Out of all of the "Christian words" out there, "love" might be the one that needs defining the most. For many, love is nothing more than a pitter-patter in the heart, or a warm, sensational feeling. For others, love is a romance word, associated with intimacy and Valentine's Day tokens of affection. Others more consider love to be a bad word: either a figment of man's imagination--an idea that hasn't worked out in personal experience--or a word that should just be avoided altogether because of its childish or effeminate overtones.
None of these perspectives on love matches the love of God described in the Bible. This love is given the term agape (ag-ah-pay) in the Greek New Testament, a word defined this way in Strong's:
Agapé is a term used in the New Testament to describe a selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love. It is the highest form of love, often associated with the love of God for humanity and the love that believers are called to have for one another. Unlike other Greek words for love, such as "eros" (romantic love) or "philia" (brotherly love), agapé is not based on emotions or feelings but is an act of the will, characterized by a commitment to the well-being of others.
To summarize, biblical love is a selfless, sacrificial, unconditional commitment to the well-being of another. Where's the pitter-patter? Where's the squishy-wishy blushing embarrassment? Where's the pessimism of a long chain of broken relationships? Nowhere to be found.
God has loved us with a selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love. He has committed Himself to our well-being in this way. And He has done this that we may take in His love and live it out toward one another. We are to love one another, and, dare I say, remind one another of this fact by expressing our love with our words. And when we hear a brother say, "I love you," let's receive it as that person reminding us of his selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional commitment to our well-being. What a blessing.
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