What is love? Many people do not know the meaning of love, they think that it is what we feel but it’s what we do that demonstrates love. (Deem, 2011). There are many ways to express your love to your family or friends but there is one true love, God. I will be discussing the biblical meaning of love and what God wants us to apply to ourselves to have healthy relationships by representing his love to others. There are four types of love which are Forge, Eros, Philia and Agape. (Wellman, 2014)
Forge is family love as in love for your parents, siblings, and children. (Wellman, 2014). According to Merriam Webster the meaning is “Parental affection; the instinctive affection which animals have for their young.” Parents manifest this love by providing their family members with shelter, protection, and financial needs. Older brothers demonstrate this love by providing support and protection to their younger siblings especially if they are being bullied or mistreated. In Proverbs 31:15-17 you see the love of a mother towards her whole household, it states “She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls. She goes to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard. She is energetic and strong, a hard worker.” (NLT).
The love between a man and a woman which is sensual love, acceptable in marriage is Eros. (Wellman, 2014). There are many people that practice this type of love outside of marriage which is
Among the multitudinous biblical references to love, the most comprehensive and decisive assessment of true love comes in St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians. He begins by stating that despite all of his faith and gifts from God, "if I have no love, I am nothing." (I Cor. 13:2) Clearly, Paul recognizes the importance of love. He goes on to define love in very explicit terms, telling both what love is and what it is not. Paul begins, "Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs." (I Cor. 13:4-5) The Apostle continues with the declaration that "love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth." (I Cor. 13:6) Recall here the biblical prohibition of cross-dressing (Deut. 22:5) and lying (Deut. 5:20) Disguise and deceit are far from the truth that makes love happy. The exhortation continues:
What truly defines the meaning of love? Whether it is two people who show affection for each other, or the bond of a father and son, love is able to mean many things. After all, love may vary for those of different religions or practices, and may be expressed in many ways. Religion and beliefs also change throughout the decades, causing different outlooks on love. Speech is a highly important part of love and religion, and certain qualities can either create an aggressive-energetic speech, or a dull lecture.
When you show love to someone it is an opportunity to show what God’s love looks like. It is a time to show God’s character in you. He wants us to be a reflection of him.
Have you ever wondered what exactly true love is? The Bible gives us a definition of
What is true love? True love is caring about the health, well-being, and happiness of another person to a greater degree than your own health, well-being, and happiness. In Their Eyes were watching God, the main character Janie, is involved in three marriages that help with her self-development. She is a 17 year old beautiful African American with white ancestors.q?/ To begin, Janie is raised by her grandmother, Nanny, who wants Janie to be happy and have a good life. Janie only knows about marriage and love based on what her grandmother has told her. During the time of marriage, Janie spends most of her time to find out the true meaning of love instead of living a life off of dreams and fantasies. She pursues her dreams no matter what, even though they might not come true. Janie’s life has been a journey which is shown by the three different marriages she has been involved in. The first two marriages with Logan and Joe are not what she hoped they would be and they never lasted well. The third marriage with Tea Cake ends way too soon. In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, she uses Janie’s marriages with Logan, Joe, and Tea Cake to show that true love takes a lifetime to find.
Although Vanhoozer explains many positive opinions on Platonic view of love (eros), essentially this view focuses on the self-love and focus more on a paganist view. Nygren shares that patristic concept has confused the true meaning of love (agape) with the pagan notion of eros. The desire to fulfill love through self-gratifications void the critical element of God’s love in the Old Testament for His creative beings. Further, it fully disregards His action to build a relationship with humanity through his Son, Christ. John makes a pivotal point in sharing, “For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son” (Jn 3:16). Nygren makes an important point in stating “The man who God loves has no value in himself. His value consists simply in the fact that God loves him.” Therefore, it is through love that God is able show forth His love in spite of the sinful nature of humanity and build a relationship with
Love is taken in many directions in the New Testament and Old Testament. The way God and Jesus Christ present this emotion throughout the bible, shows a better understanding of unconditional love to others. Love is one of the characteristics of God and an important part of His nature. Therefore, I will bring forth explanation of how well the word “Love” is used from translation to translation. My research will be coming out of the New Testament and Old Testament, even though there are many other books I could talk about for the word love.
“Love” is one of the great themes of the Bible and a major theme of the Gospel. God’s love is portrayed through the Messiah. 1 John 4 explains the importance of love. Love began with
According to 1 Corinthians 13, love is a practical gift from God, where we can give love to other people, and spread the Word of God to other Christians and non-believers.
“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” -Robert A. Heinlein, “Stranger in a Strange Land.” Love is not a singular adventure, it is a dangerous, perilous, and scary adventure between two souls. Not only does love require another’s happiness, but it also requires teamwork and trust. Ancient Civilizations understood this concept. They wrote many legends and myths about love. From the tale of “Narcissus and Echo” to the poem from “Ovid’s Metamorphoses” labeled, Story of Orpheus and Eurydice or the allegory of “Baucis and Philemon,” an underlying theme can be found, love cannot work if there is not a team.
One word thrown around is Love. People use it for everything, whether you are describing your love for pancakes or your significant other, love is a noun used by all. Despite how common this word is, almost everyone has their own specific definition. People apply personal meaning to love, meaning that they attach it to a person or an idea that they themselves come up with, but if you think that stopped people from defining love you are dead wrong. In total, there are nine different definitions of love and that is just on one site. I do not find this surprising at all, since the beginning of time love has been present and I will go on a quest to try and define as many definitions that I can get my hands on, starting with the origin of “love”
A Biblical perspective of love is a bases for a Christian’s fundamental actions in a romantic relationship. The Christian worldview interprets romance and relationships in a more personal manner that stresses care for others before oneself. On a divine level, God affirms His believers that love is not earned, but freely given. 1 John 3:16 states, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (NIV).
The word or term love can have many meanings such as filial love love between children and parents, brotherly love is love for brothers. But the greatest or most important love for human beings is that of the person who gives life is the mother herself the love of it for her children. The clandestine love or forbidden love is when two people can not be together but live a hidden relationship like Romeo and Juliet, the unconditional love that is when the human being gives everything without expecting anything in return as is the love of God , Also the love to
Love is beautiful in God’s eyes. Love means a happy, joyful, bonding relationship with someone who means a lot to you in your life. You can love God and your parents. Love is so great, it never ends. Love can make Earth a better place. If you give someone a simple hug, it can brighten that person’s day and make them happy. Everyone should love others like God. He forgives everyone. Love can make a difference in someone’s life.
Love has many different meanings to different people. For a child, love is what he or she feels for his mommy and daddy. To teenage boy, love is what he should feel for his girlfriend of the moment, only because she says she loves him. But as we get older and "wiser," love becomes more and more confusing. Along with poets and philosophers, people have been trying to answer that age-old question for centuries: What is love?