What Love the Father Has For Us
“’The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘Is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these’” (Mark 12:29-3).
Many times, I’ve asked God to teach me how to love Him and others more because love is the most vital part of His character. “God is love” (John 4:7). The Bible shows us different aspects of His love so we can show Him to each other.
Storge love is found between parents and children and relatives. It’s characterized by a deep emotional bond along with a sense of loyalty. We show our love to our family by cooking, doing their laundry, and taking them to events, oftentimes without a second thought. “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Ex 20:12).
Eros love is a healthy love reserved for husbands and wives only. This includes physical, emotional, and spiritual bonding given by God for the marriage bed. “I am my lover's and my lover is mine; he browses among the lilies” (Song of Solomon 6:3).
Phileo love represents warmth in relationships between friends. Scripture talks about the friendship between David and Jonathan and is an example of the relationship we have with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are connected because of our commonality and relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
And yet we pray and ask God to show us how to love Him more. Agape love is the highest and greatest form of love in Scripture. Agape represents unconditional, selfless, and sacrificial love, which God demonstrates toward humanity. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). We are called to show this love to others: “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love” (I Corinthians 13).
Understanding these different aspects of love will bring us closer to understanding God as our Father, Bridegroom, and Friend. Most importantly, His unconditional love is toward us helps us to connect to Him and each other.
Many times, I’ve asked God to teach me how to love Him and others more because love is the most vital part of His character. “God is love” (John 4:7). The Bible shows us different aspects of His love so we can show Him to each other.
Storge love is found between parents and children and relatives. It’s characterized by a deep emotional bond along with a sense of loyalty. We show our love to our family by cooking, doing their laundry, and taking them to events, oftentimes without a second thought. “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Ex 20:12).
Eros love is a healthy love reserved for husbands and wives only. This includes physical, emotional, and spiritual bonding given by God for the marriage bed. “I am my lover's and my lover is mine; he browses among the lilies” (Song of Solomon 6:3).
Phileo love represents warmth in relationships between friends. Scripture talks about the friendship between David and Jonathan and is an example of the relationship we have with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are connected because of our commonality and relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
And yet we pray and ask God to show us how to love Him more. Agape love is the highest and greatest form of love in Scripture. Agape represents unconditional, selfless, and sacrificial love, which God demonstrates toward humanity. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). We are called to show this love to others: “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love” (I Corinthians 13).
Understanding these different aspects of love will bring us closer to understanding God as our Father, Bridegroom, and Friend. Most importantly, His unconditional love is toward us helps us to connect to Him and each other.