“But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). “Love never faileth” (1 Corinthians 13:8). Love prompted the greatest Gift ever given (John 3:16). “Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).
The Greek vocabulary of the first century had a variety of words to express love. The term “agapao” (verb form) was a love of the will, a decision to do good toward others. “Phileo” had a shade of meaning more toward the emotional side, a love of tender affection. A compound of this word with “adelphos”(the word for “brother or “kinsman”) formed “Philadelphia,” brotherly love. “Storge” most commonly was used to describe love of parents toward children and children for parents, thus family love. “Eros” is a word that gave rise to our English word “erotic,” sexual love.
In our modern English, we must ask the one word “love” to serve all the usages just described. We “love” our spouses, our children, ice cream, a ball team and our dogs! How confusing!
Many modern marriages disintegrate when one or both partners say, “I don’t love you anymore!” Sadly, the reason this occurs is often because the marriage was built in the first place upon either “eros” and/or “phileo.” When someone speaks of “falling in love,” the implication is obvious. The emotional and/or sensual element was the driving force. Though at the altar the two spoke of commitment, the fact is, if you can “fall in love,” then you can “fall out of love!”
In contrast to this vacillating love, God commands, “Husbands, love your wives” (Ephesians 5:25). Here the word used is that love of the will, a deliberate decision. If more husbands would sustain activities that were in the best interest of their wives, more marriages would last. “Wives, be in subjection to your husbands” (Colossians 3:18). This would be a whole lot easier if the man was practicing unselfish love.
“A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34). Who do you love and with what kind of love?
