This topic takes a look at love, primarily godly love, according to Bible verses about love.
1Jn.4:16 “God is love.” Although God is love, God is greater than love. His character exudes love. And He has put within the human spirit of man, made in God’s image & likeness, the capacity to love.
One reason we’re on earth is…to learn how to love! The Christian life consists of learning the principles of love and then practicing love. The ultimate goal is for us to live forever together with God, in love.
There are at least five types of love indicated in the Bible Greek – philáutia, stórge, éros, philéo, agápe.
Philautia (Strongs g5367 phíl-autos) is the love of self. The term occurs only in 2Ti.3:2. Philautia can be good or bad. It is inward; concerned with one’s own health (cf. Da.1:8-16), happiness, avoidance of pain, self-preservation, self-esteem, etc. Some or most aspects of self-love come naturally to us.
Storge (stór-yee) is family love. It develops between parents & children, siblings, extending to grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. It’s a familiar love with commitment which can increase over the years. The Greek term doesn’t occur in scripture. A form of storge is seen in Ro.12:10 in regards to the at-large family of sons and daughters of God. “Be devoted [g5387 philóstorgos] to one another in brotherly love [g5360 philadelphía].” (Philadelphia is called the ‘City of Brotherly Love’.) Family love is evident in the Bible accounts of Abraham & Isaac (Ge.22:2), Jacob & his sons (Ge.49:1, 50:14), Job & his children (Jb.1:4-5), Mary & Martha & Lazarus (Jn.11:1-ff), Jáirus & his daughter (Lk.8:41-ff), etc. Family love grows via attachment and dependency, by living together and relatives visiting.
Eros (áir-os g2064.2 in the Old Testament (OT) Septúagint/LXX Pr.7:18, 30:16) is a sensual or sexual desire/lust, physical attraction or ‘chemistry’, romantic or passionate love. Testosterone and estrogen (created by God) causes desire. The next two verses contain a form (g2037.1) of eros. Pr.4:6 LXX figuratively, “Love her [wisdom], and she will guard you”. Est.2:17 LXX “The king loved Esther, and she found grace and favor beyond all others.” Desire is seen in Pr.5:18-19. “Rejoice in the wife of your youth. As a loving deer and graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times; be ravished always with her love.” Eros relates to self-satisfaction or self-gratification, though both partners can be gratified.
Phileo (phil-éh-o g5368) is the love in (deep) friendship. This verb occurs 25 times in the New Testament (NT) and 27 times in the OT LXX. The noun phílos (fée-los g5384) occurs 65 times in the LXX, and 28 times in the NT where it is translated “friend”. Phileo is more general, present in various relationships. It includes respect, shared goodwill, lovingkindness, fondness or affection – towards one dear, beloved, cherished, or a thing. Ge.27:4-5 LXX Isaac loved (g5368) venison. Father God phileo loves in Jn.5:20 & Jn.16:27. Ge.37:4 LXX Jacob loved Joseph. Phileo can be a powerful emotional attachment or bond. Ge.29:11 LXX “Jacob kissed [g5368] Rachel.” Phileo is part of being ‘in love’. Rachel Pace writes, “Love, value, care, respect, and trust are the fundamentals around which emotional attraction is built.” Phileo connects one with a ‘soul-mate’, and may lead to family/storge. Phileo combined with eros can be exhilarating! (Note: There is a degree of overlap between the types of love.)
Agape (ah-gáh-pay g26) is the Greek noun for universal love, empathy for all people. In the NT, it is seen as godly love, transcendant, outgoing, unconditional. It’s the highest form of love in the Bible! Early Christianity viewed agape as the spiritual love God has for humanity, and the love man has for God. Agape occurs 115 times in the NT and 15 times in the OT LXX. A Greek verb meaning ‘to love’ is agapáo (ah-ga-páh-o g25). It occurs 140 times in the NT and nearly 200 times in the LXX. In OT times, agapao could resemble phileo. Jesus loves with agapao in Jn.19:26, 21:7, 20, and with phileo in Jn.20:2; with agapao in He.12:6, and with phileo in Re.3:19. The Creator too expresses various types of love! After Peter denied Jesus 3 times (Lk.22:34, 54-62)…Peter phileo loves Jesus, he didn’t yet agapao love Jesus (Jn.21:15-16). (But Peter as an old man agapao loved Jesus; ref 1Pe.1:8.) Also, the adjective agapetós g27, translated as “beloved”, occurs 60 times in the NT and 15 times in the LXX.
{Sidelight: Agapao in the NT usually indicates a godly love. His own benevolent, unselfish agape that can be present without reciprocity (Ro.5:8). But agapao doesn’t always indicate godly love. Sinners can agapao sinners who agapao them (Lk.6:32). Also people can agapao darkness (Jn.3:19), the praise of men (Jn.12:43), and unrighteousness (2Pe.2:15)! Those verses aren’t indicative of a divine love.}
Greek Bible scholar Dr. Spiros Zódiates: “Agapao is used of God’s love toward man and vice versa, but phileo is never used of the love of men toward [Father] God. Agape isn’t found in classical Greek, only in revealed religion.” Only through godly love can man truly love God. Such love originated with God.
Again, 1Jn.4:8, 16 “God is love [g26].” How may we express benevolent godly love? 1Jn.5:2-3 “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.” Godly love (g26 in v.3) includes as a priority the keeping of His commandments! Our obedience reflects love.
What are His commandments? We may say, they are God’s instructions, His guidelines for right living. To begin, 1Jn.3:23 “This is His [God’s] commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He [Jesus] commanded us.” It is crucial to believe in and honor Father God’s Son Jesus, who died for our sins! 1Jn.2:23 “Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father.” And Jesus the Son said in Jn.14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”.
As we’ll see, Jesus’ commandments reflect love to God, love to our neighbor, and love to ourselves. It’s natural to love ourselves, our own flesh. Who is my ‘neighbor’? In the broad sense, my neighbor is…other humans. Jesus’ commandments tell us how to love God, other people, and ourselves.
According to John, Peter, Paul…the pre-incarnate Christ, the primordial word of God (Jn.1:1-3, 14), was the God of ancient Israel. He was the Lord God, the Shepherd of Israel who dwelt above the cherubim in the Most Holy Place of God’s tabernacle & temple (Ps.80:1, Jn.10:14). see the topic “Jesus Was The Old Testament God”. Christ gave His commandments, His instructions, His principles to Moses/Israel.
Let’s now identify Jesus’ commandments of love. There are two main commandments. In Mk.12:28-31 a Jewish scribe asked Jesus, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. The second is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”
Jesus’ many commandments are summarized into these two broad categories. They represent enduring moral principles for mankind, and are seen in the OT. De.6:5-7 LXX “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength.” Le.19:18 “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (We can’t love others if we don’t love ourself!) Love (g25) God and your fellow man.
Christ’s Ten Commandments, the Decalogue or Testimony, describe how to love God and love others.
Ex.20:1-11 the first four commandments pertain to loving God. Christ said in v.6, “Those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Man is not to have any god beside the true God, is not to make any idols or images depicting God, is not to use God’s name for a wrong purpose. Observing the fourth commandment, “Remember the sabbath [h7676 Hebrew] day to keep it holy”, honors God and signifies that our God is the Creator. Ge.2:1-3 God ceased/rested (shabáth h7673 on the 7th day of Creation.
De.5:12-15 allowing people under our charge to rest also shows love to others. Jesus said in Mk.2:27-28, “The sabbath was made for man…the Son of Man is Lord even of the sabbath.” Jesus is Lord, of the 7th day sabbath too. He was the Creator who ordained the sabbath. He made it for the benefit of mankind. Resting on the sabbath encompasses love for ourselves too. Our body has a circaseptan rhythm which requires rest approximately every 7 days to keep our immune system strong. Sabbath rest even shows love to work animals. The Lord’s creatures that work for man in agriculture and other uses need rest too. (see the series “Sabbath 7th Day”, and the topic “Ten Commandments in Genesis & Job”.)
Ex.20:12-17 commandments #5 through #10 describe how to love others. “Honor your father and your mother. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. You shall not covet.” Adultery is engaging in sexual relations with another man’s wife. Analogous to not bearing false witness in court is Col.3:9, “Lie not one to another”. Wrong coveting is desiring something we cannot rightfully have some day. Christ’s Decalogue reflects enduring principles of love.
But godly love involves more than the Decalogue. Ge.14:18-20 Abram tithed or gave a tenth to the priest-king Melchisedek, representative of church & state. Our tithes or giving to church ministries contribute to their efforts of sharing/spreading the good news of God’s love and His Kingdom. Paying just taxes to our government provides funds for societal benefits & entitlements for our neighbor and ourself.
Also, we show love to others by giving from our means to the poor & needy (Ja.2:15-16, 1Jn.3:17).
Paul wrote a strong admonition in 2Th.3:10-15. “If anyone does not work, neither let him eat”. We are to work an honest job so we have money to help support the Lord’s commission of spreading the gospel. And earning money buys food for our own family table…loving ourselves.
Ge.1:26-28 God created man in His own image and likeness. God said, “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it”. Humanity has the God-given mandate/command to raise families, to produce offspring through the generations as caretakers to manage the earth and its resources God created.
Le.20:13 same-sex marriage violates God’s mandate for mankind to reproduce. (It is understood that some couples are unable to have children.) John R. Diggs MD The Health Risks of Gay Sex “Common sexual practices among gay men lead to numerous STDs, some of which are virtually unknown in the heterosexual population. Lesbians are also at higher risks for STDs.” Disease isn’t love.
Le.18:23 beastiality, sexual relations with another kind, is vile. Christ told Moses/Israel, “It is a perversion”. Horrific Risks of Sex With Animals “The likelihood of disease transmission from an animal to a human is high.” This demeaning practice harms; it doesn’t show love.
Ps.139:14 “I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” The psalmist David loved himself and understood it was the Lord who’d designed our remarkable human body.
John wrote in 3Jn.1:2, “I pray in all respects that you may prosper and be in health”. We want to have good health. We love ourselves (phílautos g5367). Again, God’s instructions tell us how to rightly love ourselves.
De.14:2-21 our refraining from eating unclean creatures which are parasitic or carcinogenic reflects love to self. Also, by refraining from feeding unclean creatures to others we show love to our neighbor. Ge.7:2 even the antediluvian patriarch Noah (who wasn’t Jewish) understood the difference between clean and unclean! (see the topic “Unclean versus Clean Food”.)
Abstaining from blood pertains to loving our self. God told Noah in Ge.9:4, “You shall not eat flesh with its life [or soul], its blood”. The life/soul is in the blood. Blood is the carrier of both life and disease. Le.17:10-16 “No person among you may eat blood, nor may the alien who sojourns among you eat blood.” Nor are we to eat an animal that dies of itself, is suffocated or “strangled” (Ac.15:29), or roadkill. Improperly bled carcasses attract harmful organisms. (see “Acts 15 – Four Prohibitions”.)
Le.3:17 “You shall not eat any fat or any blood.” We avoid eating animal fat, which can contain toxins.
Le.18:19 “You shall not approach a woman to have relations during her menstrual period.” Blood is present. We should abstain from menstrual sex. It puts women at risk for disease. Dr. (Ms) De Souza Dangers of Sex During Menstruation “Irritation and an introduction to infection are major risks. Any wound or bleeding is a gateway to infection.” (see “Doctrinal Disunity Impacts Evangelism”.)
All the above are Christ’s commandments…they reflect love to God, to other people, and to ourselves. In a broad sense…Ro.13:10 “Love is the fulfillment of the law”.
God gives believers His Holy Spirit (HS). The HS enables us to love God, other people, and ourself in the right way. It’s a spiritual love. Ga.5:22 “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace [etc.].” Godly love is present now in us through the indwelling HS (1Co.3:16). Ro.5:5 “The love of God has been poured forth into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” The love of the Spirit should flow from us. Christians are to be reflectors of God’s divine love. Jesus said in Jn.13:35, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples [adherents], if you have love for one another”.
1 Corinthians 13 is known as the ‘Love Chapter’. In it, Paul lists some facets or reflections of love (agape g26)…loving attitudes, mindset, words, and proper restraint & self-control. 1Co.13:4-8 “Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t envious; love doesn’t boast and isn’t proud; love isn’t rude, it isn’t self-centered, isn’t quick-tempered to anger, doesn’t keep an account of wrongs suffered; love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope and endurance never fail. Love never ends.” Godly love is eternal. Benson Commentary 1Co.13:8 “It [love] accompanies us to, prepares us for, and adorns us in eternity…of heaven.” Love is forever.
Godly love is pure, altruistic, wanting the best for others, self-giving, self-sacrificing. Mk.10:45 “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Jn.15:13 “Greater love has no man than this, that a person lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus’ sacrificial death redeems us from the consequences of sin. Jn.3:16 “For God so loved [agapao g25] the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.” ref 1Pe.1:18-19. God willingly gave up Jesus to death, to die for our sins.
Divine love has a moral core. It is dutiful, active, and obedient. Yet godly love isn’t without right emotion. Although godly love is compassionate, it can be ‘tough love’ too (cf. Lk.12:49, Jn.8:7).
God’s divine love is perfect. It can be present with and enhance all types of love…agape, philautia, storge, phileo, and eros. (God is responsible for placing sex hormones and right desire in mankind!)
The Lord has given us the capacity to love in its various forms, and to share love. Col.3:14 “Above all, put on love [g26], which binds all things together in perfect unity.” Godly love is as a garment which binds us in harmonious moral perfection. Ep.3:17-19 “That you, being rooted and grounded in love [g26], may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and height and depth, and to know the love [g26] of Christ.”
Christ’s character, morality and principles of love are the same yesterday, today, and forever (He.13:8). 2Jn.1:6 “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments.” As we’ve seen…God’s commandments convey how to properly love God, other people, and ourselves, through the Holy Spirit.
Bible Topic Exposition 