Explore the meaning of Eros - Storge - Philia - Agape
by Jack Zavada
Love as a word describes an emotion with vastly differing degrees of intensity. We can say we love ice cream and chocolate, and we can pledge our love to a husband or wife until our dying breath.
Love is one of the most powerful emotions we can experience. Humans crave love from the moment of existence. And the Bible tells us that God is love. For Christian believers, love is the true test of genuine faith.
Four unique forms of love are found in the Bible. They are communicated through four Greek words: Eros, Storge, Philia, and Agape. We'll explore these different types of love characterized by romantic love, family love, brotherly love, and God's divine love. As we do, we'll discover what love really means, and how to follow Jesus Christ's command to "love one another."
What is Eros Love in the Bible?
Eros (Pronounced: AIR-ohs) is the Greek word for sensual or romantic love. The term originated from the mythological Greek god of love, sexual desire, physical attraction, and physical love, Eros, whose Roman counterpart was Cupid.
Promiscuity of all types was rampant in ancient Greek culture and was one of the obstacles the apostle Paul had to battle when planting churches in the eastern Mediterranean. In 1 Corinthians, Paul warns young believers against succumbing to immorality. Even though the term eros is not found in the Old Testament, Song of Solomon vividly portrays the passion of erotic love. The Bible's prohibition of sex outside of marriage necessarily limits erotic love to married couples.
Eros, pronounced AIR-ose, love is the physical, sensual intimacy between a husband and wife. It expresses sexual, romantic attraction. Eros is also the name of the mythological Greek god of love, sexual desire, physical attraction, and physical love.
Love has many meanings in English, but the ancient Greeks had four words to describe different forms of love precisely. Although eros does not appear in the New Testament, this Greek term for erotic love is portrayed in the Old Testament book, The Song of Solomon.
Eros Love in Marriage
God is very clear in his Word that eros love is reserved for marriage. Sex outside of marriageis forbidden. God created humans male and female and instituted marriage in the Garden of Eden. Within marriage, sex is used for emotional and spiritual bonding and reproduction.
The Apostle Paul noted that it is wise for people to marry to fulfill their godly desire for this type of love:
1 Corinthians 7:8-9 NIV
Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
Within the boundary of marriage, eros love is to be celebrated:
Hebrews 13:4 ESV
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
1 Corinthians 7:5 ESV
Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
Eros love is part of God's design, a gift of his goodness for procreation and enjoyment. Sex as God intended it is a source of delight and a beautiful blessing to be shared between married couples:
Ecclesiastes 9:9 ESV
Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.
Eros love in the Bible affirms sexuality as a part of the human existence. We are sexual beings, called to honor God with our bodies:
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!
Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her?
For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
1 Corinthians 6:15–20 ESV
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
What Is Storge Love in the Bible?
Storge (Pronounced: STOR-jay) is a term for love in the Bible that you may not be familiar with. This Greek word describes family love, the affectionate bond that develops naturally between parents and children, and brothers and sisters.
Many examples of family love are found in Scripture, such as the mutual protection among Noah and his wife, the love of Jacob for his sons, and the strong love the sisters Martha and Mary had for their brother Lazarus. An interesting compound word using storge, "philostorgos," is found in Romans 12:10, which commands believers to "be devoted" to one another with brotherly affection.
Storge (pronounced stor-JAY) is a Greek word that is used in Christianity to mean family love, the bond among mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, and brothers.
The Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon defines storge as "cherishing one's kindred, especially parents or children; the mutual love of parents and children and wives and husbands; loving affection; prone to love; loving tenderly; chiefly of the reciprocal tenderness of parents and children."
Storge Love in the Bible
In English, the word love has many meanings, but the ancient Greeks had four words to describe different forms of love precisely: eros, philae, agape, and storge As with eros, the exact Greek term storge does not appear in the Bible. However, the opposite form is used twice in the New Testament.
Astorgos (A stor gos) means "without love, devoid of affection, without affection to kindred, hard-hearted, unfeeling," and is found in the book of Romans and 2 Timothy.
In Romans 1:31, unrighteous people are described as "foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless" English Standard Version (ESV). The Greek word translated "heartless" is astorgos. And in 2 Timothy 3:3, the disobedient generation living in the last days is marked as "heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good" (ESV). Again, "heartless" is translated astorgos.
So, a lack of storge, the natural love among family members, is a sign of end times.
A compound form of storge is found in Romans 12:10: "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." (ESV) In this verse, the Greek word translated "love" is philostorgos, putting together philos and storge. It means "loving dearly, being devoted, being very affectionate, loving in a way characteristic of the relationship between husband and wife, mother and child, father and son, etc."
Examples of Storge in the Scriptures
Many examples of family love are found in Scripture, such as the love and mutual protection among Noah and his wife, their sons, and daughters-in-law in Genesis; the love of Jacob for his sons; and the strong love the sisters Martha and Mary in the gospels had for their brother Lazarus.
The family was a vital part of ancient Jewish culture.
In the Ten Commandments, God charges his people to:
Exodus 20:12 NIV
Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
When we become followers of Jesus Christ, we enter into the family of God. Our lives are bound together by something stronger than physical ties—the bonds of the Spirit.
We are related by something more powerful than human blood—the blood of Jesus Christ. God calls his family to love one another with the deep affection of storge love.
What Is Philia Love in the Bible?
Philia (Pronounced: FILL-ee-uh) is the type of intimate love in the Bible that most Christians practice toward each other. This Greek term describes the powerful emotional bond seen in deep friendships.
Philia is the most general type of love in Scripture, encompassing love for fellow humans, care, respect, and compassion for people in need. The concept of brotherly love that unites believers is unique to Christianity. Jesus said philia would be an identifier of his followers: "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35, NIV)
Philia (pronounced FILL-ee-uh) conveys a strong feeling of attraction, with its antonym or opposite being phobia. It is the most general form of love in the Bible, encompassing love for fellow humans, care, respect, and compassion for people in need. For example, philia describes the benevolent, kindly love practiced by early Quakers. The most common form of philia is friendship.
Philia and other forms of this Greek noun are found throughout the New Testament. Christians are frequently exhorted to love their fellow Christians. Philadelphia (brotherly love) appears a handful of times, and philia (friendship) appears once in James.
Examples of Philia Love in the Bible
Romans 12:10 ESV
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
1 Thessalonians 4:9 ESV
Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another...
Hebrews 13:1 ESV
Let brotherly love continue.
2 Peter 1:7 ESV
And godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
1 Peter 1:22 ESV
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart ...
1 Peter 3:8 ESV
Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
James 4:4 ESV
*You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
According to Strong's Concordance, the Greek verb philéō is closely related to the noun philia. It means "to show warm affection in intimate friendship." It is characterized by tender, heartfelt consideration and kinship.
Both philia and phileo originate from the Greek term phílos, a noun meaning "beloved, dear ... a friend; someone dearly loved (prized) in a personal, intimate way; a trusted confidant held dear in a close bond of personal affection." Philos expresses experience-based love.
Philia is a Family Word
The concept of brotherly affection that unites believers is unique to Christianity. As members of the body of Christ, we are family in a special sense.
Christians are members of one family—the body of Christ; God is our Father and we are all brothers and sisters. We ought to have a warm and devoted love for one another that catches the interest and attention of the non-believers.
This close union of love among Christians is only seen in other people as members of a natural family.
Believers are family not in the conventional sense, but in a way that is distinguished by a love that is not seen elsewhere. This unique expression of love ought to be so attractive that it draws others into the family of God:
John 13:34–35 ESV
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
What is Agape Love in the Bible?
Agape (Pronounced: Uh-GAH-pay) is the highest of the four types of love in the Bible. This term defines God's immeasurable, incomparable love for humankind. It is the divine love that comes from God. Agape love is perfect, unconditional, sacrificial, and pure.
Jesus Christ demonstrated this kind of divine love to his Father and to all humanity in the way he lived and died. Following his resurrection, Jesus asked the apostle Peter if he loved him (agape). Peter replied three times that he did, but the word he used was phileo or brotherly love. Peter had not yet received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; he was incapable of agape love. But after Pentecost, Peter was so full of God's love that he spoke from his heart and 3,000 people were converted.
Agape love is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love. It is the highest of the four types of love in the Bible.
This Greek word, agápē, and variations of it are frequently found throughout the New Testament. Agape perfectly describes the kind of love Jesus Christ has for his Father and for his followers.
Agape is the term that defines God's immeasurable, incomparable love for humankind. It is his ongoing, outgoing, self-sacrificing concern for lost and fallen people. God gives this love without condition, unreservedly to those who are undeserving and inferior to himself.
"Agape love," says Anders Nygren, "Is unmotivated in the sense that it is not contingent on any value or worth in the object of love. It is spontaneous and heedless, for it does not determine beforehand whether love will be effective or appropriate in any particular case."
A simple way to summarize agape is God's divine love.
Agape Love in the Bible
One important aspect of agape love is that it extends beyond emotions. It's much more than a feeling or sentiment. Agape love is active. It demonstrates love through actions.
This well-known Bible verse is the perfect example of agape love expressed through actions. The all-encompassing love of God for the entire human race caused him to send his son, Jesus Christ, to die and, thus, save every person who would believe in him:
John 3:16 ESV
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Another meaning of agape in the Bible was "love feast," a common meal in the early church expressing Christian brotherhood and fellowship:
Jude 12 ESV
These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted;
Jesus told his followers to love one another in the same way the sacrificial way he loved them. This command was new because it demanded a new kind of love, a love like his own: agape love. What would be the outcome of this kind of love? People would be able to recognize them as Jesus’ disciples because of their mutual love:
John 13:34-35 ESV
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
1 John 3:16 ESV
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Jesus and the Father are so "at one" that according to Jesus, whoever who loves him will be loved by the Father and by Jesus, too. The idea is that any believer who initiates this relationship of love by showing obedience, Jesus and the Father simply respond. The oneness between Jesus and his followers is a mirror of the oneness between Jesus and his heavenly Father:
John 14:21 NIV
Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.
John 17:23 ESV
I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
The Apostle Paul exhorted the Corinthians to remember the importance of love. He wanted them to show love in everything they did. Paul exalted love as the highest standard in this letter to the church in Corinth. Love for God and other people was to motivate everything they did:
1 Corinthians 16:14 ESV
Let all that you do be done in love.
Love is not merely an attribute of God, love is his essence. God is fundamentally love. He alone loves in the completeness and perfection of love:
1 John 4:8 ESV
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
25 Bible Verses About Love
The Bible says God is love. Love is not merely an attribute of God's character, love is his very nature. God is not just "loving," he is love at his core. God alone loves completely and perfectly.
If you want to know more about the meaning of love, the Word of God contains a treasure trove of Bible verses about love. We find passages that speak of romantic love (eros), brotherly love (friendship), and divine love (agape).
This selection is just a small sampling of the many Scriptures about love.
Love Triumphs Over Lies
In the book of Genesis, the love story of Jacob and Rachel is one of the most captivating episodes in the Bible. It is the story of love triumphing over lies. Jacob's father Isaacwanted his son to marry from among his own people, so he sent Jacob to find a wife among the daughters of his uncle Laban. There Jacob found Rachel, Laban's younger daughter, tending sheep. Jacob kissed Rachel and fell deeply in love with her.
Jacob agreed to work for Laban seven years to earn Rachel's hand in marriage. But on their wedding night, Laban deceived Jacob by substituting Leah, his older daughter. In the darkness, Jacob thought Leah was Rachel.
The next morning, Jacob discovered he had been tricked. Laban's excuse was that it was not their custom to marry off the younger daughter before the older one. Jacob then married Rachel and worked for Laban another seven years for her.
He loved her so much that those seven years seemed like only a few days:
Genesis 29:20
So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days.
Bible Verses About Romantic Love
The Bible affirms that a husband and wife can fully enjoy the pleasures of marital love.
Together they are free to forget life's cares and delight in the intoxication of their love for each other:
Proverbs 5:19
A loving doe, a graceful deer — may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love.
Song of Solomon 1:2
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for your love is more delightful than wine.
Song of Solomon 2:16
My lover is mine, and I am his.
Song of Solomon 4:10
How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much more pleasing is your love than wine and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice!
In this succession of four amazing things, the first three refer to the world of nature, focusing on the wonderful and mysterious way things travel in the air, on land, and in the sea. These three have something in common: they do not leave a trace. The fourth thing highlights the way a man loves a woman. The previous three things lead up to the fourth. The way a man loves a woman is an expression meaning sexual intercourse. Romantic love is wonderful, mysterious, and perhaps the writer suggests, impossible to trace:
Proverbs 30:18-19
There are three things that amaze me —
no, four things that I don’t understand:
how an eagle glides through the sky,
how a snake slithers on a rock,
how a ship navigates the ocean,
how a man loves a woman.
The love expressed in the Song of Solomon is the absolute devotion of a couple in love. The seals over the heart and arm symbolize both possession and undying commitment. The love is so strong, like death, it cannot be resisted. This love is eternal, transcending death:
Song of Solomon 8:6
Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.
Song of Solomon 8:7
Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.
Love and Forgiveness
It is impossible for people who hate each other to live together in peace. By contrast, love promotes peace because it covers or forgives the faults of others.
Love does not hold on to offenses but covers them up by forgiving those who do wrong. The motive for forgiveness is love:
Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.
Proverbs 17:9
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.
1 Peter 4:8
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
Love Contrasted With Hate
In this curious Proverb, a bowl of vegetables represents a simple, common meal, while steak speaks of a luxurious feast. Where love is present, the simplest of foods will do. What value is there in a sumptuous meal if hatred and ill-will are present?
Proverbs 15:17
A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate.
Love God, Love Others
One of the Pharisees, a lawyer, asked Jesus, "Which is the great commandment in the Law?" Jesus' answer came from Deuteronomy 6:4-5. It can be summed up like this: "Love God with everything you are in every way possible." Then Jesus gave the next greatest commandment, "Love others in the same way you love yourself."
Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus said to him, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Colossians 3:14
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
A true friend is supportive, loving at all times.
That friend develops further into a brother through adversity, trials, and troubles:
Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
In some of the most striking verses of the New Testament, we are told the supreme manifestation of love: when a person voluntarily gives up his life for a friend. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice when he laid down his life for us on the cross:
John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
1 John 3:16
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
The Love Chapter
In 1 Corinthians 13, the famous "love chapter," the Apostle Paul explained the priority of love over all other aspects of life in the Spirit:
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
In this passage, Paul described 15 characteristics of love. With grave concern for the unity of the church, Paul focused on love between brothers and sisters in Christ:
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails ...
While faith, hope, and love stand above all spiritual gifts, Paul asserted that the greatest of these is love:
1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Love in Marriage
The book of Ephesians gives a picture of a godly marriage. Husbands are encouraged to lay down their lives in sacrificial love and protection for their wives like Christ loved the church. In response to godly love and protection, wives are expected to respect and honor their husbands:
Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
Ephesians 5:33
However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Love in Action
We can understand what real love is by observing how Jesus lived and loved people. The true test of a Christian's love is not what he says, but what he does — how he lives his life truthfully and how he treats other people.
1 John 3:18
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
Since God is love, then his followers, who are born of God, will also love. God loves us, so we must love one another. A true Christian, one saved by love and filled with God's love, must live in love toward God and others:
1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Perfect Love
The basic character of God is love. God's love and fear are incompatible forces. They cannot co-exist because one repels and expels the other. Like oil and water, love and fear don't mix. One translation says "perfect love drives out fear." John's claim is that love and fear are mutually exclusive:
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
"God is love" (1 John 4:8) is a favorite Bible verse about love. 1 John 4:16b is a similar verse also containing the words "God is love."
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 4:8 and 4:16b
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
Summary of 'God Is Love' in 1 John 4:7-21
The Lord shows you how you can reflect his love to others - your friends, your family, even your enemies.
God's love is unconditional; his love is very different from the love we experience with one another because it is not based on feelings. He doesn't love us because we please him. He loves us simply because He is love.
An entire passage found in 1 John 4:7-21 speaks of God's loving nature. Love is not merely an attribute of God, it is his very nature. God is not only loving, he is fundamentally love. God alone loves in the completeness and perfection of love.
So, if God is love and we, his followers, are born of God, then we will also love. God loves us, so we must love one another. A true Christian, one saved by love and filled with God's love, must live in love toward God and others.
Love is the true test of Christianity. We believe that the character of God is rooted in love. We receive God's love in our relationship with him. We experience God's love in our relationships with others.
Compare 'God Is Love' Bible Verses
Compare these two famous Bible verses in several popular translations:
1 John 4:8
New International Version
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
English Standard Version
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
New Living Translation
But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
New King James Version
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
King James Version
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 John 4:16b
New International Version
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
English Standard Version
God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
New Living Translation
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
King James Version
God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
Enjoy this collection of verses about love in the Bible and discover God's true feeling toward you. Sample some of the many Scriptures about friendship, romantic love, family love, and God's amazing love for you.
How to Love Like Jesus
by Jack Zavada
To love like Jesus, we need to understand a simple truth. We cannot live the Christian life on our own.
Sooner or later, in the midst of our frustration, we come to the conclusion that we're doing something wrong. It's not working. Our best efforts just don't cut it.
Discovering Why We Can't Love Like Jesus
All of us want to love like Jesus. We want to be generous, forgiving, and compassionate enough to love people unconditionally. But no matter how hard we try, it just doesn't work. Our humanness gets in the way.
Jesus was human too, but he was also God incarnate. He was able to see the people he created in a way that we can't. He personified love. In fact, the Apostle John said, "God is love..." (1 John 4:16, ESV)
You and I are not love. We can love, but we can't do it perfectly. We see others' faults and stubbornness. When we remember the slights they have done to us, a small part of us can't forgive. We refuse to make ourselves as vulnerable as Jesus did because we know we'll get hurt again. We love and at the same time we hold back.
John 13:34 ESV
Yet Jesus tells us to love as he did: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."
How do we do something we're incapable of doing? We turn to Scripture for the answer and it's there we learn the secret of how to love like Jesus.
Love Like Jesus Through Abiding
We don't get very far before we learn the Christian life is impossible. Jesus gave us the key, however: "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God." (Mark 10:27, ESV)
He explained this truth in depth in the 15th chapter of the Gospel of John, with his parableof the vine and branches. The New International Version uses the word "remain", but I like the English Standard Version translation using "abide":
John 15:1-10 ESV
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
Did you catch that in verse 5? "Apart from me you can do nothing." We can't love like Jesus on our own. In fact, we can't do anything in the Christian life on our own.
The missionary James Hudson Taylor called it "the exchanged life." We surrender our life to Jesus to the extent that when we abide in Christ, he loves others through us. We can endure rejection because Jesus is the vine that sustains us. His love heals our hurts and supplies the strength we need to keep going.
Love Like Jesus by Trusting
Surrendering and abiding are things we can do only through the power of the Holy Spirit. He dwells in baptized believers, guiding us to the right decision and giving us the grace to trust God.
When we see a selfless Christian saint who can love like Jesus, we can be sure that person is abiding in Christ and he in her. What would be too hard on our own, we can do through this act of abiding. We continue to abide by reading the Bible, praying, and attending churchwith other believers. In this way, our trust in God is built up.
Like branches on a vine, our Christian life is a growth process. We mature more every day. As we abide in Jesus, we learn to know him better and trust him more. Cautiously, we reach out to others. We love them. The greater our trust in Christ, the greater our compassion will be.
This is a lifelong challenge. When we are rebuffed, we have the choice to draw back or give our hurt to Christ and try again. Abiding is what matters. When we live that truth, we can begin to love like Jesus.
All of us want to love like Jesus. We want to be generous, forgiving, and compassionate enough to love people unconditionally. But no matter how hard we try, somehow we fall short. Our humanness gets in the way. We can love, but we can't do it perfectly. Learn the secret to loving like Jesus by abiding in him.
Find Love that Changes Everything
by Jack Zavada
Can you find love on the Internet?
Millions of people believe you can. They want to reduce the search to the click of a mouse and discover lifelong bliss. In the real world, however, it’s not that easy to find love.
We have such high expectations for love that no person can ever meet them. When that happens, we can give up, thinking we'll never get the kind of love we want, or we can turn to someplace unexpected: God.
Your reaction may be a disgusted, “Yeah, right.” But think about it. We’re not talking about physical intimacy here. We’re talking about love: pure, unconditional, indestructible, eternal love. This is a love so overwhelming it can take your breath away, so forgiving it can make you weep uncontrollably.
Let’s not argue whether God exists. Let’s talk about what kind of love he has for you.
How to Find Love Without Limits
Who wants love that sets conditions? “If you hurt my feelings, I'll stop loving you.” “If you don’t quit that habit I don’t like, I'll stop loving you.” “If you break any of these rules I set, I'll stop loving you.”
Many people have a wrong idea about God's love for them. They think it's based on their performance. If it were, not a single human being would qualify.
No, God's love is based on grace, a free gift for you, but paid for at a terrible price by Jesus Christ. When Jesus voluntarily sacrificed himself on the cross to pay for your sins, you became acceptable to his Father through Jesus' merit, not your own.
Jesus' acceptance by God will transfer to you if you believe in him.
That means for Christians, there are no “ifs” when it comes to God's love. Let's be clear, though. We don't have a license to go out and sin as much as we want. As a loving Father, God will discipline (correct) us. Sin still has consequences.
But once you accept Christ, you have God's love, his unconditional love, for eternity.
When you're trying to find love, you'll have to agree you won't get that kind of devotion from another human being. Our love has limits. God's does not.
How to Find Love Made Just for You
God is not like an entertainer who shouts to an audience, “I love you!” He loves you individually. He knows everything there is to know about you and understands you better than you understand yourself. His love is custom-made for you alone.
Imagine your heart is like a lock. Only one key fits it perfectly. That key is God's love for you. His love for you doesn't fit anyone else and his love for them doesn't fit you. God doesn't have a master key of love that fits everyone. He has an individual, special love for every single person.
What's more, because God created you, he knows exactly what you need. You may think you know yourself, but only he knows best. In heaven, we will learn that God always made the right decision for each of us based on love, no matter how painful or disappointing it seemed at the time.
No other person can ever know you as God does. That's why no other person can love you as he can.
How to Find Love that Sustains You
Love can see you through hard times, and that's what the Holy Spirit does. He lives in each believer. The Holy Spirit is our personal, intimate connection to Jesus Christ and God the Father. When we need supernatural assistance, he takes our prayers to God then provides us with guidance and strength.
The Holy Spirit has been called the Helper, Comforter, and Counselor. He is all those things and more, displaying God's power through us if we surrender to him.
When trouble hits, you don't want a long distance love. You may not be able to feel the Holy Spirit's presence within you, but your feelings are not reliable when it comes to God. You have to go by what the Bible tells to be true.
God's love for you lasts through eternity, giving you endurance for your journey here on earth and complete fulfillment in heaven.
How to Find Love Right Now
Human love is an incredible thing, the kind of gift that puts purpose in your life and happiness in your heart. Fame, fortune, power, and good looks are like trash compared to human love.
God's love is even better. It is the one thing all of us seek in life, whether we realize it or not. If you have found yourself disillusioned after reaching some goal you've chased for years, you're beginning to understand the reason why. That longing you can't put into words is your soul's desire for God's love.
You can deny it, fight it or try to ignore it, but God's love is the missing piece in the puzzle that is you. You will always be incomplete without it.
Christianity has good news: What you want is free for the asking. You've come to the right place to find love that changes everything.
Find God's Love Today
Jack Zavada, a career writer and contributor for About.com, is host to a Christian website for singles. Never married, Jack feels that the hard-won lessons he has learned may help other Christian singles make sense of their lives. His articles and ebooks offer great hope and encouragement. To contact him or for more information, visit Jack's Bio Page.
Can you find love on the Internet? Millions of people believe you can. They want to click a mouse and discover lifelong bliss. In the real world, however, it’s not that easy to find love, unless we turn to someplace unexpected: God. When you find love from God, you find pure, unconditional, unselfish, indestructible, eternal love.
God Is Love Bible Verse
"God is love" (1 John 4:8) is a favorite Bible verse about love. 1 John 4:16b is a similar verse also containing the words "God is love."
1 John 4:8
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 4:16b
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
Summary of God Is Love in 1 John 4:7-21
The Lord shows you how you can reflect his love to others--your friends, your family, even your enemies.
God's love is unconditional; his love is very different from the love we experience with one another because it is not based on feelings. He doesn't love us because we please him. He loves us simply because He is love.
An entire passage found in 1 John 4:7-21 speaks of God's loving nature. Love is not merely an attribute of God, it is his very nature. God is not only loving, he is fundamentally love. God alone loves in the completeness and perfection of love.
So, if God is love and we, his followers, are born of God, then we will also love. God loves us, so we must love one another. A true Christian, one saved by love and filled with God's love, must live in love toward God and others.
Love is the true test of Christianity. We believe that the character of God is rooted in love. We receive God's love in our relationship with him. We experience God's love in our relationships with others.
Compare God Is Love Bible Verses
Compare these two famous Bible verses in several popular translations:
1 John 4:8
New International Version
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
English Standard Version
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
New Living Translation
But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
New King James Version
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
King James Version
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 John 4:16b
New International Version
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
English Standard Version
God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
New Living Translation
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
New King James Version
God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
King James Version
God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
“God is love” is a famous Bible verses speaking of God's loving nature. Love is not merely an attribute of God, but his very essence. Not only is he loving, he is fundamentally love. God alone loves in the completeness and perfection of love. Compare this well-known passages in several translations.
The Greatest Is Love - Devotional
by Rebecca Livermore
1 Corinthians 13:13 NKJV
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Read 1 Corinthians 13:13 in several popular Bible translations.
Here is the context of 1 Corinthians 13:13 within the surrounding verses:
1 Corinthians 13:4-13 NIV
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
As believers in Jesus Christ, it is essential for Christians to understand the meaning of this verse about faith, hope, love.
Faith is a Prerequisite
There's no doubt that each of these virtues — faith, hope, and love — has great value. In fact, the Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:6 that, "...without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God, must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (NKJV) So, without faith, we couldn't come to believe in God or walk in obedience to him.
The Value of Hope
Hope keeps us moving forward. No individual can imagine life without hope. Hope fuels us to face impossible challenges. Hope is the expectation that we will obtain what we desire. Hope is a special gift from God given to us by his grace to combat the day-to-day monotony and difficult circumstances. Hope encourages us to keep running the race until we reach the finish line.
The Greatness of Love
We couldn't live our lives without faith or hope: without faith, we cannot know the God of love; without hope, we would not endure in our faith until we meet him face to face. But in spite of the importance of faith and hope, love is even more crucial.
Why is love the greatest?
Because without love, the Bible teaches there can be no redemption. In Scripture we learn that God is love (1 John 4:8) and that he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us — a supreme act of sacrificial love. Thus, love is the virtue upon which all Christian faith and hope now stand.
The Greatest is Love
Faith: Without it, there would be no Christianity, or any other religion in the world for that matter. We talk of coming to faith in Christ, and living a life of faith, and we often laud those in Scripture and in modern times who are known for their faith.
The Value of Faith
The value of faith cannot be disputed. In fact, Hebrews 11:6 states, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God, must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (NKJV) Without faith, we couldn't come to Christ, and without faith, we couldn't walk in obedience to him. Faith often motivates us to move forward even when the odds are against us. In a sense faith is closely related to hope.
The Value of Hope
Hope keeps us going when the situation we face seems impossible. Hope is the expectation that we will obtain something specific we desire. Think of how life would be without hope. Hope is there for the single mom who doesn't know how she is going to feed her children and keep a roof over their heads. She might give up, if it were not for the hope that some type of breakthrough is right around the corner.
Hope is a gift from God that can bring joy in the midst of very difficult circumstance. Hope encourages us that victory is imminent.
I wouldn't want to live a life without faith, and I wouldn't want to live a life without hope. However, in spite of how wonderful, important, and life-changing both faith and hope are, they pale in comparison to love.
The Bible states that love is greater than both faith and hope.
The Greatest of These is Love
What makes love so amazing? For starters, it is what motivated the Father to send His only Son to die for us. Without love, there would have been no redemption for mankind. Not only would we be without love, but without the redemption that was precipitated by love, there would also be no faith, and no hope. You see, nothing else matters, without love. It is foundational for every other good thing in our lives.
See all Light Reflection Daily Devotionals
Rebecca Livermore is a freelance writer and speaker. Her passion is helping people grow in Christ. She is the author of the weekly devotional column Relevant Reflections on www.studylight.org and is a part-time staff writer for Memorize Truth (www.memorizetruth.com). For more information visit Rebecca's Bio Page.
The Greatest Is Love is a devotional about the importance of developing faith, hope, and love in our Christian character. Based on 1 Corinthians 13:13, this devotional is part of the Light Reflection series by Rebecca Livermore.
By Gary Miller