What is love?

[Ruth]

To the best of your knowledge, what is love?

 

[Josiah]

IMO, there are at least three "kinds" of love.....


AGAPE: Unconditional, unmerited, giving/serving/blessing love. I think of how much my parents and siblings loved me before I was born (so clearly didn't earn it!).... how much God loves us (even before we are born).... how parents and spouses sacrifice for each other (not considering it "sacrifice" at all). Mercy, grace. John 3:16.

PHILEO: The extension of approval, of liking. I love coffee. I love Disneyland. I love my car.

EROS: That physical and sexual kind of love.

I both agape and phileo my mom.....

I agape, phileo and eros my girlfriend.....

I phileo Italian food...


Just MY half cent....



- Josiah

 

[Ruth]

Thank you, that was very thoughtful. Some ideas I have about love are that love is caring, love is not judgemental, love is understanding unconditionally. Although that is not scripture they were my thoughts.

 

[JPPT1974]

Real love is from God. Plain and Simple!

 

[psalms 91]

Thank you, that was very thoughtful. Some ideas I have about love are that love is caring, love is not judgemental, love is understanding unconditionally. Although that is not scripture they were my thoughts.

Yes very much so

 

[MoreCoffee]

To the best of your knowledge, what is love?

God is said to be love. Perhaps the best definition comes from who God is and how God relates within the blessed Trinity? The Father loves the Son, the Son obeys the Father and loves him, the Spirit does the will of God and sheds the Love of God into the hearts of the faithful. Perhaps the love of God in the hearts of the faithful is a good indication of what love is but is it perfected in them yet?

1 John 4:7-17 NJB (7) My dear friends, let us love one another, since love is from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. (8) Whoever fails to love does not know God, because God is love. (9) This is the revelation of God's love for us, that God sent his only Son into the world that we might have life through him. (10) Love consists in this: it is not we who loved God, but God loved us and sent his Son to expiate our sins. (11) My dear friends, if God loved us so much, we too should love one another. (12) No one has ever seen God, but as long as we love one another God remains in us and his love comes to its perfection in us. (13) This is the proof that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us a share in his Spirit. (14) We ourselves have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as Saviour of the world. (15) Anyone who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. (16) We have recognised for ourselves, and put our faith in, the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. (17) Love comes to its perfection in us when we can face the Day of Judgement fearlessly, because even in this world we have become as he is.​

 

[Ruth]

God is said to be love. Perhaps the best definition comes from who God is and how God relates within the blessed Trinity? The Father loves the Son, the Son obeys the Father and loves him, the Spirit does the will of God and sheds the Lord of God into the hearts of the faithful. Perhaps the love of God in the hearts of the faithful is a good indication of what love is but is it perfected in them yet?

1 John 4:7-17 NJB (7) My dear friends, let us love one another, since love is from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. (8) Whoever fails to love does not know God, because God is love. (9) This is the revelation of God's love for us, that God sent his only Son into the world that we might have life through him. (10) Love consists in this: it is not we who loved God, but God loved us and sent his Son to expiate our sins. (11) My dear friends, if God loved us so much, we too should love one another. (12) No one has ever seen God, but as long as we love one another God remains in us and his love comes to its perfection in us. (13) This is the proof that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us a share in his Spirit. (14) We ourselves have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as Saviour of the world. (15) Anyone who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. (16) We have recognised for ourselves, and put our faith in, the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. (17) Love comes to its perfection in us when we can face the Day of Judgement fearlessly, because even in this world we have become as he is.​

Thanks.

 

[Ruth]

Yes very much so

Thanks Bill.

 

[Alithis]

Thank you, that was very thoughtful. Some ideas I have about love are that love is caring, love is not judgemental, love is understanding unconditionally. Although that is not scripture they were my thoughts.

the expression of love is well defined in corinthians ch 13

Love suffers long and is kind;
love does not envy;
love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely,
does not seek its own,
is not provoked,
thinks no evil; 6
does not rejoice in iniquity,
but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.
Love never fails...

and again 1 John 4:8
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

love is not unconditionally understanding because it rejoices in truth not iniquity.
so love also judges righteously for it sees and knows evil and seeks enduringly to right wrongs and heal the ones wounded by it and ultimately work to destroy the source of all which brings evil that it may cease and only love remains . thus love is not passive.
and love that does not have any manifest expression .. does not exist.

 

[psalms 91]

Thanks Bill.

Your welcome Ruth:wub: