What is Love?

By Andrew Burditt

February is known as the month that we celebrate Valentine’s Day, which for many, is a holiday and time to express our love for one another. But what does that love mean? It is a romanticized love—and while there is nothing wrong with that, the holiday itself has become heavily commercialized.

Businesses use it as an opportunity to increase sales, romantic films (or rom-coms) will air on television and in the cinema, and you’ll even see the symphony opera or ballet focus their repertoire choices around this theme. Valentine’s Day encourages us to express our love for our spouses and significant others through gifts. We probably spend too much time and money looking for the right gift , beautiful flowers,
chocolates, and perhaps even a nice dinner out as a couple.

The history of the original St. Valentine may never be fully known, but he is understood to have been either a bishop or a priest in the third century that performed marriages in secret and converted many to the Christian faith. There is even some speculation that he signed a letter “Your valentine,” which led in part to the development of this holiday we celebrate during the month of February.

Romantic love is important, but what does the Bible teach us about love? Perhaps one of the most well-known verses is John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (NIV).

This passage so beautifully summarizes God’s love for us and the sacrifice that was made on our behalf. We memorize it as children because its message is so incredibly powerful and profound.

First Corinthians 13 is best known as the “love chapter” and is often read at weddings, as it defines what love should look like, emphasizing that now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love (v.13).

Love is indeed the greatest and most important part of our faith, but did you know that in the ancient world, there were actually multiple words used to de ne various types of love?

• Storge is best known as “family love” and one that refers to the care and affection between family members and close friends.
• Phileo often describes a general warmth that we have for others, including cities or communities with common values—brotherly love.
• Eros describes the love expressed between a husband and wife that is a gift from God.
• Agape is a word that we frequently hear within church settings. It represents our sacrificial love for one another. God’s love for every person on earth is the foundation for agape.

As we spend time thinking about our love of family, for one another, for our spouses, and for friends, take a moment to thank God for the gift of His love for each of us, remembering Jesus’ words found in Matthew 22:37-39,“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all  your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’”

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