by Kevin Cauley

One of the earliest introductions to the Greek language for most Bible students comes through a study of the word "love." As most Greek students are quick to point out, there are different words in the Bible for different flavors of the word "love." We all understand that "I love ice cream" doesn't necessarily mean the same thing as "I love my wife" or even, "I love God." In each of those sentences, the word "love" is being used with a different connotation. The Greek language didn't just have one word for "love;" it had several words. In this article, I want to call attention to each of those words, briefly define them, and place them in their Bible context.

Perhaps most familiar to us is the Greek word "agape." "Agape" is the noun form of the word, the verb form being, "agapao." The verb form is found 117 times in the New Testament and the noun form, 109 times, according to The New Englishman's Greek Concordance and Lexicon. It is the most used word for "love" in the New Testament and may be used in regard to God's love for man (John 3:16, Romans 5:8), man's love for God (Matthew 22:37, 1 John 2:5), and man's love for his fellow man (Matthew 22:39, Romans 13:10). In the New Testament, it is used primarily regarding these relationships, though, the word is sparsely used to describe strong personal desires for some things (Luke 11:42, John 3:19, 12:43). I believe that it is fair to conclude that this word indicates the kind of love we have for someone or something upon which we are willing to base our principles for determining right and wrong; it includes the intention to act upon those principles regardless of what the consequences may be. This kind of love is the deep and abiding respect that we have for another. It is the kind of love that commands our intentions and directs our daily decisions.

The second most used word in the New Testament for "love" is the word "phileo." The verb form is found 24 times in the New Testament. The adjective "philos" is as close as we get to a "noun" form in the New Testament. It is used 28 times in the New Testament substantively as a noun simply meaning, "friend" (Matthew 11:19, John 11:11, John 15:13). The verb form is used to describe man's love for other men (Matthew 10:37, Titus 3:15), God's love for the Son (John 5:20), God's love for the disciples (John 16:27), and Jesus' love for those who need rebuking (Revelation 3:19). Interestingly, the word is used in Matthew 26:48 and Mark 14:44 for "the kiss" that Judas gave to Jesus. The word also may be used to describe man's love for other things (Matthew 6:5, Revelation 22:15). I believe that we can conclude that this word describes intimate and personal affection toward others or things that we may have. The word seems to reflect strong personal preference for something, similar to our word "like" in English. The word is never used to describe God's love for mankind, although it is used to describe God's love for Christ and the apostles (John 5:20, John 16:27). This is the kind of love upon which we base our personal preferences which may or may not be consequential to our decisions.

A related word to "phileo" which deserves some attention is "Philadelphia." This word is used six times in the New Testament with the meaning "brotherly love." It exclusively refers to the kind of love that one Christian should have for another. It is a compound word composed of the base from "phileo" (love) and the word for "brother," "adelphos." Hence it's meaning, "brotherly love." It is found in Romans 12:10, 1 Thessalonians 4:9, Hebrews 13:1, 1 Peter 1:22 and 1 Peter 1:7 (twice).

Finally, there are two additional words that may be translated "love" from the Greek. These words, however, are not found in the New Testament. These are the words "stergo" and "eros." The word "stergo," while not found in the New Testament, is found in other literature during the time of the New Testament. The word indicates natural affection that one might have toward another, such as a husband toward a wife. The negative of the noun form of this word is "astorgos" and is found in the New Testament in Romans 1:31 and 2 Timothy 3:3. One could correctly infer from these passages that God expects us to have "stergo" (natural affection) for our families.

The word "eros" on the other hand, is a word that simply refers to passionate, carnal, type love. It is not used in the New Testament at all, nor any other form of it, as far as I know. It is, however, used in the Septuagint in Proverbs 7:18 and 30:16. (The translation in the Hebrew is different in 30:16, so you will need to look at a translation of the Septuagint in that passage to get the meaning.) Both passages indicate carnal/fleshly appetites.

We tend to confuse the word "love" with emotionalism today, but that's not really the way the word is used a majority of the time in the New Testament. When we think of "love" in the New Testament, we should think of a deep, abiding, personal commitment to principles, as opposed to the fickle emotion that we so commonly consider in our society. In this regard, the Greek language really helps us to parse out the various flavors of words and enlightens us to consider definitions which we may not consider simply studying English.

by Michael E. Brooks

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 4:15,16).

Last week I once again crossed the International Date Line, traveling from Osaka, Japan to Los Angeles, California. As always (I have now done this a few dozen times) it was a strange sensation to suddenly "gain" (or, traveling the other way, "lose") twenty-four hours, merely by crossing an imaginary line somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. The line may be imaginary, but the effect on one's body is certainly not. Jet lag is real. We left Osaka late one afternoon, traveled all night, then arrived in Los Angeles early in the morning of the same day that we left! Believe me when I say that is a hard concept to get accustomed to.

We often think of time as a rigid reality that is always the same. It is sometimes referred to as the "fourth dimension" and this suggests that it is as invariable and fixed as height, width, and length. That it is always the same. Einstein apparently refuted this supposition with his theory of relativity almost one hundred years ago. Under certain conditions time varies. I don't pretend to understand all of the implications or mechanics of that fact, but I have grown to accept it.

The Bible has a lot to say about time as well, and just like modern science, the Bible emphasizes different aspects and realities of this subject. We all know that God is not bound by time as we are here on earth. "But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (2 Peter 3:8). Being eternal, God existed before time began (Titus 1:2). He has intervened often in earthly affairs to bring about his purposes "in due time" (Romans 5:6, Galatians 4:4). Other important Biblical emphases on time include the following:

We are saved from our sins at a particular time. "For he says: 'In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). Paul stresses that we must not receive God's grace in vain, but that we must render faithful obedience to his will in all things. Salvation does not come to us gradually, or in some unknown, unperceived fashion, but is granted at the time of our obedience to the Gospel (Romans 6:17).

We will die at a specific time. "... As it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). Yet the exact time of our deaths is rarely known much in advance. James warns us, "... What is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). Since we do not know the time of our death, it follows that we do not know the length of our lives. James advises us to make no plans for the future relying on ourselves alone, but to always submit to God's sovereign will. Death is certain, life is short. Therefore, we must live as to always be prepared to die and face judgment. Christ will return to this life at a determined time. "But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (Matthew 24:36). "... Keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, which he will manifest in his own time, he who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords" (1 Timothy 6:14,15). Jesus, who left this earth forty days after his death, burial, and resurrection, will come again (Acts 1:11). Just as we know that we will die, so we know that Jesus will come again, bringing reward to the faithful and justice to the unrighteous (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10). And, just as we do not know exactly when we will die, so we do not know the time of Christ's return. But we must be prepared for either occurrence. Jesus urges us, "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming."

Time is not as rigid and predictable as we sometimes think. Only God controls the clock and the calendar. It benefits us greatly to adjust our lives to his schedule and yield to his will.