Ask Your Preacher - Archives
“Logical Love”
Categories: RELATIONSHIPS, WITH MANKINDThe New Testament commandment from Jesus states, "Love God with all your mind, heart, and soul and your neighbor as yourself, and upon these two commandments hang all the law". Our personal love is not equal or relative to God’s love.How can I love my fellow man when my fellow man hates me? I am missing something here. It seems it is impossible for me to personally love someone else because it is a material love.
My argument is that God’s love is absolute spiritual love and not our material love. I believe that spiritual love is an emotional love which comes from the heart, not the mind.
Does love work from the head as well as the heart? How do I know the Holy Spirit’s voice is talking to me from my mind?
Sincerely,
An Emotional Believer
Dear An Emotional Believer,
The Holy Spirit speaks to you through the Bible (1 Cor 2:11-13, Jhn 14:26), and the Bible teaches that true love is an intellectual decision, not merely an emotion. The Greek language (the language of the New Testament) has several words that fit the English description of ‘love’.
- ‘Philos’ is the word for friendly love, companionship, and loyalty. This is the type of love shared between friends, comrades, and family.
- ‘Eros’ is the word for passion and romantic love. This is the type of love that is used to describe sensual attraction or longing.
- ‘Agape’ is the word used for honored love. This type of love is sacrificial and places the person or object in a position of honor. Agape love does what is in the best interest of the other person.
The love that Christ commands us to have is ‘agape’ love. It may be impossible for you to have friendly feelings toward your enemies, but you can still choose to treat them in an honorable way (Lk 6:27). Paul says that when we do good things to our enemies, we shame them and heap burning coals upon their heads (Rom 12:20). Agape love overcomes evil with good (Rom 12:21). Agape love is a choice, a decision of the mind to place others’ needs before your own (Rom 12:10).
