Kinds Of Love In The Bible

What Is The Meaning Of True Love For Christians

You may wonder about the meaning of true love in our modern societies, particularly because popular culture can send conflicting and confusing messages about modern sexuality.

Regardless of whether you’re married, single, living in a family, or living on your own, you should aim for a form of divine love in all of your relationships with others.

The concept of romantic love and eros is found throughout scripture, and it’s something to be celebrated.

However, the Bible is very clear in its message that eros love and sexual desire should be reserved for the sanctity of marriage. Love within marriage is sacred, and God acknowledges the important role of sex in marriage for emotional and spiritual bonding, as well as reproduction.

Eros love is celebrated throughout scripture. It’s part of God’s design, and God intended it to be a blessing shared by married couples in a loving relationship to strengthen their bond.

Proverbs 5:18-19 invites a married man to celebrate the beauty of his wife:

âLet your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight be intoxicated always in her love.â

Single Christians searching for a long-term relationship should be looking for a form of love that is mature and longer-lasting and not driven solely by âerosâ or âludos.â

When you do this, you’re more likely to attract the right kind of love into your life.

What Is Phileo Love In Scripture

You may be able to guess the type of love meant by phileo love if you know that the nickname of the city of Philadelphia is the city of brotherly love. The word phileo is expressly used in the Bible and refers to the warmth and affinity shared by close friends, almost as if those friends were actual siblings.

A memorable way to think of phileo love is to see it as storge love applied to non-family members . Interestingly, the Greek translation of the Biblical passage telling us to be devoted to one another in love, uses the Greek word philadelphia in instructing us to love our neighbors as if they were our brothers .

Phileo love is seen in Scripture in the passage about the raising of Lazarus. There, were told that Jesus wept at the sight of His friend Mary and others weeping over the death of Lazarus . At the site of Jesus crying, one witness in the passage pointed out the depth of Jesuss love for Lazarus by using a derivative of the word phileo to exclaim, See how He loved him! .

What Is Eros Love In The Bible

Eros love is originated from the mythical Greek god of love, sensual wish, bodily lure, and physical love, Eros, whose Roman equivalent was Cupid.

It is a greek word which is pronounced as AIR-ohs.

When believer Paul was on his mission to establish churches in the eastern Mediterranean places, he had to face strong opposition from Promiscuity of all types as it was widespread across the entire Greek culture.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul advises young supporters against acceding to sin.

Here is how it goes:

Oh, that he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is more delightful than wine. The fragrance of your perfume is intoxicating your name is perfume poured out. No wonder young women adore you. Take me with youlet us hurry. Oh, that the king would bring me to his chambers.

The Bible affirms sexuality as a critical aspect of human existence and therefore scholars relate Eros love to the honour of Gods commands i.e.

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her?

For, as it is written, The two will become one flesh. But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

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What Are The 4 Types Of Love In The Bible

C.S. Lewis wrote a book called The Four Loves, dealing with the four classical loves, usually spoken of by their Greek names, Eros, Storge, Philia, and Agape. Those of us who have grown up in evangelical churches have probably heard of at least two.

Although only two of these actual words show up in the Bible, all four kinds of love are there. In this post, I want to define each of these terms, point to examples of them in Scripture, and exhort the reader to practice them in a godly way.

Gods Love Is All Around Us

Godâs love surrounds us. The language of love is scattered throughout scriptures â particularly divine love.

Our love for Christ should be a perfect reflection of Godâs love for all His people. This is how we imitate Christ â in showing love not just to our immediate loved ones but to our friends, our family members, our neighbors, and even strangers.

You can embrace love by emulating the word of God, such as Ephesians 4:2-3:

“…with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

When we learn agape love, we’ll attract the best type of love from others in return.

If you want to learn more about love and how the Bible interprets it, download the pray.com app â for daily prayer, bedtime Bible stories, and more â in the and Apple Store.

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What Is Storge Love In The Bible

Storge is a term for love in the Bible that you may not be familiar with. This Greek word describes family love, the affectionate bond that develops naturally between parents and children, and brothers and sisters.

Many examples of family love are found in Scripture, such as the mutual protection among Noah and his wife, the love of Jacob for his sons, and the strong love the sisters had for their brother Lazarus. An interesting compound word using storge, “philostorgos,” is found in Romans 12:10, which commands believers to “be devoted” to one another with brotherly affection.

Christians are members of God’s family. Our lives are knit together by something stronger than physical tiesthe bonds of the Spirit. We are related by something more powerful than human bloodthe blood of Jesus Christ. God calls his children to love each other with the deep affection of storge love.

What Is A Good Bible Verse For Love

1 Peter 4:8 says, Above all, love one another deeply, for love covers a multitude of sins. Ephesians 5:21 says, Submit to one another in reverence for Christ. 1 John 4:8 says that anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love. And now these three remain faith, hope, and love, according to 1 Corinthians 13:13.

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Philautia: Love Of The Self

Self-love is linked with confidence and self-worth and is necessary for a sense of purpose and fitting-in. Philautia can be unhealthy and linked to narcissistic behaviors and arrogance, or can be healthy in the sense that we love ourselves before we learn how to love others. Greek philosophers believed that true happiness could only be achieved when one had unconditional love for themselves.

Eros Love In Marriage

God is very clear in his Word that eros love is reserved for marriage. Sex outside of marriageis forbidden. God created humans male and female and instituted marriage in the Garden of Eden. Within marriage, sex is used for emotional and spiritual bonding and reproduction.

The Apostle Paul noted that it is wise for people to marry to fulfill their godly desire for this type of love:

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What Does The Bible Say About Agape Love

Agape is the highest of the four biblical types of love. This phrase expresses Gods unfathomable, incomparable love for humanity. God is the source of divine love. Agape love is perfect, unconditional, sacrificial, and pure.

In the way he lived and died, Jesus Christ demonstrated this kind of divine love to his Father and to all humanity: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

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Jesus asked the apostle Peter if he loved him after his resurrection . Peter replied three times that he did, but he used the word phileo, which means brotherly love . At Pentecost, Peter had not yet received the Holy Spirit, so he was incapable of agape love. However, after Pentecost, Peter was so filled with Gods love that he spoke from the heart, and 3,000 people were converted.

Love is one of the most powerful emotions a person can feel. For Christian believers, the truest test of genuine faith is love. The Bible teaches us how to experience love in all of its forms and to share it with others in the way that God intended.

Colour Wheel Theory Of Love

The colour wheel theory of love is an idea created by the Canadian psychologist John Alan Lee that describes six love styles, using several Latin and Greek words for love. First introduced in his book Colours of Love: An Exploration of the Ways of Loving , Lee defines three primary, three secondary, and nine tertiary love styles, describing them in the traditional colour wheel. The three primary types are Eros, Ludus, and Storge, and the three secondary types are Mania, Pragma, and Agape.

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What Is Eros Love In Scripture

Eros love refers to romantic or sexual love, and is the root of the English word . Eros or sexual love in and of itself is not impure, but is a gift from God to married couples so that they may express their love with one another and continue the human race.

While the word eros doesnt appear in Scripture, the Song of Solomon was written to commend the virtues of passionate love shared between a husband and wife. The Song of Solomon begins with a brides profession of passionate love for her husband: Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is more delightful than wine .

As the Song of Solomon makes clear, God intended for married couples to love each other emotionally as well as physically.

Notably, eros love is the only type of love that, if practiced without restraint, can become a sin. The Bible warns us that eros love without boundaries amounts to sexual immorality .

This is because eros love can tear apart relationships if it focuses solely on ones personal gratification. In contrast, agape, storge, and phileo love seek to strengthen relationships by emphasizing kindness and sacrifice toward others.

Throughout the journey of our lives, we communicate love in different ways and with different levels of intensity depending on the person who is receiving our love. As Christians, love is at the heart of our beliefs.

In English The Word Love Is Used To Describe All Sorts Of Scenarios And Feelings

A man and woman fall in love. A child loves his favorite toy. A parent deeply loves their child. People love restaurants, sports teams, countries, and countless other things. The same word is used to describe many different types of love.

The Greeks understood that there are many different types of love and came up with at least four different words to describe it. Because Greek was the prevalent language of the day, the New Testament was written in Greek. Additionally, the Old Testament was translated into Greek .

Early Christians would have been familiar with the different Greek words for love and would have probably had those words in mind when reading the Bible.

The four Greek words for love are:

While only two of these words are actually found in the Bible, the concepts behind all four are most certainly present.

In this post, were going to look at the different types of love in the Bible, as well as examples of each type.

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A Simple And Practical Guide That Will Help You Have A Better Relationship With God Through Hearing His Voice

This epic book with give you simple, powerful and practical step-by-step teachings, examples and exercises with easy to follow instructions. These resources and tools will equip you to have a healthy and more intimate Love Relationship with Jesus Christ by hearing God’s voice and being able to sense your Heavenly Father’s activity in and around your daily life.

Gods Tough Love For Humankind

So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the Lord.

Leviticus 22:31

The dictionary definition of tough love defines it as enforcing certain constraints on a person for promoting their welfare or requiring them to take responsibility for their actions.

Keep His statutes and commandments, which I am giving you today, so that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for all time.

Deuteronomy 4:40

In the above verse, Moses tells the people that honoring God and following his rules for living as found in the Scriptures will bring prosperity and long life. God showed his tough love for humankind by giving rules to benefit, not oppress them.

When this failed, God took the unprecedented step of having his son live, suffer and die as a human to free humankind from the bondage of sin under the law by paying the price in their place.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

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The Greatest Of These Is Love

What makes love so amazing? For starters, it is what motivated the Father to send His only Son to die for us. Without love, there would have been no redemption for mankind. Not only would we be without love, but without the redemption that was precipitated by love, there would also be no faith, and no hope. You see, nothing else matters, without love. It is foundational for every other good thing in our lives.

See all Light Reflection Daily Devotionals

Rebecca Livermore is a freelance writer and speaker. Her passion is helping people grow in Christ. She is the author of the weekly devotional column Relevant Reflections on www.studylight.org and is a part-time staff writer for Memorize Truth . For more information visit Rebecca’s Bio Page.

The Greatest Is Love is a devotional about the importance of developing faith, hope, and love in our Christian character. Based on 1 Corinthians 13:13, this devotional is part of the Light Reflection series by Rebecca Livermore.

The Other Types Of Love That We Experience

Stepping aside from Greek words for love as described in the Bible, now we take a look at the different types of love that we experience nowadays.

In this section, we dive even further into the Triangular theory of love by Robert Sternberg and using the three components of love we find different combinations of 7 forms of love.

Non-love Described as the absence of all three components of love.

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What Does Love Actually Mean

It is difficult to define love because everyones perception of real love can be dramatically different. People often get confused between lust, attraction, and companionship.

Hence, there is no one best definition of love.

However, what does love mean can be summarised as an intense feeling of euphoria and deep affection for someone or something.

Love is the glue that keeps a relationship strong and solid. It is deeply biological and often considered to be unconditional.

Unconditional implies that there are no desires or limitations. To genuinely and unconditionally love someone is difficult for most human beings as we arent good at that. Be that as it may, genuine love truly cherishes without attempting to change the other individual.

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