The purpose for the following three posts will be to
hopefully demonstrate from Scripture that there are other kinds of AGAPE than
what is commonly thought by many Christians; that AGAPE is not exclusively
godly. Or good. That we should define Greek words for "love" by their
contexts in Scripture and elsewhere. Not by etymology (i.e. proposed root
meanings). Certainly not by pop definitions. Then we will know better how to
clarify what the Bible teaches about love, choosing the best words to describe
our Christian walks and what should transpire within the EKKLESIA. And
sometimes the best can be ... PHILEO.
Depending.
Although the Bible (including that section often called
the "New Testament") mostly uses various forms of AGAPE in reference
to God's love for people, sometimes in reference to God's love we nevertheless
see PHILEI or EPHILEI, inflected verbal forms of PHILEO -- what is most often
called "brotherly love," and therefore considered by many as inferior
to AGAPE. But is it really? For instance, in John 5:20 we read about God's
great love for Jesus:
"For the Father loves (PHILEI) the Son and shows him
all he does ..."
Also in John 16:27, Jesus speaks about God's love for
Christ's disciples:
"No, the Father himself loves (PHILEI) you because
you have loved me and have believed that I came from God."
In the account of the race to the empty tomb, John
describes (presumably) himself, over-and-against Peter, as "the other
disciple, the one Jesus loved" (EPHILEI-- Joh. 20:2).
If God and Christ are recorded in sacred Scripture as
loving each other and others with PHILEO love, can anyone honestly say that
PHILEO is necessarily inferior to AGAPE? Especially as there are instances when
EGAPA (from AGAPE) and EPHILEI (from PHILEO) are used synonymously.
Compare the following to John 20:2 above:
"One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved (EGAPA),
was reclining next to him" (Joh. 13:23).
"When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple
whom he loved (EGAPA) standing nearby ..." (Joh. 19:26).
"Then the disciple whom Jesus loved (EGAPA) said to
Peter, 'It is the Lord!' ..." (Joh. 21:7).
"Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus
loved (EGAPA) was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against
Jesus at the supper and had said, 'Lord, who is going to betray you?')"
(Joh. 21:20).
The "disciple whom Jesus loved" was described
in John's Gospel using both a form of PHILEO and a form of AGAPE. Same
disciple. Same lover. Same love. Different words.
I propose that, as this sinks in, we should submit to the
evidence and stop repeating the pop definitions of AGAPE ("divine" or
"unconditional" love) and PHILEO ("brotherly" or
"conditional" love). Such definitions do not stand the test of
Scripture.
More to come ...
-Michael Millier
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