by Richard Ellis

Created on: July 15, 2009

"Love of God": love is an attribute of God, but it also is a description of who He is, His "being". Everything that God does, is done in love, even when He judges and disciplines us. When the New Testament speaks of the love of God for us, it always means total, unconditional, even sacrificial, love. We do not have to get the meaning from the context in which it is used- there is only the one context. God's love for us is complete; it was most emphatically displayed at Calvary when Jesus, His Son, died on the cross for our sins.

The Greeks have a word for this kind of love: it is "Agapao", or "agape"; the love of God for His Son and his people. It also applies to the kind of love that we are supposed to have for God and each other. John 3:16 would be a good example of God's agape love for us: "For God so loved [agape] the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." This word would also apply to love of family and perhaps extremely close friends.

Jesus made it clear that we should love everyone with agape love: Matthew 22:37-40 "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love [agape] the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. [38] This is the first and great commandment. [39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love [agape] thy neighbor as thyself. [40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." In Mark 12:31 Jesus said that there is no command greater than these two. So, because God first loved [agape] us we should love [agape] Him and others as well.

There is another word for love in the Greek tongue: "phileo", meaning to have affection for someone. A third word for love in the Greek is "eros": carnal love or purely sexual, erotic love. In the Greek language there is no doubt as to which type of love is meant. I mention these to contrast Biblical language with modern usage of the word "love".

Our modern English use of the word is much too weak a term to apply to God's love, yet we have no better word. When we use the English word love, it must always be defined within the context of what is being said, because it has so many definitions. This can often lead to confusion and misunderstandings.

It has been further watered down by over use, as in "I love summer", or, "I just love butter beans". The word almost means nothing, anymore, in daily usage. It is often what I would call a "throw away" word, used to fill space by those who can not come up with something better. A little like the term "you know".

In 1 John 3:1 we read: "Behold, what manner of love [agapeo] the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not."

We see God's love for man stated throughout entire the Bible. It is unselfish, merciful, unmerited, and unconditional love. We see it in his love of sinners; though we were once His enemies through sin, by His great love He made our redemption possible by way of His Son's death on the cross. It is the love of God that models the way mankind should love.

When we speak of the love of God we are generally referring to the Father (as cited above) or, perhaps the Holy Spirit (Rom.5:5, Rom. 15:30). However, there are many New Testament passages which show the love of Christ for man (Rom. 8:35, to sight only one). He loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus as well as the disciples, and in particular the apostle John. Of course, His willingness to die on the cross is proof of His great love for the believer.

Every Christian heart knows something of the love of God and should thank Him for it daily.

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