What does the word love mean in the Bible? What did Jesus say?

The English word love is found 311 times in the King James Bible. In the Old Testament, the Canticle of Canticles (Canticle of Canticles) refers to it twenty-six times, while the book of Psalms refers to it twenty three. In the New Testament, the word love is recorded more in the book of 1 John (thirty-three times) followed by the gospel of John (twenty-two times).

The Greek language, used in the Bible, has at least four words to describe the various aspects of love. Three of these four were used to write the New Testament. Fileo's definition is that of brotherly affection for someone we really like. Agape, which is the deepest love, means doing good things for another person. Storgay refers to loving one's relatives. It is a relatively unknown term that is used only twice in the scriptures and only as a compound. Eros, used to describe a type of sexual or romantic love, is not found in the sacred script.

Two of these Greek words for love, Phileus and Agape, were used in the well-known exchange between Peter and Jesus after the resurrection of Christ (John 21:15 - 17). Their discussion is a fascinating study of the dynamics of their relationship at that time and how Peter, still aware of his denial of the Lord (Matthew 26:44, Matthew 26:69 - 75), tries to manage his guilt. Please see our article on different types of love for more information on this interesting topic!

How important is this emotion and commitment to God? One day a scribe came to Christ and asked him which of the commandments was the greatest of all (Mark 12:28). Jesus' brief response was clear and precise.

And you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. (Mark 12:30, HBFV).

The first four commandments of God's law tell us how we should treat it. God is also our neighbor in the universe (Jeremiah 12:14). It is the neighbor who rules. Therefore, we see that loving him and our neighbor is manifested by observing his commandments (see 1 John 5: 3). Paul says having feelings of love isn't good enough. We must follow our feelings with actions if we want to please our Creator (Romans 13:10).

In addition to keeping all the commandments of God, the true church of God is to have a special family relationship. This is where the Greek word Storgay joins the word Fileo to form a special type of love.

The King James translation states that Paul taught those who are true Christians: "Be kindly to one another with brotherly love, in honor by giving preference to one another" (Romans 12:10). The phrase "kindly affectionate" comes from the Greek filostorgos (Strong's Concordance # G5387) which is a loving friendship-family relationship.

One day, when Jesus taught, his mother Mary and his brothers came to visit him. When told that his family came to see him, he declared: “Who is my mother and who are my brothers? ... For those who will do the will of God, that one is my brother, my sister and my mother "(Mark 3:33, 35). Following Jesus' example, believers are commanded to consider and treat those who obey him as if they were close family members! This is the meaning of love!

Please see our series on defining Christian terms for information on other biblical words.