What are the 4 loves?

Hey lover,

your life is worthless…

… without Love.

Love is so essential to life that John writes:

You see, here’s the problem: the English language uses one word to describe everything.

I love nutella.
I love my friend Galonzo.
I love my wife.

The same word used for wildly different meanings.

“Love” gets thrown around so much that it loses its meaning.

Anyways.

The Greeks were smarter.

They had not one, but at least FOUR different words for love.

And since the New Testament was written in Greek, it’s important for us to learn these Greek words to accurately understand the intentions of the Bible’s writers.

So here it is, the first Greek word for “love”:

This is the natural affection between family members. It’s the love between you and your annoying little brother.

The second is:

Used to describe your love for friends and camaraderie.

The Bible uses this Greek word when Jesus says, “I have called you friends (Philia), because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.” (John 15:15)

Nice.

Ready to spice it up?

Here’s Frank’s favorite word:

It means romantic, passionate, and sometimes, sexual love.

Since the bible is basically one big marriage story from start to finish, Eros is used everywhere in it.

Pope Benedict XVI gave my favorite definition of eros: “the upward impulse of the human heart towards what is True, Good, and Beautiful.”

Moving on.

Now, to the last word.

The big one.

The fourth and MOST IMPORTANT Greek word for love, is…

This is the crown jewel of love. The highest form of love.

It is also the most used word for love in the Bible.

Why? Because it is the love that God showed us on the cross, and the love He commands us to have for one another (John 15:12-13; Matthew 22:37-39). It is not based on merit of the person being loved, but rather based on their inherent worth as an image bearer of God. It is a love that continues to give even when the other is unkind, unresponsive, and unworthy.

Which means, it is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional, and generous.

Caution: Many think that eros is bad and agape is the solution. Not true! Agape is not a replacement for eros but a perfection of eros.

Agape redirects your focus from "what can I get?" to seeking the ultimate good of the beloved.

Without agape, eros becomes lust.

Without agape, a person becomes an object for your use, not someone whom you desire for their own good.

So the two together (eros and agape) is what we call “true love”.

Relax, Frank. We just learned that the “love” you have for Nutella is the bottom floor of the word.

You’re still living the lowest possible depth of love.

Add a little bit of agape to it!

You should begin noticing that love deepens when it becomes less about self-interest and more about self-giving.

There you go.

Now you’re learning to give what you love, as an act of love!

Baa,

Stay Holy 🐑

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P.P.S. read also What does the rainbow mean? 🌈

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