Love Is...

This past week in Bible study we were looking at the first aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love...” Galatians 5:21

In english we only have one word for Love. It encompasses and is used for a multitude of things. In greek the word for love used through out the New Testament for the love of God is agape. 

1 Corinthians 13 :: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails....

Agape is patient (makrothumia): does not loose heart; perseveres patiently and bravely in enduring misfortunes and troubles; bears the offenses and injuries of others; is mild and slow in avenging; slow to anger, slow to punish. Agape holds on and waits for the Lord to avenge.

Agape is kind (cyresteuomai): to show oneself “useful”. Agape volunteers to help.

Agape does not envy (zeloo): to burn with zeal; to be heated or to boil with envy, hatred, anger. Agape is not consumed by envy.

Agape does not boast (perpereuomai): a self display, employing rhetorical embellishments in extolling one's self excessively. Agape only boasts in the Lord.

Agape is not proud (phusioo): to be puffed up, to bear one’s self loftily, to be proud. Agape gives glory to God who deserves it.

Agape does not dishonor others, or is not rude (aschemoneo): to act unbecomingly, to behave in an ugly, indecent, unseemly or unbecoming manner. Agape is never obscene.

Agape is not self-seeking: Agape seeks the highest and best for another. Had God been seeking His own interest, He would have spared the life of His precious Son, and we would be hopelessly lost. 

Agape is not easily angered: The fact that agape is not self-seeking has great impact on its ability to be slow to anger.

Agape keeps no record of wrong.

Agape does not delight in evil by rejoices with the truth: Though the truth may hurt at first it will set you free. 

Agape always protects (stego): to protect or keep by covering; to preserve; to cover over with silence; to keep secret; to hide, conceal of the errors and faults of others. Agape does not expose the faults of others.

Agape always trusts (pisteuo): to place confidence in. Agape always has faith in someone.

Agape always hopes (elpizo): to expect with desire. Agape always expects the best from someone.

Agape always perseveres (hupomeno): to remain i.e. abide, not recede or flee; to endure, bear bravely and calmly: ill treatments. Agape hangs in there.

Agape never fails (ekpipto): to fall powerless, to fall to the ground, be without effect. Agape is never without effect, it’s never in vain.

Agape is divine love. Agape is a response more than a feeling. And I am incapable of agape on my own. Only when the Spirit of God is living within me can I be a vessel to express this divine love. 

“For God so loved [agape] the world that he gave his only begotten Son...” John 3.16

“This is how we know what love [agape] is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” 1 John 3.16

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved [agape] us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4.10

Agape is not fueled by the desire of its recipient; it is fueled by a need. God came to earth as a man, in Jesus Christ because humanity is in desperate need of a Savior. He didn’t do it because we deserved it; we deserve to be separated eternally from God and left to our own depravity. But because God saw the brokenness of the humanity and the need for redemption and restoration he sent his Son that I could experience and know and understand the incredible, jealous, overwhelming, healing, restorative, life giving, intimate, personal, powerful agape of God. 

I can not even begin to express how grateful I am to the Lord for his agape for me. 

“How deep the Father’s love for us, how vast beyond all measure, that He should give his only Son, to make a wretch his treasure...”