What does the good book have to say about everyone's favorite subject at this time of the year -- love?
Describing a biblical view of love turns out to be no simple matter. First off, the Bible was written in both Hebrew and Greek, and each of these languages has multiple words that we translate as "love." (On this count, Hebrew wins out with about a dozen words expressing a range of emotions from sexual desire to intimate friendship, and from covenantal fidelity to acts of mercy and kindness.)
There are also understandings of love floating around among different authors. So what the author of the Song of Solomon says about love isn't the same as what the author(s) of Genesis say, which isn't the same as what John says, which isn't the same as Paul ... and so on. All of which means that not only is there no single view of love in the Bible but any larger scheme you propose by which to organize these various treatises on love will inevitably fall short.
Nevertheless it may still be a useful, if far from perfect, endeavor. To get at it, I'll borrow the classic formula that distinguishes between three Greek words: eros, romantic, passionate love, from which we get our word "erotic"; phileo, the love of great friends and siblings, from which we get "Philadelphia," the "city of brotherly love"; and agape, parental, self-sacrificing love that seeks only the welfare of the other. All three kinds of love are represented in the Bible, which means that all three are considered to be created and blessed by God.
Eros is the emotion we probably think of first when thinking of love, especially the love of Valentine's Day and pop music. While the word itself is not present in the Greek New Testament, it depicts the passionate desire that unites lover and beloved praised in the Song of Solomon. Its presence in the Bible testifies not only that humans are moved by beauty and desire, but also that passion, romance, and sexual intimacy are an essential element of God's good creation and the human experience.
Phileo, in contrast, is a more stable and constant emotion. Constancy not withstanding, however, phileo it is also a powerful emotion that captures the love of great friends. Jesus weeps for Lazarus, whom he loved (phileo) (John 11:35), while Jonathan and David share a bond so strong that it induces Jonathan to forsake allegiance to his father in support of his beloved friend. Phileo is ultimately not about passion as much as it is about commitment, the love that binds one to another in enduring friendship.
Agape dominates the New Testament but is more rare in contemporary literature of the Greek-speaking world of the first century. Scholars agree that it best captures what we might call "Christian love." Agape depicts the self-sacrificing love of a parent for a child and describes both God's love for the world as shown in Christ and the love Christians should show each other and all people. As to the former, think of Tim Tebow's - and, indeed, the world's - favorite Bible verse: "For God so loved - agape - the world that he gave his only Son..." (John 3:16). As to the latter, think of Paul's great hymn to love: "Love - agape - is patient and kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends" (1 Cor. 13:4-8a).
As nice and neat as these distinctions are, however, as soon as you make them you begin to watch them unravel. For many have wondered if Jonathan's friendship with David was not tinged with a hint of eros even as it also embodies the self-sacrificing love of agape. And, truth be told, agape and phileo are often used interchangeably in the New Testament. Jesus, as it turns out, loves Lazarus in terms of both phileo (John 11:35) and agape (11:5). And while Paul at points depicts marriage as a remedy for the consuming, burning passions of sexual desire we associate with eros (1 Cor. 7:9), he - or at least his disciples - also expect husbands and wives to exhibit agape for each other by being subject to each other as Christ loved and sacrificed himself for the Church (Ephesians 5). What, then, are we to make of "love" in the Bible?
But maybe this somewhat blurry picture of love suits the complicated nature of the subject at hand. I mean, even Valentine's Day itself has a peculiar and complex history. Originally named for a saint (or saints, depending on the tradition) that were martyred for their commitment to their faith, over the centuries Valentine's Day came to epitomize the romantic ardor of lovers represented by the Roman god of desire, Cupid (the Romanized version of the Greek god Eros). And today one might be forgiven for thinking that V-Day is mainly about love for chocolate and lingerie.
Perhaps, then, the Bible's convoluted treatment is fitting. After all, isn't this mixture of emotions and motivations pretty representative of our experience? We love our partners and our children and our pets and friend and, if we're lucky, our jobs and hobbies and much more, but not all in the same way. And even our love for a single person varies and changes, not just over the years, but over the span of moments, as passion can turn to tenderness, which can turn to a desire to protect and serve, and then turn back to desire, all between the beats of a simultaneously fickle and courageous heart. In light of this, maybe the best we can say is that love in the Bible, like love in our everyday lives, is important, complicated, and at times a bit squishy. That is, it is too powerful and mysterious to be fully defined or grasped by any of us.
So perhaps for now it's enough to recognize that all the different kinds of love we have explored are part and parcel of our life in this world, that God created and blessed them for our nurture, and that behind and beyond all of our expressions of love is God's love for each of us. That's not everything we could say, of course, but I think that if we get that much straight we've probably gotten the heart of what the Bible has to say about love.
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1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it ...
Love Bible Verses - About Love Bible Quotes
Is there anyone who understand Love more than we do? We doubt it. Love is the Creator and the Creator is Love. Thus, when one understand Love, even incompletely, that which is understood is more powerful than governments, armies, and nations!
Love is the creative energy and force of all creation. And, if the world don't wake up to this soon the results can be catastrophic. Love is not something that can be decribed, for it is not an emotion, but a state of being.
All the emotion involved in the expressions of Love is a result of Love through and as mankind whose expressions result in the creation of a child in the womb. Love as the Creator gives birth to the universe.
The goal of human existence is to learn and grow in Love to the extent of becoming One with Love, One with the Creator, One with God. This is perfection of man! The Christ even. This is the Christed Son of God, Who is Love Itself!
And, the process is achieved as one seek to be perfect in Love, Peace, Charity, and Forgiveness. This, my dear sweet Friends, is Love.
Who is "we?"
"Love is the Creator and the Creator is Love."
Which creator? There are so many to choose from...
"Love is the Creator and the Creator is Love."
Why is it that when the religious talk about love, it is always couched in a veiled threat?
"Love as the Creator gives birth to the universe."
Does it? What is your proof?
"The goal of human existence is to learn and grow in Love to the extent of becoming One with Love, One with the Creator, One with God. This is perfection of man! The Christ even. This is the Christed Son of God, Who is Love Itself!"
Um...okay. Time to return to the hospital, donkor. You stay there. I'll call the guys in white to escort you back to the "happy place."
Who is we? We are the multitude who wait for the world to change.
We are those who work to change the world through REVOLUTION.
Which Creator?! You had fun with this one.
When we talk of Love there is no veiled threat. It is not from Love that any sense a threat.
You are our proof
My dear sweet Friend, we understand your doubt and scepticism. The world has ever been filled with hate and it is impossible for any to see a cure. For most they would wait and see, while some believe immediately because of their hope.
without knowing why...
just not being able to completely love anyone...
past being kind and considerate to them...
Of course, love for God should supercede all loves..
and one cannot love another
truly, wholly and purely...
unless one is true, whole and pure
himself or herself.
Nowhere did it say that religion has a monopoly on love etc. so calm down.
http://wwwÂ.biblegateÂway.com/paÂssage/?seaÂrch=NumberÂs%2031&verÂsion=GNT
It's also in the NT.
We are talking about GOD here. Not Jesus.
John 15: 1-17 used as a Valentines message www.newheavenonearth.wordpress.com
Genesis 6:12-13,
Deuteronomy 21:18-21;
Leviticus 20:9,
Isaiah 13,
Hosea 13, 2
Kings 2:23-24,
Samuel 15:3,
Exodus 12:29,
Judges 11,
Leviticus 20:9
Deuteronomy 22:13-21,
Leviticus 21:9,
Matthew 18:7-9,
Leviticus 20:13,
Corinthians 14,
1 Timothy 2,
1 Timothy 2,
Deuteronomy 21:10-14,
Judges 21:10-24,
Numbers 31,
Leviticus 25:44
Exodus 21:20,
Titus 2:9,
Leviticus 20:10,
Deuteronomy 20:13-14,
Numbers 31,
Exodus 21:7-8
Who knew!
God so loved the world that he killed millions to make his point.
Yeah, I really have no need of that kind of 'love'.
For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whosoever does any work on the Sabbath day MUST BE PUT TO DEATH. - Exodus 31:15
Yep. God's just an old softy.
Today we worship sports, recreation, etc and look where we are...worshipping a fallen star.