Love
Since this site is all above love, we need to shed light on this most important, but frequently misunderstood topic.
What is Love?
Storge - affection/liking
Philia - friendship
Eros - romantic attraction
Love is the essence of God (I John 4:8). However, the Greek word cited in that verse, "agape" (ah-gah-pay), is one of four words that translate to the English word "love".
Agape it is not a mere abstract sentimentality, but specific decisions ordered toward good—which initially may or may not be accompanied by feelings. Peter Kreeft elucidates:
The first and most usual misunderstanding of agape is to confuse it with a feeling. Our feelings are precious, but agape is more precious. Feelings come to us, passively; agape comes from us, actively, by our free choice. We are not responsible for our feelings—we can't help how we feel—but we are responsible for our agape or lack of it, eternally responsible, for agape comes from us; feelings come from wind, weather, and digestion. “Luv” comes from spring breezes; real love comes from the center of the soul, which Scripture calls the heart (another word we have sentimentalized and reduced to feeling). Liking is a feeling. But love (agape) is more than strong liking. Only a fool would command someone to feel a certain way. God commands us to love, and God is no fool.
Jesus had different feelings toward different people. But he loved them all equally and absolutely. But how can we love someone if we don't like him? Easy—we do it to ourselves all the time. We don't always have tender, comfortable feelings about ourselves; sometimes we feel foolish, stupid, asinine, or wicked. But we always love ourselves: we always seek our own good. Indeed, we feel dislike toward ourselves, we berate ourselves, precisely because we love ourselves; because we care about our good, we are impatient with our bad.
We fall in love but we do not fall in agape. We rise in agape.
God is agape, and agape is not feeling. So God is not feeling. That does not make him or agape cold and abstract. Just the opposite: God is love itself, feeling is the dribs and drabs of love received into the medium of passivity. God cannot fall in love for the same reason water cannot get wet: it is wet. Love itself cannot receive love as a passivity, only spread it as an activity. God is love in action, not love in dreams. Feelings are like dreams: easy, passive, spontaneous. Agape is hard and precious like a diamond.
Love Notes
- Marriage Gets it All. The fullest manifestation of the love of God occurs through marriage, which (hopefully) includes all four Greek meanings. (Two notes: a. Eros means "desire", not just sexual hunger; and b. Agape is giving, not a taking.)
- Feelings Follow. Though agape may or may not be accompanied by feeling initially, if we practice agape the feelings will often come. We all know people we initially didn't like, but grew to like by treating them well, willing their good.
- Father vs. Grandfather. Love may or may not include kindness, the will to relieve suffering. Sometimes being kind is not the loving thing to do. Grandfathers are kind; fathers are loving.
- Is vs. Equals. The phrase "God is love" does not mean "love is God" (e.g., "a Redskin is a football player" does not imply "a football player is a Redskin."
- Love is Our Nature. We cannot earn God's love. God loves us because we are his. God is our father, loving us even when we rebel.
- Covenant Love. In marriage, the lover and the beloved love each other because "you are mine, and I am yours." If people love each other for any other quality, then the marriage may go when that quality is gone (e.g., external beauty).
- Love's Surplus. The fruit of agape is union; the fruit of union is life.
The Love of God
Have you ever considered how much of this life is about our relationship? The trials, the tests, the struggles, the learning through it all, the dying of the flesh: it all comes back to Me. You see your struggles first, so often before you cut through them and see Me standing with you. I so long to be Lord of all, your everything, your passion.
If only you could love Me within a small fraction of how I love you, you would know true joy and peace in kingdom living. You will know this more fully when we commune eternally in Heaven, so overwhelmed by My love it will overshadow every other thing as there will be nothing else. You will be caught up in the truest love of the Trinity. But I tell you today you can taste of this love. I passionately desire to embrace you in the depths of your soul.
This is not earthly love as you may (or may not) know it. Earthly love starts at the mind level and tries to work its way inward. My love resonates from within at your human core and shines outward. Praise and worship bring it to light.
I want you so desperately and long to embrace you forever. Everything else is passing away, but our relationship is eternal. All you endure in this life is ultimately working together for your good (Romans 8:28) as you let it draw you closer to Me. Your will is the door to our intimate relationship.
Trust Me more deeply. For I have healing to restore you, forgiveness to redeem you, joy to uplift you, and the peace of Christ to give you hope. You are mine—always. Nothing will ever come between My love for you for it is never earned. Let Me love you. Open your heart. Believe Me when I tell you this, nothing could be more true: I long for you, I love you, and I will never, never let you go.