Sermon: A Look at Love
Specific Purpose: to explain love’s scriptural descriptions with an emphasis on agape
Delivery style: start with information and end with passion
As pastors, we do our best to explain some point in God’s Word in each sermon. That means we must first dig into the Word deeply, searching thoroughly for what it has to say about our topic of the week. This week’s sermon will cover one word whose understandings are central to Judeo-Christian beliefs: I will explain one English word, Love. Why? In the first century, followers of Christ wrote the New Testament mostly in Greek. The Greek language has six different words for Love: Philia. Philautia, Storge, Xenia, Erose, and Agape.
In English, we can say, “I love hot dogs.” or “I love my wife.” or “I love America.” “My neighbor loves automobiles.” Now loving hot dogs is nothing like loving my wife nor like loving America and certainly not like loving automobiles. Unlike English, the Greek language recognizes that there are different kinds of love. Their language has six words to describe what English translators often translate as Love. In addition, other Greek word variants also relate to the meaning of love. So, how did translators go from one of several Greek words to one English word, Love, and convey as closely as possible the original meaning of Love in particular scriptures? We will first examine the different kinds of love used in Greek and see how important getting into this detail can be.
The first word often translated from Greek to love in English is Philia. Philia is very affectionate love. It means warm regard, friendship, familiarity, and enjoyment of activity with one another. The root word Philia is in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love; Philanthropy is the love of humankind. Philia is saying I like you because; it is a feeling of fondness. You will find it translated love in John 20:2, “Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, they have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.” Here, “whom Jesus loved” is written philia in Greek. “The other disciple, whom Jesus loved” meant that Jesus enjoyed being with that disciple; Jesus was close to him. Translators used philia in John 11:3 and 11:36 concerning Jesus’ friend Lazarus and in Matthew 10:37 to indicate love for father, mother, son and daughter (we are to “love Jesus more than these”). We must enjoy being with Jesus more than we enjoy being with our father, mother, son and daughter.
The next word is Philautia, self-love, regard for one’s happiness. The Greeks further divide this self-compassion into beneficial and egotistical, healthy and unhealthy, selfish and unselfish. In II Peter 1:5-7, Peter uses philautia in ranking Christians’ healthy self-love, and growth in one's positive attributes. “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” We find amour-propre philautia, the unhealthy self-love, in Matthew 26:20-22, “When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. And as they were eating, he said, ‘Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.’ And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, ‘Is it I, Lord?’”
Next is Storge. Storge is love naturally formed between parents and children, love within a family. You will find storge used once in the New Testament. There we find it used in combination with philia in Romans 12:10. “Be kindly affectionate one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another…” “Kindly affection” is expressed storge. “Brotherly love” is expressed philia. Together, they refer to the special family relation of God’s people one to another.
Then we have Xenia, meaning hospitality, the friendship offered to guests. It means generosity and reciprocity. Xenia also expresses hospitality toward guests and foreigners. In Romans 12:13, we find xenia expressed this way, “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
After that is the Greek word many Americans unfortunately translate as Love, Erose is carnal desire. It conveys sexual passion. The Greeks used erose to refer to the initial emotion a person may feel when they see a sexually attractive person, physical beauty that leads to erotic cravings. You will find eros translated in Hebrews 13:4, “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” The Greek eros expresses the uncontrolled sexual lust of “whoremongers and adulterers”. In 1 Corinthians 7:1, we find another example, “Now for the matters you wrote about: ‘It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.’” Here, “sexual relations” is expressed eros in the Greek. Paul was saying that sex with any other woman other than one’s wife is immoral, and unfaithfulness. Read 1 Corinthians 7:1-5.
Finally, the most important Greek word for us Christians is Agape. Agape is the ultimate type of love, divine love. Agape says that I love you because I choose to love you. It says that I choose to love you regardless of the costs to me. It says I choose to love you even though you have been nothing but trouble for me. The Greeks used agape to express feelings for a spouse. Greek-speaking Christians used agape to express the unconditional love of God for His children. That is to say, agape expresses love as charity and forgiveness. An example, we find an agape translation in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” Agape love does not come from good intentions; it is the by-product of salvation and spiritual fullness. Agape is also the word translated as love in Matthew 22:37, John 13:34 and Paul dedicated an entire chapter to agape, I Corinthians chapter 13.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13, “1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
Below are Paul’s 16 characteristics of agape. These are the highest standards. Ask yourself, are you doing your very best to live by these standards?
1. Suffereth long, you are patient with others.
2. Is kind, you are caring for all people
3. Envieth not, you take pleasure in the blessings and accomplishments of others.
4. Vaunteth not itself, you notice and fulfill others' needs before your own.
5. Is not puffed up, you do not feel the need to promote yourself.
6. Doth not behave itself unseemly, you behave yourself no matter the circumstance.
7. Seeketh not her own, you are unselfish.
8. Is not easily provoked, you delight in helping others.
9. Thinketh no evil, your mind is clear of evil thoughts.
10. Rejoiceth not in iniquity, you are not pleased to see evil and are hurt for the sinner.
11. Rejoiceth in the truth, you delight when others learn and follow the way of the Lord.
12. Beareth all things, you have no limit of what you will endure for others.
13. Believeth all things, you look for the good in people.
14. Hopeth all things, you have hope for others when they stray from God.
15. Endureth all things, there is no limit to what you will forgive.
16. Never faileth, you never give up.
Paul is directing you to live God’s agape. That is so that you may love others you meet as Christ would if He were in your particular situation. If you could live up to Paul’s ideals, the Holy Spirit would fill you with Christlikeness. Frankly, living up to this standard is nearly impossible. Even if it were possible, it would not get you into heaven. Only confessing Christ will do that. I am going to digress to make a point with a bedtime story.
As a small child, one of the very few memories I have is of a little book my mother often read me, The Little Engine that Could. Maybe you have a memory this American folktale that originated in 1902. It is still in print. I remember the bright-colored pictures of a giant locomotive that was pulling many freight cars up a mountain, but it broke down. There were other engines, big engines, in the roundhouse. One big engine was asked to pull the train, but it said, “I can’t, that is too much of a pull for me.” Three more locomotives were asked and all said, “I can’t, that is too much of a pull for me.” Ah, but there was the little switch engine that offered to help but no one thought that the little engine could help the giant locomotive. The little engine said, “I think I can.” Despite the pessimism, the little engine hooked itself on in the front of the giant locomotive with all of is freight cars attached. The little engine then huffed and puffed saying over and over and over, “I—think—I—can, I—think—I—can, I—think—I—can.” And, with all of his might, the little engine got the giant locomotive and its freight cars moving up the grade and then to the top of the grade and finally over the top and down the mountain it went saying, “I thought I could, I thought I could.” That little optimistic parable made an imprint on me, an imprint that affected my entire life.
My mother’s little parable was a touch of God’s agape. A little optimism in a challenging situation can have powerful long-lasting effect. Loving others and getting everything just right is nearly impossible but, as a Christian, you must try. By doing so, you will have a positive effect on the world around you. Use Paul’s examples, be optimistic, say “I think I can, I think I can” as you witness to others for Christ. Begin now.
