When this happens, unfortunately the true deeper meaning of the word is lost in the weak translation. But no doubt Jesus used the word many more times that aren't recorded. The professing Christians on campus are always nagging me to preach love. We sincerely hope you have enjoyed learning about the four types of love and the Greek words that represent them in this free bible study article. Too often it is because of our laziness and we want to have a theology that says we can live in our pet sins and still go to heaven. Jesus, the Great Physician, felt amazing love for those who were rendered helpless by disease; whereas, many of the religious leaders of the day considered the physically disabled as cursed by God. The Greek word eros does not appear in the biblical text, so we will not spend time on it in this article, but it has had such an impact on English and our view of sexual love that it is important to mention. Club God's love is that He has taken time to warn us of sinful behavior and its consequences, he gave us His Law and the Prophets to both show us His will and point us to Jesus. The Greek word that refers to the love of God, one of the kinds of love we are to have for people, is agape. The Scriptures Where Jesus Speaks on Love. Jesus spoke on love 13 times some of these occurrences are parallel scriptures such as someone asking Him what the greatest commandment of all. Dear Unknown I would say that the epistles are "God's love letters" to the church, and the gospels are an historical account of the life of Jesus. There are four Greek words for love that are important for Bible students to understand. The number of times that love is mentioned in the Bible depends on the version of the Bible. Thanks for your interest in my blog. The difference between agape and phileo becomes very clear in John 21:15, but unfortunately it is obscured in almost all English translations. In fact, we sometimes speak of the "action model" of agape love. The inflation of pretty words and Hallmark sentiments bankr… The one who says "I know Him" and continues to sin is a liar. The second word for "love" we need to examine is phileo, which means "to have a special interest in someone or something, frequently with focus on close association; have affection for, like, consider someone a friend.". A mother who loves a sick baby will stay up all night long caring for it, which is not something she wants to do, but is a true act of agape love. I tell them that I follow the preaching of Jesus and the apostles in that I preach repentance from sins and faith in God -for this is how Jesus and His Apostles expressed their love for mankind. Jesus said it twice. In the New Testament, the word love is recorded the most in the book of 1John (thirty-three times) followed by the gospel of John (twenty-two times). It did not feel good to God to do that, but it was the loving thing to do. AGAPE is the most common word for love in the New Testament. Jesus used it when he spoke to his mother from the cross (19:26) and also when he spoke to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection (20:15)” (vol. It would probably be helpful if phileo were never translated "love" in the New Testament, because it refers to a strong liking or a strong friendship. * There is no single correct way to translate the ancient Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek Bible manuscripts into English. Nevertheless, it was important, because Jesus knew what Peter did not know, that Jesus would ascend into heaven leaving Peter and the other disciples to carry out his work on earth, which would require that they all be his good friends and do his will even when it meant hardship. Based on Jesus' definition of love - Do you love Him or offer Him lip service? This article lists many references to the Old Testament found on the lips of Jesus in the Gospels. If we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39), and everything in the Bible is God's love letter to us and supposed to bring us closer to Him, wouldn't he love his neighbors as well? Read Revelation 22:6 and 16. "No one," thunders the apostle Paul in Romans 8:35-39. Jesus said, "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me..." (John 14:21a). After being raised from the dead, Jesus met Peter. After all, Jesus had just gone through horrendous torture for Peter's sake (and ours), something he did not want to do but did anyway because of his agape love. Of interest is the fact that while John is called “the beloved disciple,” the word “beloved” (agapetos) does not appear in this Gospel. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (So really, we would have no idea how many times Jesus actually used the word 'peace' throughout his lifetime.) Pointing out evil can be done without resulting in "evil" and hateful ways that only serve to tear people apart even further. The Greek word for romantic, sexual love or passionate love is eros; and we get English words such as "erotic." Five times Jesus is worshipped. His love for the sinner is so deep, he was willing to pour it out. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. With the 3rd question about Peter's love for Jesus, Jesus goes to Peter's level and asks him if he even has phileo for him and tests even "the truth of the feeling which St. Peter claimed" (p. 303). Thank you, in our humanity we all want certainty. Lastly, we Christians and other followers of God need to have storge love between us, a deep family affection that comforts us and helps us feel connected to our immediate genetic family as well as all our extended spiritual family. Storge: Love of family; Parent/child, siblings, cousins, etc. One is at the end of John chapter nine and another is Revelation five where the Lamb of God is worshipped. Christ so loved (agape) that he gave his life. In fact, we sometimes speak of the "action model" of agape love. To say that God's entire bible or revealed revelation is "His love letter" is quite monolithic. In such times, the love of most will grow cold and sometimes turn to hate (verses 10, 12). Twice in John 13:34 and once in John 13:35. The word aselgeia is used ten times in the New Testament. How many times does the Bible say “God is love”? The four Greek words for love are agape, phileo, eros and storge. 5:44; Exod. These healings included curing diseases (John 4:46–52) and casting out demons (Mark 7:24–30; 9:14–27). It occurs 259 times as a verb or as a noun. Eros love is important for starting a family and in the formation of deep, longs lasting bonds of strength between a husband and wife in marriage. The grammar, structure, and style of those languages are very different from English, and a literal word-for-word translation is not possible. Again Jesus spoke on love 13 times, He preached some 190 times on hell, repentance and judgement. The books of the old testament are an account of man from Adam through the prophets. In his mind, he may have been wondering if Jesus held Peter's denial against him. The key word there is “usually.” The A.V. Agape is love because of what it does, not because of how it feels… We need to have phileo love because we need true friends to stand with us, people who are emotionally connected to us and with whom we can share our deepest thoughts and feelings. A seemingly faithful friend swore, Brother, I love you! If you can't love God enough to restrain from your sins...as Jesus said "The one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is not worthy of my kingdom". It occurs in Romans 12:10 in the word, philostorgos, which is a compound word made up of philos (the noun form of phileo) and storge. In the New King James Version it is found in two different verses. Other reference sources from: www.TruthOrTradition.com, Phone/Text: (442) 273-0073 Word Counts: How Many Times Does a Word Appear in the Bible? The way to know that we love (agape) God is that we keep His commandments. Anyways if you wish to repost it please do. Jesus was asking Peter if he loved him with the love of God, a love that may require sacrifice. The command ‘love one another’ appears 11 times in the New Testament, including 3 times from Jesus himself and 4 times ‘love each other’ command with Jesus uttering it twice. By Staff Writer Last Updated Mar 27, 2020 6:04:29 PM ET. Agape is the very nature of God, for God is love (1 John 4:7-12, 16). only to kiss her cheek and depart to his mistresss bed. Romans 12:10 is a very important verse, directing us to be very loving and kind to each other. There are Christians who say they love God, but their lifestyle is contrary to the will of God. Why do you charge God with such foolishness? But note I John 3:2, 21; 4:1, 7, 11 and III John 2, 5, 11 where John uses it in address to his readers. Jesus: Simon…do you love (phileo) me? Anarchy will prevail. Lawlessness will also increase. We have to judge people daily and their views so don't go over board with the "judge not" stuff or you might find yourself in the camp with most of the spineless Evangelical Christians of today. This is from the New International Version. Eros love is the type of love celebrated by the USA holiday known as Valentine's Day. Why did Jesus use agape and Peter use phileo? Love: Luke emphasized the love of Jesus for all mankind, particularly the poor, the disadvantaged, children, women, and even the hated Samaritans. God told us to love our neighbor, "He" doesn't have any neighbors. Wake up, and stop your sinning - Paul, Love is to want the highest and best for someone – why mom, The professing Christians on campus are always nagging me to preach love. 92085 United States. Romans 12:10 (Expanded translation) "As to your brotherly love, let there be deep friendship and family-affection toward one another.". Jesus twice asked Peter, "Do you agape me? Three of them appear in the Bible. There must be more open dialog that leads to better understanding so that "evil" ways can be shown from a less combative way. In this example, you can clearly see how using the simple word "love" has obscured the true deeper meaning of their conversation. Human nature is to defend one's self, and if someone is felt they are being attacked they will simply retaliate. I do not recall all that I originally said. i pray that you experience love in its unlimited capacity and that the fruits of the spirit come into your life to profoundly move your heart to hear the call of Gods commandments in your life. There is no single correct way to translate the ancient Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek Bible manuscripts into English. When eros was used as a proper noun, it referred to the Greek god of love. in which God is then limited? The latter appears in John thirteen times (5:20; 11:3, 36; 12:25; 15:19; 16:27; 20:2; 21:15-17). The command "love one another" appears eleven times in the Bible, all in the New Testament. In a very close family, agape is felt as well. The fourth Greek word we need to understand is storge, which is the love and affection that naturally occurs between parents and children, can exist between siblings, and exists between husbands and wives in a good marriage. Box 3406, Vista, CA. Remember the bible says "Open rebuke is better than secret love". Rather, agape love is an exercise of the will, a deliberate choice. Besides, there's no need to try to force that interpretation when there is a much clearer and textually supported reason Peter would be grieved, the three-fold repetition that … These people mistake their feeling of affection for God for true agape love. Here is the short version of what they said to each other: Jesus: Simon…do you love (agape) me more than these [fish?]. Of course, we see how phileo gets translated "love," because in modern culture we say we "love" things that we strongly like: "I love ice cream," "I love my car," "I love the way your hair looks," etc. Peter was not sure where he stood with Jesus, so he was trying to let Jesus know that he was still a true friend, and had phileo love for Jesus. 3. Well you most certainly judge people and their views; Jesus commands us to judge but to do it with good intentions. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.” These warnings are for our safety, issued because of God’s great love for us. The table below gives some word counts for four popular versions of the Bible. Jesus does not use phileo as a "lesser" love but often uses it interchangeably with agapeo. Let's take a closer look at each of the four different types of love. In the book of Acts (Evangelist's field manual) the word love isn't mentioned once, but rather the apostles preached "Repent and believe...", bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despise you, and persec, Mt 19:9 Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shall, 7. Phileo: Love between friends May you be released by the Crucifixion's power to be healed of your judgement and rest in the face of Jesus Christ having saved you from that judgement and may you not feel the need to judge another with threats of hell but invite all people with open and knowledgeable understanding of the restorative justice of the kingdom of God. as she devoured him like a black widow. People today are accustomed to thinking of love as a feeling, but that is not necessarily the case with agape love. Go live in a Moslem country and see how long your faith holds out! 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”. So we may conclude that talk is cheap. The unfaithful husband sang, My bride, my jewel, I love you! Life: John used the word ‘life’ many times more Things are so bad that the worship books for many denominations turn to John 2:1-11, where Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding feast, to claim that Jesus blessed marriage. You can agape your enemies, but you cannot phileo them. The Bible records that many parents, knowing Jesus’ love for children and His ability to perform miracles, brought their ailing children to Jesus to be healed. Read about the. Sorry I saw your comment in my email yesterday but wasn't on this site. At least that's my opinion and the way I choose to approach things, and the way I believe the Lord desires us to do. In the New American Standard Version, love is mentioned 348 times — 133 times in the Old Testament and 215 times … Paul said "knowing the terror of the Lord we persuade men". Jesus made this clear: "He who does not love me will not obey my teaching…" (John 14:24a). The point is that agape love is not simply an impulse generated from feelings. Maybe I some how declined it without knowing I did. The big key to understanding agape is to realize that it can be known from the action it prompts. The big key to understanding agape is to realize that it can be known from the action it prompts. The third time Jesus spoke to Peter, he came to Peter's level and asked if Peter were indeed a true friend (phileo), which grieved Peter. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" The core mission of Jesus was love, acceptance and forgiveness but now, more than ever, we can appreciate why He spent so much time talking … With over 4,500 questions divided into 14 topical sections, trivia buffs will be tested on such topics as Crimes and Punishments, Military Matters, Things to Eat and Drink, and Matters of Life and Death. Would he still treat Peter as a close associate and companion? We have the powerful ability to look back at history and culture to see the difference. Take note that only once is there any hint of, 1. do we only know love if we have checked a list like the pharisees? 9, p. 42). The word "love" appears 310 times in the King James Bible, 348 times in the New American Standard Bible, 551 times in the New International Version and 538 times in the New Revised Standard Version. The "fruit" Jesus is expecting are deeds of love that demonstrate our relationship to God. Agape love is related to obedience and commitment, and not necessarily feeling and emotion. Savio Sebastian/CC-BY-2.0. Jesus said, “For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto the remission of sins.” This ought to enlighten us regarding what Jesus taught about sin. At the same time, Jesus was giving Peter an opportunity to reaffirm his love for Christ. Eros love is a very important component between a man and a woman that leads to a holy union of marriage, subsequent procreation and the formation of deep long lasting bonds of strength and trust. 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Four Greek words for love in the New Testament casting out demons ( Mark 7:24–30 ; 9:14–27....