Fourth of Four Greek Words for Love
The Written Word
Over the last few weeks we have looked at three of the four Greek words for love; eros, the love shared between lovers; storge, the love shared within a family; and philia, the love of affection, of friendship. And for any who may not have read the previous blog posts, I would once again note that when I refer to the written word, I am referring to words put in writing, whether God’s words (the Bible) or the written words of this blog or my books, etc. And my desire in writing this blog is to pique your interest and stimulate your mind.
The Fourth of the Four Loves
Although we are looking at agape love last, it is the highest of the four loves. Not eros? Not the love of family? Not friendship or affection? How can agape possibly be the highest of the loves? How can it not be the highest of loves since as I John 4:8 and 16 clearly state, “God is love”?
When I googled agape love it gave this definition: “Agape love is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love. It is the highest of the four types of love in the Bible.” Wow! Even Google got it right! I believe their definition was taken from this article at thoughtco.com.
In that agape is “selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional” it is a love of choice, choosing to put others first, choosing to sacrifice for the benefit of others, and choosing to put no conditions on one’s love for another. It was agape love that sent Christ to Calvary: John 3:16 – “For God so loved [agape] the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” And Jesus told His disciples, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends…” (John 15:13-14) Pretty awesome!