What is Love?

What is Love? In our sophisticated, modern day society, we have a plethora of words for something simple, like a cup of coffee.  We can say joe, cappuccino, latte, espresso, decaf or fully leaded.  Each describes a certain kind or variety of the basic coffee.  Strangely, the English language, with all its nuances, only has one word for LOVE.  Just one tiny, 4-letter word which can be either a noun or a verb, to serve a wide array of situations.  The ancient Greeks, on the other hand, had 6! Here they are:
 1. Eros, or sexual passion. The first kind of love was eros, named after the Greek god of fertility, and it represented the idea of sexual passion and desire.
2. Philia, or deep friendship. The second variety of love was philia or friendship, which the Greeks valued far more than the base sexuality of eros. Philia concerned the deep comradely friendship that developed between brothers in arms who had fought side by side on the battlefield.
3. Ludus, or playful love. This was the Greeks' idea of playful love, which referred to the affection between children or young lovers.
4. Agape, or love for everyone. The fourth love, and perhaps the most radical, was agape or selfless love. This was a love that you extended to all people, whether family members or distant strangers. Agape was later translated into Latin ascaritas, which is the origin of our word "charity."
5. Pragma, or longstanding love. Another Greek love was the mature love known as pragma. This was the deep understanding that developed between long-married couples.
6. Philautia, or love of the self The Greek's sixth variety of love was philautia or self-love.

Not surprisingly, the Bible uses love at least 703 times, covering all the Greek definitions, but more importantly it’s used to describe the nature of its author, God.  “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” 1 John 4:16.  So then, what does it mean to live in love?  Number 4, Agape, most accurately sums it up.  A love extended to all people, even those you don’t particularly like.  Jesus puts it this way: “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” John 13:34.  Impossible, you say?  Without God, yes, and even with his abiding Spirit, it still goes against our inborn nature.

 Today, as we think about Love on Valentine’s Day, I urge you to go beyond romance, chocolates and such. You certainly don’t have to forsake those things, but give some serious thought, and prayer, to becoming more loving in the sense God intends. It will astound you how that simple act can change not only your little world, but the whole world around you.  Please read the 13th Chapter of 1 Corinthians, the quintessential go-to source on the subject.  “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”  1 Corinthians 13