eastern Mediterranean. But as strange as it may seem, this hate does not necessarily result in vengeance. “The Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:12). “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. When Moses wanted to see God’s glory, God responded that he would proclaim his glorious name to him. The relationship which God established with Israel and the love he had for her was likened to that between a husband and a wife: “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, behold, you were at the age for love; and I spread my skirt over you, and covered your nakedness: yea, I plighted my troth to you and entered into a covenant with you,” says the Lord God, “and you became mine.” This is why Israel’s later idolatry is sometimes called adultery, because she goes after other gods (Ezekiel 23; 16:15; Hosea 3:1). The reason Jesus demonstrated a love for those who could not merit his favor is that he was like his Father. This does not mean that God is an old-fashioned name for the ideal of love. This salvation includes forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7), access to God (Ephesians 2:18), the hope of eternal life (John 3:16), and a new heart which is inclined to do good deeds (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:14). Love in the form of Eros seeks its own interest and satisfaction—to possess the object of love. On the other hand, where there is a will for destruction expressed, it may represent the God-given certainty that the evil person is beyond repentance with no hope of salvation and therefore under the just sentence of God expressed by the psalmist (compare 1 John 5:16). This raises the question of what this love is if one could sacrifice his life and still not have it. Similarly, Leviticus 19 begins with the command, “You shall be holy for I, the Lord your God, am holy.” Then the phrase, “I am the Lord,” is repeated fifteen times in chapter 19 after the individual commands. 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