Agape

[Sonny]

Agape and Philos

The New Testament writers had four Greek words to choose from when describing divine and human love. These four are:

Storge. This is family love or love for one’s own kin.

Philos. Affectionate love between two people; brotherly love.

Eros. The common meaning of this word is love between the sexes. We get the English word “erotic” from this Greek word. However, the philosopher Plato gave it a noble, spiritual meaning. He called it “heavenly eros” and defined it as being detached from sensual or materialistic interests to seek after God. Thus, for the Greeks, eros as defined by Plato became the highest form of human love. We still speak today of “platonic love.”

Agape. This is pure love untainted by any selfish motive whatsoever. In the noun form, it was an obscure word in Greek, an unusual word, perhaps because such love itself is unusual.

The New Testament writers wrote in Greek, so they had these four words to choose from in order to distinguish God’s love from human love, or even to distinguish between different types of human love. And they did. The word most commonly used in the New Testament to describe human love is philos. (The word eros does not appear in the New Testament at all.) And all the New Testament writers chose the infrequently used word agape to define God’s love. (The New Testament does use philos at times to describe God’s love, but always in the context of agape.) They took this word and infused it with new meaning based on the revelation of God’s love that they saw demonstrated in the life and history of Jesus Christ and which He displayed supremely on the cross [see Romans 5:6-10]. As used by the New Testament writers, this divine agape love of God stands in complete contradiction to human love in at least three ways.

Human love, either philos or Plato’s “heavenly eros,” is always conditional. As humans, we do not love the unlovely. We love those who love us, who respond to our love. God’s agape love, on the other hand, is unconditional. It flows from Him spontaneously, without cause, independently of our goodness or self-worth. When we understand this, God’s salvation becomes unconditional good news [see Romans 5:6-10; Ephesians 2:4-6; Titus 3:3-5]. This is why the Bible so clearly stresses that we are saved by grace alone — God’s undeserved, unmerited favor [see Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24; 5:15; 11:6; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8, 9; Titus 1:14; 2:11; 3:7].

Human love is changeable. It is a love that fluctuates and is unreliable. A good example of this, and also of the way the New Testament writers deliberately used different words for love, is John 21:15-17. Three times in these verses Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him, and three times Peter replies that he does. In our English Bibles it seems that Jesus’ questions and Peter’s answers are the same each time. But in His first two questions to Peter, Jesus uses agape, the love that will never fail. And Peter replies using the word philos, human affection. But when Jesus asks Peter the third time if he loves Him, He uses philos. It’s as if Jesus says, “Peter, is this the only kind of love you have for Me, this unreliable human love?” No wonder Peter becomes upset! But he is now truly converted and has lost all confidence in himself. In humility, he replies, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love [phileo] you.” This changeable, unreliable philos is the only kind of love that we human beings can generate in and of ourselves.

In complete contrast, however, God’s agape love is unchanging. To the unfaithful Jews, God declared, “I have loved you with an everlasting love” [Jeremiah 31:3]. In Paul’s classic description of divine love, “[agape] never fails” [1 Corinthians 13:8]. Jesus demonstrated this beyond all doubt on the cross when, “having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them [agapao] the full extent of his love” [John 13:1].

When we realize this unchanging, unchangeable nature of God’s love for us, we will become “rooted and established in love [agape]” [Ephesians 3:17]. We will say with Paul,

“Who shall separate us from the love [agape] of Christ? ...For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love [agape] of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” [Romans 8:35, 38, 39].

At its very best, human love is self-seeking. Since we are by nature egocentric, everything we do or think, in and of ourselves, is polluted with self-love or selfishness. Socially, politically, academically, materially, economically, even religiously, we are all slaves to “our own way” [isaiah 53:6; cf. Philippians 2:21]. As we saw in the previous chapter, we are all shaped in “iniquity”; that is, we are bent toward self. Consequently, we all, without exception, fall short of God’s glory, His agape love [see Romans 3:23].

God’s love is the exact opposite. It is self-sacrificing, self-giving. That is why Christ did not cling to His equality with the Father, but emptied Himself and became God’s slave, obedient even to death on a cross [see Philippans 2:6-8]. All during His life on earth, Jesus demonstrated His Father’s agape love. This is “the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father,” that the disciples saw in Him [John 1:14]. He lived for the benefit of others; He actually became poor for our sakes, that we, through His poverty, might be rich [see 2 Corinthians 8:9].

There is no self-love in God’s love. This love, reproduced in the lives of Christians through the Holy Spirit, is the most powerful witness of the transforming, saving power of the gospel [see John 13:34, 35].

The supreme manifestation of God’s self-sacrificing love was demonstrated on the cross when Jesus Christ died the second death for all humanity [see Hebrews 2:9]. The second death is the complete cessation of life; it is saying good-bye to life forever. It’s obvious that this is the death Jesus submitted to for us, since Christians who are justified in Christ still have to die the first death (the “sleep” death), but will be exempted from the second death [see Revelation 20:6]. On the cross, Jesus was willing to be deprived of life forever, not just for three days, so that we could live in His place. Such self-emptying love transformed His disciples. Before the cross, they were dominated by self-interest [see Luke 22:24]. After the cross, they were willing to follow Jesus’ example in sacrificing themselves for others. In the same way, when we see the self-sacrificing love of Jesus shining from the cross, we, too, will be transformed [see 2 Corinthians 5:14, 15].

In summary, then, human love is conditional; God’s love is unconditional. Our human love is changeable; God’s love is changeless. Our human love is self-centered; God’s love is self-sacrificing. Not until we recognize this three-fold quality of God’s agape love will the gospel become unconditional good news to us. And not until we become “rooted and grounded” in His agape love will we be able to cast out all fear and serve Him with unselfish motives [see 1 John 4:7, 12, 16-18].

[cheddar]

Amen. Well written Sonny.

The sinful mind will always question unconditional agape love.

To the sinful mind God's love must be 'earned' which is the exact opposite of agape love.

The word 'earn' is the favorite buzzword in the world. You hear it in all the TV shows, movies and songs. This is Satan's way of teaching sin to the masses.

[12tribes]

Philippians 4:7

(7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

[skyblue888]

"While Christ and the disciples were eating together by the seaside, the Saviour said to Peter, 'Simon, son of Jonas, do you love Me more than these?' referring to his brethren. Peter had once declared, 'Though all men shall be offended because of You, yet will I never be offended.' Matt. 26:33. But he now put a truer estimate upon himself. 'Yea, Lord,' he said, 'You know that I love You.' There is no vehement assurance that his love is greater than that of his brethren. He does not express his own opinion of his devotion. To Him who can read all the motives of the heart he appeals to judge as to his sincerity,--'You know that I love You.' And Jesus bids him, 'Feed My lambs.'

Again Jesus applied the test to Peter, repeating His former words: 'Simon, son of Jonas, do you love Me?' This time He did not ask Peter whether he loved Him better than did his brethren. The second response was like the first, free from extravagant assurance: 'Yea, Lord; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, 'Feed My sheep.' Once more the Saviour put the trying question: 'Simon, son of Jonas, do you love Me?' Peter was grieved; he thought that Jesus doubted his love. He knew that his Lord had cause to distrust him, and with an aching heart he answered, 'Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.' Again Jesus said to him, 'Feed My sheep.'

Three times Peter had openly denied his Lord, and three times Jesus drew from him the assurance of his love and loyalty, pressing home that pointed question, like a barbed arrow to his wounded heart. Before the assembled disciples Jesus revealed the depth of Peter's repentance, and showed how thoroughly humbled was the once boasting disciple.

Peter was naturally forward and impulsive, and Satan had taken advantage of these characteristics to overthrow him. Just before the fall of Peter, Jesus had said to him, 'Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not: and when you are converted, strengthen your brethren." Luke 22:31, 32. That time had now come, and the transformation in Peter was evident. The close, testing questions of the Lord had not called out one forward, self-sufficient reply; and because of his humiliation and repentance, Peter was better prepared than ever before to act as shepherd to the flock." Desire of Ages,811,812.

sky

[Kevin H]

When Jesus and Peter were walking by the sea after the resurection, and Jesus asked Peter 3 times "Do you love me?" Of course they were probably speaking Hebrew (which scholars have discovered was not as previously thought, a dead language by the time) or at least Aramaic, however John does an interesting way of translating the gest of the conversation when putting it into Greek that we loose in English, he gives a play off between "Agape" and "Philos"

The first two times Jesus asked Peter "Do you Agape me?" or "Do you have this deep love for me [that Sonny described above] do you love me as God? Am I the Lord of your life?"

Peter replied both time "I Philos you" or "Your'e my friend, your my buddy, I enjoy being around you."

The third time Jesus asked "Peter, are you sure you Philos me?" This is what grieved Peter, in his first two replys Peter confessed that he was at a place where he did not love Jesus as much a he could have. Peter was at a place where he did not love Jesus as much as he should have, but as incomplete and imperfect as it was, there was some love there. Now Jesus was asking him "Are you sure that you have any love for me at all?" and Peter gave a strong reply that while he did not love Jesus as much as he should, and while he did not love Jeus as much as he could, there was still something there that he cherished and had some level of a relationship with Jesus, that however imperfect it may be, he was not going to let go. And we find the spirit of Jesus of whosoever commeth unto me I will in no wise cast out.

Are there other who may not really understand who Jesus is? But like what they know about him? Maybe they are like Peter at the sea, feeling a brotherly love for Jesus even thought they don't yet see Jesus as their Lord and God, even thought they don't have the relationship with Jesus that they should. Too often we want to chastise these people and tell them that they have to agape Jesus instead of encouraging them to hold on to what little relatioinship they have and encourage it to grow.

[Gail]

Kevin, yes- I think the point of that conversation was that in the end, although Peter did not agape Jesus, that Jesus could still use him. Peter DID learn to pay the ultimate price later on when he gave his life for his Lord.

At first, Peter had a higher opinion of his feelings for Jesus. Jesus revealed the truth. After his fall, Peter was a bit more humble.

What I like about Peter is that even though he was impetuous, he was willing to learn from his mistakes and grow.

So... no matter what stage of love we are at in our spiritual walk, we can tend to the sheep, too.

[skyblue888]

After his fall Peter was a bit more humble...

Gail

______________

I will surmise that you mean much more humble. Right?

After his fall "Before the assembled disciples Jesus revealed the depth of Peter's repentance, and showed how thoroughly humbled was the once boasting disciple." D.A.811,812.

Not just a bit more humble Gail.

You probably did not yet read the commentary from Desire of Ages from my last post.

sky

[12tribes]

Kevin, yes- I think the point of that conversation was that in the end, although Peter did not agape Jesus, that Jesus could still use him. Peter DID learn to pay the ultimate price later on when he gave his life for his Lord.

At first, Peter had a higher opinion of his feelings for Jesus. Jesus revealed the truth. After his fall, Peter was a bit more humble.

What I like about Peter is that even though he was impetuous, he was willing to learn from his mistakes and grow.

So... no matter what stage of love we are at in our spiritual walk, we can tend to the sheep, too.