Distinguishing Love: Four Types of Love Every Christian Should Know

Distinguishing love is essential for Christians because love is one word that is both overused and undervalued. People seem to throw this word around so much these days without having a clear understanding of what it means.

For Christians, it is expedient that we look into the perfect law of liberty to understand love. When you look closely at the scriptures, you will realize that there are different types of love. Distinguishing love becomes essential as we cannot express all the different types of love in different situations. In this post, we will show you four types of love that every Christian should know.

Distinguishing Love – Types of Love Christians Should Know

God is love and everything He created was out of this very nature. However, love can be expressed in different forms depending on the situation. The New Testament shows us these different types of love. In distinguishing love, we must look through this part of the scriptures properly. We will refer to the different types of love using their Greek names as the New Testament was written in this language.

Agape

This type of love is regarded as the highest referenced in the scriptures. It is sacrificial and everlasting. Agape love does not depend on reciprocation. The giver loves the receiver whether or not they deserve it.

This is the love that Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13. It is perfect love and it is what God displayed in John 3:16. Jesus Christ instructs us to love others with this kind of love. This may seem impossible because of our human frailties, but it is possible through God’s Spirit.

Storge

This type of love is “familial.” It describes the caring and deep bond that exists between siblings, parents and their children, and people that we consider family. Storge is loyal and protective. It can withstand different types of trials.

This type of love is depicted in different parts of the Bible. One scenario is the concern that Jairus shows for his bedridden daughter in Luke 8:40-56. Another scenario is the grief that Mary and Martha show after the death of Lazarus, their brother in John 11:1-44. We also see the dangers of the absence of storge in the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4:1-11.

Phileo

It is pretty easy to guess the meaning of phileo considering the nickname of Philadelphia in the Bible. Philadelphia was also known as the “city of brotherly love.” Phileo is a type of love that expresses affinity and warmth towards close friends as if they were siblings.

When the Bible instructed us to love our neighbors like our brothers in Romans 12:10, it was talking about phileo. Jesus Christ expressed this type of love towards Lazarus as He wept at his graveside in John 11:33-35. When you express love towards your friends, what you are expressing is phileo.

Eros

As you would have thought, eros is sexual or romantic love. It is the love that is expressed between married couples. This type of love is not impure when expressed within the confines of marriage. It is God’s gift to married couples that allows them to express their feelings and emotions to each other. This love also helps them to fulfill God’s instruction asking us to be fruitful and multiply.

All through the Songs of Solomon, eros is emphasized the way God intended it to be between married couples. While expressing this type of love, we must express some form of restraint. Without proper boundaries, expressing eros can lead to sin. First, the fullness of eros can only be experienced within the confines of marriage.

Conclusion

Distinguishing love is one action we must continue to take as we journey through life. At different stages, we will be required to show different types of love to different people. In this post, we have shown you four different types of love as expressed in the Bible. Kindly tell us your experiences with each of these types of love in the comments. Meanwhile, feel free to peruse other insightful articles on GodKulture today.