Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
Comment: In Amharic the word ‘felege’ has in English 2 meanings – to want and to look for. I’m glad that English has the two words but I can understand the connection – if you want something you will probably look for it! The opposite however can occur. The English word love is used to translate at least four Greek words – 1. agape 2. philia 3. eros 4. storge. The four Greek words have specific meanings and the four nuances of meaning are usually discerned by English speakers when they use the word ‘love’ because of context. The nuances are a) agape means – steadfast, sacrificial commitment and is the word used for God’s love for His Creation including people. It is sometimes attached to the word ‘unconditional’ but that must be thought about wisely because God does put conditions in His dealings with people! b) eros, from which we get the word erotic, it has to do with sexual love. God created the ‘eros’ type love and this love can have qualities of agape love but can be very selfish and very wrong if not used within the limits/conditions that God has put in place! c) philia which means friendship, companionable love between neighbours and should be a basic reaction towards all people – ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’! d) storge which is the love between family members – as I see it based on philia but taken a level further!
When talking about ‘homosexual relationships’ if you infer (as I have heard done) that “God is love” means that God must accept homosexuals because they express ‘love’. The inference is that God must say that everything is therefore okay for them, because they are expressing ‘love’. One of the words is ‘agape’ and the word for the other is ‘eros’ and used in a way which God says is not acceptable to Him!
The other word which needs looking at is ‘propitiation‘ which we rarely use. In the Bible it means that Jesus Christ by being who He was and doing what He did has appeased/ satisfied the righteous anger of God towards rebellious mankind! Sadly our understanding of the awesome holiness of God and the righteousness of His anger to man’s rebellion and sinning is inadequate, but acceptance of Jesus’ action on our behalf is much more important than understanding the intricacies of the theology involved! God calls us to bow the knee in repentance and thankful acceptance! In the phrase ‘we also ought to love one another. ‘ the Greek word is not philia but agape! If ‘Agape’ love were shown between church members it would be a different world!
Luke 10: 27&28 – (ESV) And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
Prayer: Please help me to believe that this is goal which You are going to help me to strain towards!
As I read it! 