In this foundations series we will be discussing three primary aspects of Christian character: Justice, mercy and love. This is part three.

Love, any kind or any quality of love, is difficult to define. The question has prompted poems, philosophers, and songwriters alike. The best stories and poems about love are those that demonstrate love, not those that attempt to explain it. Even so, words do have meaning and it is important to understand, as best we can, this idea of love since it is the central theme of Christianity. We are told that God is love, that we are to love God and that we are to love others. I find it interesting that we are never told to love ourselves which I’m sure frustrates the self-esteem movement to no end. If love is central to our understanding of God, our response to God and the practicing of our mission from God, perhaps we’d better understand what God means by love.

I am not going to recount the four words for love we find in the Greek language, for the best discussion of that topic see C.S. Lewis’ book The 4 Loves. Instead I am going to focus on the one that is most important in the entire New Testament, Agape.

When Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” in John 21 he asked, “Peter, do you agape me?” Peter replied, “Lord, you know I phileo you.” Peter responded with the Greek word for brotherly love, but that’s not what Jesus asked, so Jesus asked a second time and Peter replied, “Yes Lord, I phileo you.” When Jesus asked the third time Peter finally broke down and admitted, “You know I agape you.” Why did Jesus keep pressing the point? What is so important about agape love?

Previous to the New Testament era agape was rarely used. It was the least used word for love. Oh those words for erotic love, and brotherly love were written about frequently and esteemed as the highest forms by Greek philosophers and the culture. Why not agape?

In First John chapter four the apostle spends a lot of time talking about love. He says that God is agape, and that God agape’s us and that we are to agape God. The entire chapter is agape this and agape that. Have you ever wondered why?

Agape love is highest in God’s mind because it has nothing to do with the object of one’s love and everything to do with the lover. It is a covenant made to love someone not just when they love us back, but even if they don’t; we choose to love them even when they don’t deserve it. That’s God’s kind of love. When God directs his love toward others it is expressed as delight, as a desire to reveal Himself and to affect our highest good whether we want it or not. It is a love freely committed to and freely given.

God has expressed his agape love for us on the cross; he has shown us his agape love by giving us the precious Holy Spirit; and He has shown his agape love for us in our personal experiences with Him. Some day, He will show us his agape love by receiving us all unto himself, into a kingdom of agape love.

Next week we’ll tie these three concepts of justice, mercy and love into a cohesive whole that the believer can live up to, and live out before a fallen world.