What Kind of Love?

“I love pizza!”

Have you ever said that?

Maybe you’re recommending a favorite pizza place to a friend and confidently say, “You’re going to love their pizza!”

What we really mean is that it tastes good—it satisfies a craving. But what if it’s cold? Or burned? Or the crust is soggy? Or the toppings aren’t what we ordered? That “love” can cool off pretty quickly.

We use the English word love very casually. Sometimes it simply expresses preference or taste. Other times it refers to convenience, as when we say, “I love working from home.” We even use it as a figure of speech: “I love that idea!”

In our culture, love is often spoken of primarily as an emotion or a feeling—a kind of chemistry between two people. We see someone attractive and say, “I think I’m in love,” though we may not even know them. We speak of falling in love and, just as easily, falling out of love.

The Bible, however, speaks of love in a far deeper and more demanding way.

While the Greek language has words that describe romantic or sexual love, the warm affection of friendship, and the bond within a family, the predominant word used in the New Testament to describe God’s love is Agapē.

I’m not fluent in Greek, but my understanding is shaped by respected scholars such as W. E. Vine, Joseph Thayer, and William Barclay. So as we consider our theme for this year—“Love More, Give More”—we need to ask an important question:

What kind of love are we talking about?

#1 Agapē: God’s Costly Love for Mankind

One of the most familiar verses in the Bible is John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

God’s love is not a fleeting emotion. He did not love us because we were easy to love. He loved us not because there was delight to be gained or an appetite to satisfy, but at great cost to Himself. It was a love that was undeserved, unearned, and largely unreciprocated.

This is Agapē.

#2 Agapē: The Love Revealed in Christ

Agapē is the divine love that willingly, unselfishly, and sacrificially went to the cross for our sins. Jesus told His disciples, “As the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you” (Jn. 15:9).

The love of Christ is so strong and steadfast that Paul could write that nothing can separate us from it—not adversity, persecution, pain, danger, earthly powers, or even death itself (Rom. 8:35–39).

This love does not retreat. It does not weaken under pressure. It endures.

#3 Agapē: The Mark of True Discipleship

Jesus made this unmistakably clear:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34–35).

While baptism is essential for salvation and worship is vital to our fellowship, it is love that Jesus singled out as the visible badge of discipleship—what the world can see to know who we are, whom we belong to, and what we are about.

• Love is the atmosphere of the Christian life. We are to “walk in love” (Eph. 5:2).

• Love is the motive of Christian action. “Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Cor. 16:14).

• Love is the glue of Christian unity. We are to be “knit together in love” (Col. 2:2).

• Love is the accent of Christian truth. We are commanded to “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).

• Love is the regulator of Christian liberty. Our freedom in Christ is not to be abused, but used as a means of serving one another (Gal. 5:13).

• Love is the foundation of all Christian relationships. Jesus said the two greatest commandments are to love God with all our being and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matt. 22:37–40).

• Love is the greatest of Christian virtues. Paul declared that love surpasses even faith and hope (1 Cor. 13:13).

Agapē rises far above the secular and selfish expressions of human love. As R. C. Trench observed, “Agapē is a word born within the bosom of revealed religion.” William Barclay similarly noted that it is “an attitude born within the Christian fellowship, and impossible without the Christian dynamic.”

Barclay went on to offer this stirring explanation:

“The meaning of Agapē is unconquerable benevolence, undefeatable goodwill. Agapē is the spirit in the heart that will never seek anything but the highest good of its fellowmen. It does not matter how others treat it; it does not matter who they are or what their attitude is—it will never seek anything but their highest and best good.”

That definition leaves little room for convenience, selectivity, or self-interest.

If this is the love Scripture calls us to embody, then it becomes clear: we all have room to grow.

What would it look like this week—in our homes, our churches, and our conversations—if we truly committed ourselves to this calling?

I believe we all have some work to do if we are to live out our theme:  Love More. Give More.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman