“I love you” could probably be the most used word on earth. Despite it being hard for some to say, it is still used a lot. This blog’s foundation is built on love but what is the definition of love? What does it mean?
Everyone on earth is searching for something whether it be success, purpose, or love but one of the number one things that we look for is love.
Daughters look for love from their mom, dad, and anyone who notices them. Boys look for love from their families as well. We see many adults seeking counseling or dealing with past traumas because they weren’t loved as a child and now suffer from feelings of inadequacy.
I mostly end my articles or devotionals with ‘I love you with the love of Christ, join me as I seek to love everyone God’s way.’ because it’s really one of the reasons that I started my blog. I saw how unloving I’ve been and I saw how love is only surface level among Christians and it’s not supposed to be this way.
There is a reason that God commanded us to love each other and it’s because it’s not something that comes easily or naturally. However, it can be done by the power of the Holy Spirit and by simply being obedient.
Click the image below to get a 31-day resource on love.
Who is Love?
Where did love come from? How can we measure it? There is one definition of love and it is God.
For God so loved this world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish but have everlasting life. John.3:16
That is the gospel if this were a sermon that scripture alone would be definition enough. The day that God, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit created a plan that would redeem man back to himself is the day that love was manifested.
Love has always existed because it is not just an abstract noun like we learned in school; it is a person. God is love.
How is love defined?
There are many types of love. The bible, the greatest love story ever written gives us different types of love. When the bible was written there were many different expressions used to show the type of love someone had.
So, within the Hebrew and Greek languages, there are 3 common examples of love. There are brotherly love, sexual love, and the love that God has for us.
First, the Greek word, “phileo” means brotherly love or love between brothers. This type of love is found between those who are not related. It has to do with love for your friends and those close to you. It shows affection, compassion, and understanding and you can be so attached to a friend that they become like family. David and Jonathon’s friendship were so close that Jonathon trusted David over his father.
Secondly, there is the term, “eros” and yada which have to do with sexual love and the act of intercourse. This is merely physical and should only be done within the boundaries of marriage. The relation between Judah and Tamar is an example here despite their immorality.
And finally, we have probably all heard about, “agape”. This love is pure because it comes directly from God. It is not based on feelings but related to obedience. As humans, our emotions change frequently but agape is constant because it has nothing to do with how we feel.
There is also love between family members but there isn’t a specific word given in the bible that depicts this type of love. When Mary and Martha grieved when Lazarus died the first time, that is a great example of family love.
How am I to love?
The love we should have for God and our neighbors is agape. A love that requires sacrifice and selflessness. When God told us in his word to love our enemies, he was asking us to ‘phileo’ them.
He wants you to agape love your enemies. This is why it is possible to love them because it has to do with you being obedient to God.
Your friends are near and dear to you; it is not the same with your enemies. Think about it, if God were asking us to ‘phileo’ our enemies we would all be lying to ourselves because we would be dying on the inside.
When we look at the love that God had for us before we came to know him, we can see that God truly loves us. He gave up his son because of his love for us, knowing that we didn’t love him.
This is why we can love even our enemies because God is our greatest example of exactly how to do it. We don’t have to pretend or lie we can love because he first loved us.
This is for you…
I compiled a resource that will encourage you to memorize scriptures on the topic of love. All of the scriptures that I chose are about agape love. There are 31 days of scriptural reference with biblical insights from each verse.
Our greatest and second greatest commandment is to love God, then our neighbors. There is nothing greater, nor higher that we can accomplish or do that will display God’s goodness and good news to others than love.
If you would like to receive my FREE resource on loving like Christ, click the link below and get:
Share this post with a friend so that they can receive this resource as well. Leave a comment if this particular topic interests you.
And pin it so you can find it again and again when you need to. Do you struggle with loving as God requires you to check out a previous post I did on “loving those dubbed unloveable?”
Thanks for stopping by,
I love you with the love of Christ. 😊
