LOVE,
LOVER,
LOVELY,
BELOVED
the
Psalms).
Israel's
sin
is
the
base
requital
it
has
rendered;
see
Dt
32<-«,
Is
S'-*
63'-'",
Mio
6"-,
Jer
2'-
",
Mai
12-
8,
Neh
9'-".
God's
love
is
kindness,
loving-
kindness
(see
artt.
:
very
frequent)
;
to
those
in
any
degree
worthy
and
approved,
becoming
ddight,
joy,
in
special
cases,
it
is
mercy
(wh.
see)
toward
the
weak,
sinful,
needy
—
'mercy'
is
more
conspicuous
than
'love'
in
the
OT,
and
looks
beyond
the
covenant-bond.
God's
love
breaks
into
grief,
anger,
wrath,
threatening
(the
reaction
of
affronted
love)
against
the
faithless
and
wanton
(Dt
7'-",
Ps
78«,
Is
63"-,
Am
3"-
etc.);
it
burns
with
jealousy,
when
its
chosen
are
seduced
into
idolatry
and
vice
—
J"'s
loathing
of
Israel's
corruption
reveals
at
once
the
purity
of
His
nature
and
the
zeal
of
His
affection
(Ex
20=,
Nu
25",
Dt
2918-2',
Zeph
!'«,
Jer
44''
etc.).
For
the
same
reason,
there
is
in
Him
a
"jealousy
over
Zion,'
etc.,
when
His
'beloved'
is
injured
or
wronged
(Jl
2'8,
Zee
1'*
etc.).
Is
ig^s
42'-"
etc.,
adumbrate
the
inclusion
of
'the
nations'
in
the
covenant;
and
Ps
100.
103'»-'«
14S»->2,
Jon
4"
reveal
a
universal
and
truly
humane
love
in
J"
(cf.
Lk
Z'^-^,
Tit
3*).
2.
The
Greek
language
discriminated
in
expressing
love:
it
distinguished
(1)
sexual
love,
eras;
(2)
family
love,
natural
affection,
storge;
(3)
social
love,
fnendship,
vhilia;
(4)
sometimes,
in
a
broader
ethical
sense,
philanihropia,
humanity,
kindness.
The
LXX
translators,
though
not
consistent
in
their
usage,
enlisted
(5)
agape
to
denote
religious
love,
the
love
of
God
to
man
or
man
to
God,
or
of
man
to
man
under
God's
covenant
(Lv
19'^)
—
i.e.
love
suifused
with
religion.
The
lower
kinds
of
love,
(1)
and
(2),
they
egress
by
philia
—
eros
is
avoided;
agape,
however,
encroaches
here
upon
philia.
The
verb
agapad
(or
-azo;
noun
agape
rare
outside
of
Scripture)
waa
used
in
all
periods
of
Greek
synonymously
with
phileo,
implying
ui
distinction
therefrom
aifection
rather
than
passion,
and
practical
affection,
love
shown
by
signs,
rather
tlmn
senti-ment.
The
AV,
after
the
Latin
caritas
(charitas),
rendered
agape
in
NT
30
times
by
'charity,'
which
RV
has
corrected
to
'love.'
Being
a
term
of
the
heart,
free
from
debasing
and
narrow
associations,
agape
was
suitable
for
Biblical
use.
In
the
NT
vocabulary
of
love,
(1)
never
occurs
—
'lust'
represents
the
evil
eros;
agape
and
philia
are
the
prevailing
synonyms
(verbs
agapad
and
philed),
the
latter
sometimes
replacing
the
former
in
application
to
the
higher
love,
with
the
connotation
of
endearment
or
in-timacy;
see
Jn
52"
and
162^
(a
gztosi-family
affection),
1X3.
a&-—
sDoken
about
Jesua
(agapad
in
v.^),
202
^agapad,
in
parallels),
21'™-
(no
idle
variation);
and
in
1
Co
I622,
where
the
negative
coalesces
with
the
verb
('If
any
one
is
no
friend
of
the
Lord'),
storge
(2)
is
found
in
its
negative
in
Ro
1",
2
Ti
3';
and
in
the
peculiar
compound
of
Ho
12'»,
the
adjective
'
tenderly-affectioned.'
In
Tit
3'
Paul
speaks
of
'the
philanthropy
(4)
of
God.'
'Beloved'
('well-,'
'deariy-')
represents
a
derivative
of
aga/poM,
used
of
Christ,
or
Christians^
as
dear
to
God;
and
of
Christians,
as
dear
to
fellow-believera.
It
is
synonymous
with
'brethren';
this
usage
is
frequent
in
salutations
and
apostrophes.
'Lovely'
in
Ph
4^
reproduces
an
adjective
akm
to
philia
(3)
=amiable'
or
'affectionate.'
There
are
several
NT
Gr.
compounds
of
phU-,
rendered
'
love
of
—
'and
'lover(s)
of
—
.'
agapS
(agapaS),
signifying
primarily
a
voluntary,
active
affection,
has
brought
from
the
LXX
into
the
NT
the
deeper
sense
of
spiritual
affection,
the
love
that
links
God
and
man
and
unites
soul
and
soul
in
the
Divine
communion.
Like
philia,
it
implies
reciprocity,
fellowship,
—
if
not
existing,
then
desired
and
sought.
The
Apostle
John
gives
the
final
and
complete
NT
doctrine
of
love,
(a)
The
love
of
God
John
sees
'i)er-fected'
in
those
who
'love
one
another'
and
thus
'keep
God's
commands,'
from
whose
souls
accordingly
'fear'
is
'cast
out,'
who
'abide'
wholly
in
the
realm
of
love
that
is
constituted
by
the
one
Spirit
dwelling
in
their
hearts
(1
Jn
2'
32*
4"'-
>6-2');
by
such
love
men
are
'perfected
into
one,'
even
as
Christ
is
'one'
with
the
Father
by
virtue
of
the
love
subsisting
eternally
between
them
(Jn
172'-2«;
cf.
Mt
3"
17')
—
there
is
love's
prime
fountain.
Gradually,
almost
timidly,
OT
saints
had
learned
to
speak
of
J""s
'love'
to
men;
Christ
builds
everything
upon
this.
Coming
from
His
'
bosom
'
(
Jn
1'*),
He
knows
the
Father's
love,
and
seeks
to
convey
it
LOVE,
LOVER,
LOVELY,
BELOVED
to
and
share
it
with
His
brethren.
His
mission
is
to
'
show
the
Father,
'
—
to
declare
how
much,
and
to
what
effect,
'God
loves
the
world'
(Jn
3'«'-
172"-
etc.),
'
thankless
and
evil
'
though
it
is
(Lk
6»').
In
love
which
heaps
kindness
on
the
worst
and
seeks
out
the
most
aUenated,
Ues
the
'perfection'
of
God
in
His
character
of
Father
(Mt
5",
Lk
15
etc.;
cf.
Eo
2*,
Col
I2").
The
bestowment
of
'the
Sou
of
his
love,'
'the
only
be-gotten,'
on
our
race,
and
the
sacrifice
of
that
Son's
life
for
man's
redemption,
display
with
infinite
force
and
effect
the
love
of
the
Father
towards
His
unworthy
children;
see
Jn
1»
3'<-'8,
Ro
5»-*
('love
of
God,'
or
'of
Christ,'
means
always
in
Paul
God's,,
or
Christ's,
love
to
man)
8«,
1
Jn
49'-
",
Col
1"-.
The
love
which
God
thus
'
commends
'
subsisted
in
Him
apart
from
and
anterior
to
this
proof;
it
actuates
all
God's
dealings
with
mankind,
—
in
creation,
providence,
and
moral
disciphne
(Mt
5*
62«-33
102»«,
Ja
1'"-,
1
P
4'").
'
Love
is
of
God,'
since
'God
is
love';
it
comes
from
Him,
being
absolutely
in
Him;
'love'
gives
the
best
con-ception
we
can
form
of
God's
nature.
Since
its
objects
are
pitiable,
God's
redeeming
love
is
mercy
(Lk
l'",
Eph
2«,
Tit
3s,
1
P
13—
'love'
predominates
in
the
NT,
as
'mercy'
in
the
OT);
and
as
men
are
sinful
and
undeserving,
love
wears
tlie
form
of
grace
(wh.
see:
Paul's
favourite
term,
as
'love'
is
John's).
God's
'
good-will
'
(or
'
pleasure
'
)
is
His
love
taking
determinate
expression
(Lk
2'i
1232,
j
qq
jui^
Eph
l'*-
etc.);
His
'kindness'
is
love
in
its
considerateness
or
bounty
(Lk
6»,
Ro
2*);
His
'long-suflering'
Is
love
in
its
patience,
restraining
anger
and
delaying
chastise-ment
(Ro
2«
922,
1
Ti
1",
1
P
32»).
Jesus
Christ
is
not
the
mere
channel
of
the
Father's
good-
will;
He
shares
in
It
infinitely
—
'the
love
of
God'
is
seen
in
'the
love
of
Christ'
(Ro
8'^-
^0,
2
Co
5»,
Gal
220,
Eph
3";
cf.
Jn
lO'i-is
13'-
«
1421,
Rev
1'
etc.).
Ja
45
testifies
to
a
'jealous
yearning'
in
the
Holy
Spirit,
over
Christians
infected
with
'love
of
the
world';
cf.
Eph
4'3,
Is
63>i>.
(&)
The
love
of
Christians
towards
God
and
Christ
is
the
heart's
response
to
the
Father's
love
exhibited
in
Christ
(1
Jn
4").
This
is
not
spontaneous
on
man's
part,
but
comes
by
'knowing
the
love
of
Christ
that
surpasses
knowledge'
(Eph
3'^,
Ro
5'"-,
Eph
23-5
3"-",
Jn
15'3
1723).
Grateful
and
obedient
love
to
God
results
from
faith
(wh.
see:
'faith
and
love,'
also
'faith,
hope,
love,'
are
companions;
1
Co
13'3,
1
Th
13,
1
Tl
1",
Philems
etc.)
in
Jesus
Christ
—
His
mission
and
sacrifice
for
sin.
His
Person
recognized
as
the
full
representation
of
the
mind
of
God
(2
Co
4«-6,
Gal
6»,
Eph
5"-;
cf.
2*,
1
P
1*'-,
1
Jn
415-
19);
it
is
the
'fruit'
and
evidence
of
the
Holy
Spirit's
indwelling,
who
is
the
Father's
'
gift
'
of
love
to
His
reconciled
children
(Gal
522,
1
Co
2'2,
Ro
S',
1
Jn
4'3').
'
Abba,
Fatherl'
was
the
cry
of
this
new-born
filial
love
(Ro
8",
Gal
4").
Its
antithesis
is
found
in
'the
love
of
the
world,'
of
'self,'
'pleasure,'
'money'
(1
Jn
2is»-,
Ja
4<,
2
Ti
32-6,
Lk
IG's'-,
Jn
15"-2').
Love
towards
God
is
the
fundamental
law
of
man's
nature,
broken
by
his
transgression
—
a
law
pro-claimed
in
comprehensive
terms
in
the
OT,
recalled
by
Jesus
and
recognized
by
the
true
Israelite
(Mt
223');
the
false
professors
of
Judaism
'had
not
the
love
of
God
in
them,'
for
indeed
they
'had
not
known
Him'
or
they
would
have
'received'
His
messenger,
they
would
have
'loved'
His
Son
(Lk
11«,
Jn
538-
«t.
8«.
ts).
The
world's
radical
hostility
towards
God
shows
itself
in
unbeUef
towards
Christ,
and
consequent
persecution
of
Christians
(Jn
1519-163,
Ro
8'-
ss,
Gal
420,
1
Jn
3i2f).
Love
towards
God
(and
Christ)
renovates
and
purifies
the
heart,
inspires
a
constant
self-devotion,
and
makes
the
perfect
vision
of
God
the
object
of
fervent
anticipa-tion
(1
P
13-9-
'8-23,
Eph
431
58,
Col
3'2-'»,
1
Jn
3'-3
4",
Rev
21'
223'-,
Jn
1423
1721).
To
cherish
this
love
to
the
Father
is
to
live
as
one
who
'
has
learnt
Christ
'
;
it
is
to
follow
in
His
steps,
with
the
certainty
of
arriving
where
He
is
(Jn
172«»-
158ff-
1421-,
Eph
420-24).
Thus
one
