He started it

What is love?

I mean, what is it, exactly?

We throw that word around all the time…how many of these have you said?

I love chocolate.
I love vacation.
I love my mom.
I love my wife. (or husband)
I love this music.
I love my dog.
I love my job. (often said with sarcasm)

It’s the same word, every time.  But it’s not the same meaning, every time.

We expect the hearer (or reader) to understand what we actually mean based upon our tone and the context of our words.

We also find “love confusion” in our music, regardless of style.  We have many songs asking what love is, or how can I know that this feeling of love is “the real thing”, or even songs that tell us that love will fix everything.  But how can we say that it is the healing we need, if we don’t know what it is?

This is where I appreciate the Greek language more than our modern English.  The Greeks had many different words to explain the different “shades” or “types” of love a human can experience.  The main words used include agape (unconditional, selfless love), eros (romantic or sexual passion), philia (deep friendship or brotherly love), philautia (self-love), storge (familial or affectionate love), and xenia (hospitality or guest-love).

Doesn’t that make it easier to understand?  You immediately know what kind of love I’m referring to, based upon the word I chose.

In the Bible, there are three Greek words used for love: agape, philia, and storge.  While the concept of eros is present in Scripture, the word is not directly used.

So, that helps.  But we still haven’t answered the yearning-for-love question our poets and songwriters search for.  At least, until we come across this little verse in a letter from the Apostle John:

1 John 4:19
We love because He first loved us.

Both “love” words in this verse are agape.  Isn’t that the kind of love we want the most?  Oh, to be loved selflessly, unconditionally…to have the security in a relationship, knowing that our bond will not break – regardless of circumstances, my mistakes, or even my own selfish choices. 

That’s the kind of love our poets write tales about and our songwriters croon over.  That kind of dependable love makes us brave and grateful.  To receive agape love over a long period of time provides a sense of stable connection and identity found nowhere else.  When a person chooses to give us agape love, we feel valued and become emotionally secure.

And we know what that really is because He first loved us.  He started it.  God agape’d us, even when we were rather unlovely and did not deserve any form of love.  But He chose to…and because He did, we can have a constant, stable relationship with Him.

That’s how we know what love is.

Keep Pressing,
Ken