How is "agape love" different from other types of love? The essence of
agape love is goodwill, benevolence, and willful delight in the object
of love. Unlike our English word love, agape is not used in the New
Testament to refer to romantic or sexual love. Nor does it refer to
close friendship or brotherly love, for which the Greek word philia is
used. Agape love involves faithfulness, commitment, and an act of the
will. It is distinguished from the other types of love by its lofty
moral nature and strong character. Agape love is beautifully described
in 1 Corinthians 13.
Outside of the New Testament, the word agape is used in a variety of
contexts, but in the New Testament it takes on a distinct meaning.
Agape is used to describe the love that is of and from God, whose very
nature is love itself: "God is love" (1 John 4:8). God does not merely
love; He is love itself. Everything God does flows from His love.
Agape is also used to describe our love for God (Luke 10:27), a
servant's faithful respect to his master (Matthew 6:24), and a man's
attachment to things (John 3:19).
The type of love that characterizes God is not a sappy, sentimental
feeling such as we often hear portrayed. God loves because that is His
nature and the expression of His being. He loves the unlovable and the
unlovely, not because we deserve to be loved or because of any
excellence we possess, but because it is His nature to love and He
must be true to His nature.
Agape love is always shown by what it does. God's love is displayed
most clearly at the cross. "God, being rich in mercy, because of the
great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our
trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been
saved" (Ephesians 2:4–5, ESV). We did not deserve such a sacrifice,
"but God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). God's agape love is
unmerited, gracious, and constantly seeking the benefit of the ones He
loves. The Bible says we are the undeserving recipients of His lavish
agape love (1 John 3:1). God's demonstration of agape love led to the
sacrifice of the Son of God for those He loves.
We are to love others with agape love, whether they are fellow
believers (John 13:34) or bitter enemies (Matthew 5:44). Jesus gave
the parable of the Good Samaritan as an example of sacrifice for the
sake of others, even for those who may care nothing at all for us.
Agape love as modeled by Christ is not based on a feeling; rather, it
is a determined act of the will, a joyful resolve to put the welfare
of others above our own.
Agape love does not come naturally to us. Because of our fallen
nature, we are incapable of producing such a love. If we are to love
as God loves, that love—that agape—can only come from its Source. This
is the love that "has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy
Spirit, who has been given to us" when we became His children (Romans
5:5; cf. Galatians 5:22). "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" (1 John 3:16). Because of God's love
toward us, we are able to love one another.
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