The ground of our salvation is God’s love; apart from this love
there would be no gospel to preach (Jn. 3:16; Eph. 2:4-7; Tit. 3:3-5; 1
Jn.4:9). In order therefore to understand and appreciate the good news
of salvation, we must first be rooted and grounded in God’s love (Eph.
3:14-19).
The Bible clearly teaches that “God is love” (1 Jn.4:8, 16). This
does not mean that one of God’s attributes is love, but that He is love
and therefore everything else about Him and His acts must be
understood in the context of this love, including His law (Mat. 22:36-40)
and His wrath (Rom. 1:18-32. Note how Paul defines God’s wrath in the
passive (vss. 24, 26, 28; love does not coerce but lets go when we
deliberately choose our own way).
The greatest stumbling block to understanding God’s love is our
own human love. Most Christians make the mistake of projecting
human ideals of love on to God. By doing this we reduce God’s love to a
human level; the result is that we not only misrepresent God but also
distort the gospel of His saving grace in Christ. It is for this reason Paul
wants Christians to understand “the love of Christ, which passeth
knowledge” (Eph. 3:19).
One major cause for this problem, as we shall see below, has to do
with our modern languages. The English language, like most modern
languages, has only one word for love. This makes it very difficult when
reading our English Bibles to distinquish between human concepts of
love, all of which are polluted with self-love, and God’s love. In
Scripture, God’s love (agape) completely contradicts human love
(phileo) so that the two cannot be compared but only contrasted.
Please note the following:
Isaiah 55:8, 9. Millions of light years separate
God’s thoughts and ways from ours.
Matthew 5:43-48. In contrast to human love (vs.
43), Christ taught what God’s love is like and how this love must
distinguish the Christian from unbelievers (vss. 44-48). Note John
13:34, 35 also.
Romans 5:6-8. In verses 6 and 8 Paul explains
God’s love in contrast to human love (vs. 7).
Distinction Between God’s Agape and Human
Phileo
Unlike most of our modern languages (including English), which
have only one word for love, the New Testament writers had at least
four words in the Greek language to choose from when writing about
divine and human love. These four words were:
Storge—Family love or love for one’s own kin.
Phileo—Affectionate love between two people or
brotherly love.
Eros—Its common meaning was love between opposite
sexes and from which the English got its word erotic. However, Plato
gave it a very noble and spiritual meaning and called it “heavenly
eros” (platonic love), and defined it as detaching oneself
from sensual and materialistic interests and seeking after “God.”
Thus eros as Plato defined it became the highest form of
human love to the Greeks.
Agape—An obscure word, especially in its noun
form, which generally meant loving others without a selfish motive.
Since the New Testament was writen in Greek which had these
four different words for love to choose from, the New Testament writers
could distinquish God’s love from human love by the use of different
words and this they did. The word eros never appears in the New
Testament, and the most common word used to describe human love is
phileo. God’s love, on the other hand, is defined by all the New
Testament writers as agape.
A good example of how two different words are used in the Greek
New Testament for love but translated into the same word in English is
John 21:15-17. In the first two questions Jesus used the verb form of
agape (love that never fails, 1 Cor.13:8). Peter, on the other
hand, responded with a phileo, human affection, both times.
The third time Jesus switched to phileo, and it is this that
“grieved” Peter.
In the New Testament agape was given a very special meaning
derived from God’s revelation in the holy history of Christ, and which
was supremely demonstrated on the cross (Rom 5:6-10). It completely
contradicts phileo and even heavenly eros (which to
the Greeks was the highest form of love) in at least three ways:
Human love (heavenly eros or phileo) is conditional
and therefore reciprocal. It needs arousing and depends on outward beauty
or goodness. When this human love is projected onto God it perverts the
gospel into legalism or conditional good news or good advice. Note how
man must do something good before God can save or even listen to him.
In contrast, God’s love (agape) is unconditional and therefore
spontaneous, uncaused, and independent of our goodness or self-worth.
With this understanding of God’s love, salvation or the gospel becomes
unconditional good news (Rom. 5:6-10; Eph. 2:4-6; Tit. 3:3-5). It is for
this reason the Bible clearly teaches that mankind is saved by grace
alone—undeserving or unmerited favor (Acts 15:11; Rom. 3:24; 5:15;
11:6; Eph. 1:7; 2:8, 9; Tit. 1:14; 2:11; 3:7).
Human love (heavenly eros or phileo) is changeable.
This means it is a love that fluctuates and is unreliable. A good example
is Peter. He promises Christ at the Passover feast: “I am ready to go with
thee, both into prison and to death” (Lk. 22:31-34). Yet when the test
came he failed miserably. In this respect it is worthy to note the
dialogue between Jesus and Peter after the resurrection, as already
mentioned above (Jn. 21:15-17). Twice Jesus asked Peter the question,
“Lovest (agapao) thou me more than these?” and both times Peter
responded, “Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love (phileo) thee”
(vss. 15, 16). The third time Jesus switched and said “lovest
(phileo) thou me?”
It was not the same question with which Jesus confronted Peter
the third time. It was as if He were saying, “Peter, is this the only
kind of love (phileo, this unreliable human love) you have
for me?” No wonder Peter was “grieved” by this last question. But he
was now a truly converted man (in the sense that he had lost all
confidence in himself, Phil. 3:3) and in humility he replied, “Lord,
thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love (phileo)
thee” (vs.17). This is the only kind of love (phileo or
eros) that human beings can generate in and of themselves.
(Incidentally, the high divorce rate in the United States is
primarily due to this fluctuating, unreliable human love, devoid of
agape).
In complete contrast, God’s love (agape) is changeless. It
is this fact that prompted Him to declare to the unfaithful Jews,
“I have loved thee with an everlasting love” (Jer. 31:3). According
to Paul’s description of God’s love, “agape never fails”
(1 Cor. 13:8). This was clearly demonstrated on the cross when
“having loved His own which were in the world, he loved (agapao)
them unto the end” (Jn. 13:1). When we Christians realize God’s
unchanging love for us and are “rooted and grounded in agape”
(Eph. 3:17), we will be able to say with the great apostle Paul:
“Who shall separate us from the love [agape] of Christ? ...
For I am persuaded, that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, not things to come,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate
us from the love [agape] of God, which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord” (Rom. 8:35-39).
Human love, at its very best (heavenly eros) is self-seeking.
We are by nature egocentric and therefore everything we do and think, in
and of ourselves, is polluted with self-love or selfishness. Hence man’s
love is always trying to ascend, whether it be socially, politically,
academically, materially, economically, or even religiously; we are all
slaves to our “own way” (Isa. 53:6; Phil. 2:21). As we saw in our last
study, we are all shaped in “iniquity” (bent to self). Consequently all of
us, without exception, are coming short of God’s glory or agape
love (Rom. 3:23).
But God’s love (agape) is the very opposite. It is self-giving.
It was because of this that Christ did not cling to His equality with
the Father, but emptied Himself and became God’s slave, obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross (Phil. 2:6-8). All His earthly life,
Christ demonstrated God’s agape (Jn. 17:4, first part.) This
is “the glory as of the only begotten of the Father” which the disciples
beheld (Jn 1:14). He lived for the benefit of others; He actually became
poor for our sakes, that we “through His poverty might be rich” (2 Cor. 8:9).
There is no self-love in God’s love (1 Cor. 13:5), and it is this love
produced in the lives of Christians through the indwelling Spirit (Rom.
5:5; Gal. 5:22) that is the most powerful witness of the transforming
power of the gospel (Jn.13:34, 35). This is what Christ meant when,
addressing his followers, He said: “You are the light of the world.... Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works [of
agape], and glorify your Father, which is in heaven” (Mat.
5:14, 16).
The supreme manifestation of God’s self-giving love was
demonstrated on the cross when Christ tasted the second death for all
mankind (Heb. 2:9). This second death is obvious since believers who
are justified in Christ still have to die the first or sleep death but will be
exempted from the second death (Rev. 20:6). The second death is the
cessation of life or saying goodbye to life forever. On the cross Christ
was submitting to this death. He was willing to be deprived of life
forever (not just three days) that we may live in His place (this will be
covered in detail in the fourth unit). It was this self-emptying love that
transformed His disciples who before the cross were dominated by
self-interest (Lk. 22:24). Likewise, when we get a glimpse of this
self-sacrificing love of Christ shining from the cross of Calvary, we too
will be transformed (2 Cor. 5:14, 15).
In concluding this contrast between human and divine love, may it
become clear to every reader that it is only when we realize these
threefold qualities of God’s agape love (unconditional,
changeless, and self-giving), that the gospel comes to us as
unconditional good news of salvation. And when we are “rooted and
grounded” in this agape love we will cast out all fear and will be
able to serve our God with an unselfish motive (1 Jn. 4:7,12, 16-18).
Studies
Pr Jack Sequeira
