Agape is the expected result of being a Christian. 

Let all that you do be done in love. 

PRACTICE  
LOVE TO 
Learn things of greater value 

LEARNING  
TO LOVE 
Is A Process 

OUR SALVATION  
Has Sprung Form 
God's Agape 
 
 
 
 
 

IHNM 

PEOPLE WHO 
Need your agape 
today

The Goal is Agape  

"...the focal point of the instruction is love out of a clean 
heart, and a good conscience, and ‘unphony’ faith, ...concerning which some people, having lost this aim, have turned off toward empty talk...”  
I Timothy 1:5,6  

If you were a Greek-speaking Gentile in the New Testament era, or immediately thereafter, and you were to listen in on the teachings of the early church as they were being carried throughout the Roman Empire, you would be somewhat puzzled by the heavy dependence upon a little-used, weakly defined Greek term, the word agape.  In Greek culture and literary tradition, it was a term that had no real strong or clear flavor.  It was a word that was conveniently used alongside of other words for love (e.g., eros, or phileo) as a poetic or stylistic device because, since it had no strong meaning of its own, it would kind of “pick up” the flavor of the context from the other, stronger words for love that accompanied it.  It was virtually non-descriptive.  Much had been written about the nature of eros and phileo, describing their characteristics and fawning over the delights of these very self-centered, commonly experienced forms of love.  No one had written any major treatises on agape.  It was not idolized or particularly sought after.  Basically, it meant to “prefer”, i.e., to set one good over another.  Instead of an impulse, or a spontaneous experience, it described a free act, a love which makes distinctions to choose and keep loyal to its object.  While the other loves celebrated the satisfaction to be gained, agape simply described choosing to elevate a person above others, especially through kind and practical actions, to show your regard for them.  Its focus was on giving, instead of getting.  Since Hellenism was focused on maximizing human experience, living life to the full, the Greeks had little use for such a term in most of their conversations or philosophical dialogues.  Why is it, then, that these followers of Christ talk of this so much? 

What do they mean by the use of this word? 

Such observations of an initiate into the Christian community would not at all be uncommon.  The conversation and teachings of the group seemed to revolve around this agape.  Even their meetings, in which they shared a meal together and observed the symbolic ingestion of their Savior's life into their bodies, was called “the agape” (e.g., Jude 12, “feasts” was added later to clear up confusion).  The writings of the New Testament bear out this fixation on agape.  For a word that was little employed in Greek literature at all, it was noticeably predominant in these writings, occurring 320 times in one form or another in an assemblage of writings that is really not all that lengthy.  (The most common word for “sin”, in all its related forms, occurs only 268 times.) Not only is this word mentioned frequently and consistently, but this concept of love is highly honored and idealized, even presented as the central virtue of a Christian's character.  More than any other subject, agape seems to get center stage as the focal point of what being a Christian is supposed to produce.  Jesus Himself had boiled our whole duty to God down to love for Him and love for our neighbor (Mt.  22:36-40).  (The apostles said the same thing, on more than one occasion [Rom. 13:8-10; Gal. 5:13,14; James 2:8].)  In Jn. 13:34,35, the Lord said that agape would be the mark of His followers, something so clear that the unbelieving world will notice and will recognize as a result of our pursuit of Him.  “By this, will all people know you are My disciples, if you have agape for one another.” 

The apostle Paul maintained this focus on agape as central to the mission of the Church.  In Rom. 12:9-13, he directs this community in Rome to love without hypocrisy.  All of the phrases following this imperative are further clarifications to keep love pure and practical.  Love, agape, is the focus.  In I Cor. 12:31-14:1, he refers to agape as a “more excellent way”, and then devotes the 13 verses defining and clarifying what agape will look like in action.  In 16:14, Paul goes so far as to say, “Let all that you do be done in agape.”  It is the first characteristic of the “fruit of the Spirit” in Gal. 5:22.  In Ephesians, it is interesting to note that healthy Body-life is carried on within the tension of paradox, ...between needing to forbear in love, and also “truthing” in love (4:2,15,16).  Agape provides the motive for forgiveness and forbearance, as well as that necessary for risk-taking, i.e., to possibly confront and/or to speak and act so as to build up one another.  Again, in 5:1,2, we are admonished to imitate God's agape for us, by walking in agape with one another.  Three times, in the section on marital relationships, husbands are exhorted to agape their wives.  (Remember, to a Gentile this would have been a curious thing to say.  Relationships with wives and lovers would be idealized by references to passionate “in-love” feelings [eros], or the delight and enjoyment of deep friendship [phileo].  What is this agape stuff?) 

In his prayer for the Philippians, he asks that their agape might abound (overflow) still more and more with perception and all discernment in order that they might discover by experimentation the things of greater value.  From this, there seems to be a depth to this agape that goes far beyond merely feeling emotions.  There seems to be a need to mature and develop one's skill at agape.  In Col. 2:2,3, Paul describes a process of “being knitted together in agape and all the wealth the full assurance of understanding, unto a recognition of the mystery of God, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Again, there seems to be a process of agape growing in one's life, and mixed together with understanding and insight, whereby a person will grasp truths otherwise incapable of being known.  To the Greek mind, so highly focused on the power of the intellect, this would have sounded ridiculous!  Why is agape a part of this formula?  Why does this need to be involved in a pursuit of understanding and assurance?  Yet, there it is, an apparently necessary key to grasping the kinds of wisdom and knowledge stored up in Christ. 

In I Thess. 3:12, the apostle again prays for God to “make you increase (multiply) and abound (overflow) in agape for one another and for all...”  In the next chapter, he commends them for their progress in this area, commenting that they “have been taught by God to love one another” (lit., “you are God-taught unto the to-agape one another”). This would appear to be an allusion to some kind of mystical/ relational/practical insights that they have garnered from their relationship with God.  It implies also a learning process, a maturation of skills, in developing agape.  Again, to talk this way of agape would have been very strange and unusual to any unbelieving eavesdropper from outside the believing community.  The emphasis on agape, and the descriptions of it would have been very noticeable.  In the pastoral epistles, Paul emphasizes agape quite clearly.  It is the endpoint of the charge and instruction passed down to Timothy (I Tim.  1:5).  He was to pursue agape, and show himself as an example of it to the other believers (I Tim. 4:12; 6:11; II Tim. 2:22).  It was a characteristic of the Spirit God had given to His people (II Tim. 1:7).  Timothy was to maintain the pattern of sound teaching that he had received from Paul by faith and by agape, the kind found in Christ Jesus (II Tim. 1:13).  It was not enough to keep the mere content of the teaching the same.  It would only faithfully transmit the full health of its message if it was communicated by a life of faith and agape. 

The writer to the Hebrews encourages us to “think about one another unto a sharpening of agape and of good works”.  Peter mentions several times the need for us to maintain a fervent agape unto one another (I Pet. 1:22; 2:17; 4:8).  Agape seems to be the endpoint of the growth process in his mind, as well (II Pet. 1:5-8).  The apostle John sees obedience to God as being the end result, or fruit, of the agape of God in a person's life (I Jn. 2:5).  Walking in agape is the same as walking in truth, or “the light”, as John puts it (2:10).  The message of the good news is to produce in us a heart to agape one another (3:11).  This kind of love becomes an evidence that our faith is genuine, that we truly have “passed out from death into life” (3:14).  The agape of God is identified as “laying down one's life for another” (3:16).  This kind of love is to “abide” in us, and to have practical results (3:17,18).  In a more in-depth section, John writes concerning the place of agape in our lives (4:7-5:2).  Some of what he says includes that agape is from God, and anyone who truly loves in this way must be born of God and experientially knows God (4:7).  Anyone not loving in this way does not experientially know God, because God is agape (4:8).  If we agape one another, God's agape lives in us and is fulfilled in us (4:11).  Those remaining, or living, in the agape, abide in God, and God abides in them (4:16).  Fully grown agape casts out all fear of punishment from God (4:17,18). Those who agape God will also agape His children (5:1,2).  Finally, the admonition of Jude, the half-brother of the Lord Jesus, “keep yourselves in the agape of God” (Jude 21).  This watchword is to keep us healthy in heart and faith. 

The focal point of agape screams at us from the testimony of Scripture.  If we at all have a mind open to see it, it is there repeatedly, consistently, and with specific attention.  Our salvation has sprung from God's heart of agape, and since He wants to make us like Him in our character, it is His desire to establish that quality in our lives by His indwelling presence (Rom. 5:5).  There really was no word in the Greek language, or any human language, adequate to express this concept of love, so God prompted His people to use a minor, little-used, indefinite word, agape, to begin to communicate His concepts of love by infusing it with meaning.  We learn what He meant by seeing how the word is employed in the various contexts it is found in, observing the word-pictures associated with it, and by experiencing it ourselves, both through our own relationship with God, and through the expressions of agape which come to us through His people.  BACK THE TOP