Question
What is the biblical definition of love? When the Bible says "God is love" or commands us to love, what does it actually mean, and how does it relate to the different Greek words for love?
Analysis
Agapē (G0026), the Bible's defining word
| Greek word | Transliteration | Range of meaning | NT usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω | agapē / agapaō (G0026 / G0025) | Self-giving, willed, covenantal love; commitment to another's good regardless of merit | The NT's primary love word; used of God's love, the love-commands, 1 Corinthians 13, 1 John 4 |
| φιλία / φιλέω | philia / phileō (G5373 / G5368) | Affectionate, friendship love; fondness, warmth between friends | John 11:3, John 21:15-17; friendship with the world (James 4:4) |
| στοργή | storgē | Natural family affection (parent–child) | Not used alone in NT; appears in compounds, astorgos "without natural affection" (Romans 1:31, 2 Timothy 3:3) |
| ἔρως | erōs | Romantic / desiring love | Not in the NT; the love of Song of Songs is expressed in Hebrew, not this Greek term |
The four-word scheme (popularized by C.S. Lewis's The Four Loves) is a useful map, but note: the NT never uses erōs, and the agapē/phileō distinction is not absolute, John uses both words for the Father's love and for human love, sometimes interchangeably (compare John 3:35 agapaō with John 5:20 phileō, both of the Father loving the Son). For transliteration variants and how these forms are catalogued.
The definition by description, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Scripture's closest thing to a dictionary definition is not abstract; it is a portrait of love in action:
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.", 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, BSB
| What love is | What love is not |
|---|---|
| Patient, kind (1 Corinthians 13:4) | Envious, boastful, arrogant, rude (1 Corinthians 13:4-5) |
| Rejoices with the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6) | Self-seeking, irritable, resentful (1 Corinthians 13:5) |
| Bears, believes, hopes, endures all (1 Corinthians 13:7) | Glad at wrongdoing (1 Corinthians 13:6) |
The chapter frames love as supreme: without it, gifts and sacrifice are "nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:1-3); and it outlasts everything, "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13, BSB).
The definition by demonstration, God's love
The Bible defines love most of all by pointing to God:
- "God is love" (1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:16), love is not merely something God does but central to who God is.
- The measure of love is the cross, "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:10, WEB); "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son" (John 3:16, BSB); "God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8, BSB).
- Love is therefore reciprocal and generative, "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19, BSB); "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:11, BSB).
This is why 1 John 4:7-12 is the dense theological core: love originates in God, is defined by the giving of the Son, and obligates believers to love one another.
The definition by command, the two greatest commandments
Asked which command is greatest, Jesus gives two and binds them together (Matthew 22:37-40; parallels Mark 12:28-34, Luke 10:25-28):
| Command | Source text | Object | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First / greatest | "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37, BSB) | Quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 (the Shema) | God |
| Second | "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39, WEB) | Quotes Leviticus 19:18 | Neighbor |
"On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:40, KJV). Paul echoes this: love is "the fulfilling of the law" (Romans 13:8-10, KJV; Galatians 5:14). See for the full treatment, including the Good Samaritan's expansion of "neighbor" to anyone in need (Luke 10:25-37).
The new commandment, love as the mark of discipleship
At the Last Supper Jesus raises the standard from "as yourself" to "as I have loved you":
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.", John 13:34-35, WEB
Christ's self-giving love becomes both the pattern and the identifying badge of his followers. John 15:12-13 makes the cost explicit: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." (WEB)
Love and obedience are inseparable
Biblical love is not sentiment detached from action:
- Loving God = keeping his commands, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15, BSB; John 14:21); "this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments" (1 John 5:3, BSB).
- Loving God is tested by loving people, "If anyone says, 'I love God,' but hates his brother, he is a liar" (1 John 4:20-21, BSB).
- Love is the chief fruit of the Spirit, "the fruit of the Spirit is love…" (Galatians 5:22, WEB).
[Nave's, LOVE] organizes the verse data into love of man for God (Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37, 1 John 5:1-3), of man for man (Leviticus 19:18, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, John 13:34-35, 1 John 4:7-21), and of God (the cross-referenced "GOD, LOVE OF" entry).