What is love?
The question is so exhausted I’m not even gonna try answering it. But it’s always so interesting the definitions people give to this four-lettered word. For one, my ten year old sister says ‘love is a happy emotion.’ I’ve once asked my Sunday school class the same question, the answers were hilarious and some very confusing, like ‘love is to love something with your whole heart’. But truth is, some of us, older and supposedly wiser, can’t really define it. Maybe that’s just what it is, undefinable, greater than words, beyond description.
What I want to share with you is the different types of love, maybe that will inform your definition. The Bible languages (Hebrew and Greek) speak of different types of love. I’m not too familiar with Hebrew, I only did Greek in school. I've read a little on it and learned that these three loves are pretty much the same in both languages. I’m going to try my best to share my knowledge without giving you a lecture. (Although I’ll be speaking of Greek words, I’ll be referencing to Old Testament Scripture as well.)
Firstly, there’s PHILOS love. This can be translated simply as ‘a friend’. Other nuances of the word speak of affection and fondness. This is friendship love, like that of David and Jonathan.
“And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.” (1 Samuel 20:17 NLT)
This understanding is what made me so confused when people were going on about David and Jonathan being in a homosexual relationship. People are seriously being destroyed by the lack knowledge. Anyway, this is the type of love Jesus speaks of when He says “and love your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10:27). Friendship love, brotherly love.
Secondly, there’s EROS love. Simply translated as ‘desire’. Eros love is more physical than all the other forms of love. Eros love is passionate love with a sensual desire and longing. It is said that Eros was a Greek god of lust and primal sexual desire. In fact, the word erotic comes from his name. This type of love is best displayed in the Songs of Solomon. The book is figurative of the sexual relationship between two lovers. I’m of the opinion that there’s more to the book than just that but it’s interesting to see these erotic poems as part of the Canon, it testifies to the fact that sex was created by God to glorify God.
“I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me.” Song of Songs 7:10 NIV
Lastly is AGAPE love. Translated as “love, generosity, kindly concern, devotedness”. This love is divine, unconditional, sacrificial; this is God-love. This love is foreign to man’s sinful nature, one can only love in this degree by knowing God.
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4: 7, 8, 10 NIV
This love is perfectly described in 1 Corinthians 13. My favorite verse there is verse 7: It (love) always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Now let’s be honest, you don’t always wanna protect your loved one, sometimes you wanna throw the nearest thing at them. Sometimes you don’t trust them, sometimes you’re completely hopeless with them when you see them repeating the same mistakes over and over again. And sometimes you don’t want to persevere, you just want to give up on them. You see, this love has nothing to do with your heart (Philos) or your body (Eros), it has everything to do with the empowerment of your spirit-man who needs to be in constant fellowship with God in order to display love in all its perfection. And it goes without saying that for a ‘romantic’ relationship to make it through time and situations, it needs elements of all these ‘loves’.
I know I’ve just shared a mouthful, but it’s been in my heart for a while to shed some light on this common subject. I hope you’ll now say it with meaning when you say “I love you” to those around you, that’s what all this was about.
What I want to share with you is the different types of love, maybe that will inform your definition. The Bible languages (Hebrew and Greek) speak of different types of love. I’m not too familiar with Hebrew, I only did Greek in school. I've read a little on it and learned that these three loves are pretty much the same in both languages. I’m going to try my best to share my knowledge without giving you a lecture. (Although I’ll be speaking of Greek words, I’ll be referencing to Old Testament Scripture as well.)
Firstly, there’s PHILOS love. This can be translated simply as ‘a friend’. Other nuances of the word speak of affection and fondness. This is friendship love, like that of David and Jonathan.
“And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.” (1 Samuel 20:17 NLT)
This understanding is what made me so confused when people were going on about David and Jonathan being in a homosexual relationship. People are seriously being destroyed by the lack knowledge. Anyway, this is the type of love Jesus speaks of when He says “and love your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10:27). Friendship love, brotherly love.
Secondly, there’s EROS love. Simply translated as ‘desire’. Eros love is more physical than all the other forms of love. Eros love is passionate love with a sensual desire and longing. It is said that Eros was a Greek god of lust and primal sexual desire. In fact, the word erotic comes from his name. This type of love is best displayed in the Songs of Solomon. The book is figurative of the sexual relationship between two lovers. I’m of the opinion that there’s more to the book than just that but it’s interesting to see these erotic poems as part of the Canon, it testifies to the fact that sex was created by God to glorify God.
“I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me.” Song of Songs 7:10 NIV
Lastly is AGAPE love. Translated as “love, generosity, kindly concern, devotedness”. This love is divine, unconditional, sacrificial; this is God-love. This love is foreign to man’s sinful nature, one can only love in this degree by knowing God.
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4: 7, 8, 10 NIV
This love is perfectly described in 1 Corinthians 13. My favorite verse there is verse 7: It (love) always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Now let’s be honest, you don’t always wanna protect your loved one, sometimes you wanna throw the nearest thing at them. Sometimes you don’t trust them, sometimes you’re completely hopeless with them when you see them repeating the same mistakes over and over again. And sometimes you don’t want to persevere, you just want to give up on them. You see, this love has nothing to do with your heart (Philos) or your body (Eros), it has everything to do with the empowerment of your spirit-man who needs to be in constant fellowship with God in order to display love in all its perfection. And it goes without saying that for a ‘romantic’ relationship to make it through time and situations, it needs elements of all these ‘loves’.
I know I’ve just shared a mouthful, but it’s been in my heart for a while to shed some light on this common subject. I hope you’ll now say it with meaning when you say “I love you” to those around you, that’s what all this was about.
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Kwaaaa...‘love is to love something with your whole heart’. Didn't know there are idiots who think David was a bisexual (by implication), trying to justify themselves. EROS - hmmm, can't wait...#hides. Now I can propose, for I know what I'll be talking about...nicenesssnessssssssss. Amen!
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ReplyDelete(My Sunday mornings are always filled with laughter by the way kids see and understand things. It's unbelievable the length people go to in order to justify themselves. You better hide, awuzwa, lol. Thanks again for reading, you're the best BB ever!)
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