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| “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1John 4:8). What is Love? |
When we think of God, we think of His pure and authentic love so poetically communicated in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. It reads: “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoice with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Agape, Phileo, Storge and Eros Love
Not only does the Bible teach us that this type of love, also known as Agape love comes from God, but also it reveals three other types of love: Phileo love, Storge love and Eros love. Agape love is defined as a divine love, Phileo as brotherly love, Storge as family love and Eros as romantic love. Jacob expressed Eros love toward Rachel by agreeing to work seven years for her father in exchange for her hand in marriage. Bible states that he loved her so much that the years he spent working for her father seemed “but a few days (read Genesis 29: 1-30)”.
Jonathan and David’s friendship was one of Phileo love, so much so that when Jonathan’s father, King Saul, threatened to kill David in his jealous rage, Jonathan risked his own life to protect his friend (1 Samuel 14). The story of Joseph depicted Storge love in which he forgave his brothers and provided for them in spite of the fact that they had sold him into slavery (Genesis 37-50).
And the greatest love story found in the Bible, John 3:16, encompasses Agape love. It states, “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.
Read the poem : She Loves God
She loves God,
she is in love with Him
and her heart sings
salvation’s joyful hymn.
She knows God,
she prays morning and night
and her every groaning
brings all of her sin to light.
She understands God,
she reads and studies the Word
and her ears are open
to the truth that she has heard.
She trusts God,
she has put her life in His hand
and her feet willingly go
to the places, He has planned.
She believes God,
she has faith in all of His ways
and her soul will follow Him
for the rest of her living days.
She is in love with the Lord,
yes, I so do love Him . . .
and my soul will forever sing
salvation’s joyful hymn!
- – - written by Deborah Ann Belka
All of these biblical figures knew God and therefore, they loved. And because they loved, they labored, defended, forgave and sacrificed unselfishly and unconditionally. Their stories seem to suggest that the act of giving is not loving; the act of loving is giving. In other words, you can give someone something and not truly love them, but you can’t truly love someone and not give them anything.
Unfortunately, certain worldly systems deceive us into believing we must be selfish with love. Basically, we must only give and/or express love if it going to benefit us. These subtle lies are dressed up in clever marketing strategies and rhetoric and embedded into our minds through books, movies and songs. If we are not careful, they can easily attack our knowledge of God as Christians.
