There are so many concepts of love
This entry is a post from a singles group on the internet.
For all us people who say “I love you”
when we have no clue what exactly love is !!!
Something to ponder upon…
Are your palms sweaty, is your heart racing
and is your voice caught within your chest?
-It isn’t love, it’s a feeling
You can’t keep your eyes or hands off each other?
-It isn’t love, it’s LUST.
Are you proud, and eager to show them off??
-It isn’t love, it’s LUCK.
Do you want them because you know they’re always there??
-It isn’t love, it’s LONELINESS.
Are you there because it’s what everyone
wants??
-It isn’t love, it’S LOYALTY.
Are you there because she makes you feel like a man or he makes you feel like a woman
-It isn’t love, it’s LOW CONFIDENCE.
Do you stay for their confessions of love,
because you don’t want to hurt them??
-It isn’t love, it’s PITY.
Do you belong to them because their sight
makes your heart skip a beat??
-It isn’t love, it’s INFATUATION.
Do you tell them every day they are the only
one you think of??
-It isn’t love, it’s a LIE.
What then is LOVE?
Unlike English, in which the word love means many different things, Ancient Greek had four words to describe the range of meaning that our word love conveys.
The first word is eros, from which we get the English word erotic. Eros was the word often used to express sexual love or the feelings of arousal that are shared between people who are physically attracted to one another. The word was also used as the name of the Greek god of love, Eros (the Romans called him “Cupid”). By New Testament times, this word had become so debased by the culture that it is not used even once in the entire New Testament.
The second Greek word for “love” was storge, which referred to natural, familial love. Storge (a word not found in the Bible) referred to the type of love shown by a parent for a child.
The third Greek word for “love” was philia, which forms part of the words philosophy (“love of wisdom”) and philanthropy (“love of fellow man”). This word speaks of the warm affection shared between friends. Whereas eros is more closely associated with the libido, philia is associated with the heart (metaphorically speaking). We feel love for our friends and family, obviously not in an erotic sense, but in the sense of being kind and affectionate. However, philia is not felt between people who are at enmity with one another. We can feel philia toward friends and family, but not toward people whom we dislike or hate.
Different from all of these is the fourth Greek word for “love,” agapé, typically defined as the “self-sacrificing love.” This is the love that moves people into action and looks out for the well-being of others, no matter the personal cost. Biblically speaking, agapé is the love God showed to His people in sending His Son, Jesus, to die for their sins. It is the love that focuses on the will, not the emotions, experience, or libido. This is the love that Jesus commands His disciples to show toward their enemies (Luke 6:35). Eros and philia are not expressed to people who hate us and wish us ill; agapé is. In Romans 5:8, Paul tells us that God’s love for His people was made manifest in that “while we were still sinners [i.e., enemies], Christ died for us.”
So, moving from the base to the pure, we have eros, storge, philia, and agapé. This is not to denigrate eros as sinful or impure. Sexual love is not inherently unclean or evil. Rather, it is the gift of God to married couples to express their love for one another, strengthen the bond between them, and ensure the survival of the human race. The Bible devotes one whole book to the blessings of erotic, or sexual, love—Song of Solomon. The love between a husband and a wife should be, among other things, an erotic love. However, a long-term relationship based solely on eros is doomed to failure. The “thrill” of sexual love wears off quickly unless there are some philia and agapé to go along with it.
Outside of the New Testament, the word agape is used in a variety of contexts, but in the New Testament it takes on a distinct meaning. Agape is used to describe the love that is of and from God, whose very nature is love itself: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Everything God does flows from His love. Agape is also used to describe our love for God (Luke 10:27), a servant’s faithful respect to his master (Matthew 6:24), and a man’s attachment to things (John 3:19).
The type of love that characterizes God is not a sappy, sentimental feeling such as we often hear portrayed. God loves because that is His nature and the expression of His being. He loves the unlovable and the unlovely, not because we deserve to be loved or because of any excellence we possess, but because it is His nature to love and He must be true to His nature.
Agape love does not come naturally to us. Because of our fallen nature, we are incapable of producing such a love. If we are to love as God loves, that love—that agape—can only come from its Source. This is the love that “has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” when we became His children (Romans 5:5; cf.Galatians 5:22). “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16). Because of God’s love toward us, we are able to love one another.
Why Jesus asked peter three time…do you love me?
There is also an interesting contrast when you look at the Greek words for “love” used in John 21:15–17. When Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” in John 21:15–16, He used the Greek word agape, which refers to unconditional love. Both times, Peter responded with “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you,” using the Greek word phileo, which refers more to a brotherly/friendship type of love. It seems that Jesus is trying to get Peter to understand that he must love Jesus unconditionally in order to be the leader God is calling him to be. The third time Jesus asks, “Do you love me?” in John 21:17, He uses the word phileo, and Peter again responds with “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you,” again using phileo. The point in the different Greek words for “love” seems to be that Jesus was stretching Peter to move him from phileo love to agape love.
And phileo is conditional to a lot of things that is why Peter easily denied Jesus when his conditions does not feel right to him again.
Our beliefs about love can be shaped by a lot of things, from the way we grew up to the relationships we’ve built and what we’ve seen in movies, music and television. The trouble is, sometimes what we believe isn’t true; the media can give us misconceptions about love and I believe our life experiences can too.
Misconceptions about love can be dangerous. Research shows that what you believe about relationships actually impacts how your relationships go. If you measure how in love you are by the butterfly feelings in your stomach, for example, you may find yourself having a difficult time staying in relationships when the butterfly feelings are fewer and farther between.
BIBLE DEFINITION OF LOVE
It is from this Agape that the bible defined love.
Real love is a very important part of the Bible and something God wants each of us to experience. In specific terms, I Corinthians 13:4-7 profiles the characteristics of Biblical love: Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth.
Did you notice that Paul does not describe what love is, but what love does? He does not use adjectives to describe love. He does not say "Love is beautiful" or "Love is wonderful." Instead, he uses verbs, words of action, to describe love: "Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous, self-promoting, proud, rude, selfish, angry or suspicious...." If you really love someone else, says Paul, you will treat them with patience, kindness, and unselfishness. Do you realize what that means? That means that when one is impatient, unkind, jealous, and rude to someone else, he does not love that other person.
The whole bible is about LOVE, it’s not about 66books, and it is about two eras. One era lost the ultimate relationship with the father (God), Jesus with LOVE built a bridge that restored that relationship back.
If we consider what some theologians call the “meta-narrative” (or overarching storyline) of Scripture, we see that biblical history can be roughly divided into three main sections: 1) paradise (Genesis 1—2); 2) paradise lost (Genesis 3—Revelation 20); and 3) paradise regained (Revelation 21—22). By far the largest part of the narrative is devoted to the transition from paradise lost to paradise regained. At the center of this meta-narrative is the cross, which was planned from the very beginning (Acts 2:23).
Everything about Christianity is dependent of LOVE.
Therefore we cannot be waiting for the second coming of Christ if we do not properly understand the significance of his first coming.
His first coming is about LOVE. That is why Christ made sure Peter who was seen at the time as the leader of the disciples understood that kind of love and the moment he did, he became a force that cannot be stopped. (Acts 10:10)
Only the true understanding of this love will make us fulfill our great commission as Christians: Mathew 28:19 -20.
Agape love carries power. This power is so much that as the authorities were killing them, it only made them stronger.
God is love. The god in the mind of religious people is only a reflection of their hearts – vengeful, angry, merciless & limited in Love.
There’s a god we all have created in our imagination depending on our experiences. Then there’s the true God who exist independent of our experiences or doctrines.
If it were to be in our time here with the kind of love we are practicing, Christianity wouldn’t have passed the south east in Nigeria. No wonder we are a made a laughing stock here.
However, you and I, hearing this message today, will stand on this great LOVE.
But how?
1. Come back to Jesus Christ. Let’s take advantage of the first bridge of love God himself built for us. Through Christ we connect back to our Source, God. And share in God’s love nature.
I am inviting you now to experience the power of intimacy with Christ, the one who break chains, stir hearts, and strengthen believers to be His voice in this generation.
As we encounter the man who is love, he will change us in powerful ways (1Jn. 4:8)
See no matter, how weak or strong you feel, and regardless of your past or your personality, you can be ablaze with love for Jesus.
Romans 5:5 -
2. Grow your love, I Thessa. 3:12. Even though you have that love, you can’t share it if you don’t grow it.
It must grow from seeing God as a deity that lives in faraway heaven to a “loving father” that is interested in all of our aspect lives.
Just like our natural friends, when you know someone, they friendship must grow before you can now start telling other how good your new friend is.
You need to know Christ. The more you know Christ, the more your love grows and only when it grow you will able to share that love.
Kids don’t easily share things, that doesn’t mean they are bad. They believe if they share, it will finish esp. when what you are asking from them is very sweet.
Steps to Growing your Love
1. Communication: Communication is vital to any relationship, including your relationship with Christ. There are two aspects of communication that will help you grow in your relationship with Christ as you live in the power of the Holy Spirit. Two aspects of communication.
a) Listen: first place to start is the Bible. . Through the Bible God reveals His character and His will. He teaches us what is true and helps us to realize the things that need changing in our lives. Through His word God shows us how to make those changes and learn to live righteously. God reveals through His word how wonderful He is, what wonderful things He has done for us, what He is going to do for us, and what He wants us to do for Him.
If you are just getting acquainted with the Bible, a good place to start would be the gospel of John.
As you read don't go too fast, begin with a chapter a day. As you read take time to meditate on what it says, to see all that God has for you in today's passage.
b) Talk (praying):
Prayer is how we talk to God. Our heavenly Father wants the best for us, and wants to help in every way possible. Prayer is sharing your thoughts, your needs, and your desire to do His will. It is a time to praise God, thank Him, admit to Him things you've done or said or thought for which you are sorry. It's a time to pray for your family, friends, neighbors, anyone that has needs both physical and spiritual. It's also a time to pray for yourself, for His guidance, strength, comfort, peace, joy, to ask Him to help us in any problem we have, and ask Him to give us opportunities to serve Him.
A suggestion is to keep a prayer journal, to record your prayer requests, and to keep up with those you are praying for. Remember you can pray anytime, anywhere, about anything. Your loving heavenly Father is always there to listen. (1 John 5:14-15)
3. Share the love (Start Building Bridges)
As a Christian you share with others this love you have experienced, and what it means to personally trust Him in our personal life. Two aspects of sharing.
a. Fellowship: Connecting with other Christians
It's important to spend time with other Christians. We can share our Christian experience with others who love God and likewise allow them to share with us. God appoints the church as a place for us to meet other Christians, to learn about God, through Bible studies, prayer meetings, singing and praising as one body.
b. Witness for Christ: Living a Better Life, here your life as a Christian is a key part of being a Christian witness. Your habits, lifestyle and conduct is the greatest testimony you have (Matthew 5:16). As a Christian witness you are also provided with a power beyond yourself, the Holy Spirit, God is able to witness through you. (Acts 1:8).
Things to consider while Sharing your love:
1. Good intentions are not enough.
“Your words are nice, but they don’t fill an empty stomach”
We must beware of thinking that words are enough. Jesus certainly preached the good news, but he also went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed. Taking is not expensive, nor does it require much effort, but real love is costly. It cost God his only son, and allowing real love to flow through us will also cost us. Perhaps we will have to invest some time, money, effort, or possessions – but it will cost.
2. Whatever you can do is worth doing
You may be thinking, what I do won’t even make a dent in the problems we have in the world. I know how you feel, because I once felt the same way. But if we all think that way, nobody will do anything and nothing will change.
Together we can make a major difference. God won’t hold us accountable for what we could not do, but He will hold us accountable for the things we could have done.
3. Overcome evil with good.
The more we respond to evil with evil, the more it increases. Because while you are responding evil to someone that did evil to you, some else you did evil to, is warming up to do evil back to you.
“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” –Gandhi
When Jesus said love your enemies, we thought he is making things difficult, but he was actually saving humanity.
Right now, can you think of anyone of whom you could show goodness to?
Goodness can be so powerful people.
What I want us to ask ourselves now is, “what am I doing to actually show love?” we can be deceived by knowledge, according to Apostle Paul. We can be blinded by the pride of what we know to the point where we never see that we are not really practicing any of it.
Let’s get practical. Paul said in I Cor. 9:22, I have become all things to all men.
