Agapé - Advantages
The highest type of agape love is not human at all, but divine - God's unconditional love for us, His children.
God's love was shown to us the most when God the Father sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to his suffering and death on the cross for our salvation. There is no greater love than this. Jesus had no obligation to die for us, but He chose to. It is His gift, His ultimate gift.
Agape, or unconditional love, is a love that is totally selfless, where a person gives out love to another person even if this act does not benefit her/him in any way.
It is love we show our parents, taking care of them and helping them in their old age. Just like they took care of us when we were young, it is done with or without benefit in return.
Agape love is a spontaneous and generous love that is self-giving to the point of being self-sacrificial. Gracious, faithful, and enduring - agape is most like the love God sheds upon us in Christ through the Spirit.
Agape is love that seeks nothing in return, that wishes only to benefit the one loved. It is love offered in spite of the attractiveness or repulsiveness of the beloved (see Romans 5:6-8 and Titus 3:3-7).
It is freely given with no thought of repayment, and therefore it cannot be earned. The Christian term used to describe such a transaction is "grace".
Agape is beautiful because it is divine in origin. However, agape is not the only divine expression of love or the only model for human love. Because agape is love without regard to personal fulfilment, it is easily perceived as unemotional and disinterested - a sheer act of the will. But love is more than a dispassionate act of the will. Love is an act of the heart.
God's love was shown to us the most when God the Father sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to his suffering and death on the cross for our salvation. There is no greater love than this. Jesus had no obligation to die for us, but He chose to. It is His gift, His ultimate gift.
Agape, or unconditional love, is a love that is totally selfless, where a person gives out love to another person even if this act does not benefit her/him in any way.
It is love we show our parents, taking care of them and helping them in their old age. Just like they took care of us when we were young, it is done with or without benefit in return.
Agape love is a spontaneous and generous love that is self-giving to the point of being self-sacrificial. Gracious, faithful, and enduring - agape is most like the love God sheds upon us in Christ through the Spirit.
Agape is love that seeks nothing in return, that wishes only to benefit the one loved. It is love offered in spite of the attractiveness or repulsiveness of the beloved (see Romans 5:6-8 and Titus 3:3-7).
It is freely given with no thought of repayment, and therefore it cannot be earned. The Christian term used to describe such a transaction is "grace".
Agape is beautiful because it is divine in origin. However, agape is not the only divine expression of love or the only model for human love. Because agape is love without regard to personal fulfilment, it is easily perceived as unemotional and disinterested - a sheer act of the will. But love is more than a dispassionate act of the will. Love is an act of the heart.
Agape is not limited to being held hostage by its environment and someone's perception. The reason why agape can soar above other loves is because it is based upon the commitment of a decision. It entails the decision to proactively seek someone's well-being.
It is not a knee jerk reaction nor just a responsive feeling to how I've been treated, agape is capable of acting in a hostile environment where there are no warm fuzzy feelings. For example, Jesus' teaching that we should agape our enemies is intended to show the boundless nature of the Christian commitment toward seeking another's well-being. Luke 6:35
The New Testament is full of examples and teachings illustrating the nature of agape as well as teaching designed to train the disciple's heart to be shaped by agape. A few examples illustrating the active nature of agape include:
Knowing that sinful man would kill His Son, but also knowing that without Jesus we were doomed, God loved (agape) us by sending his Son. John 3:16
Those who love (agape) Jesus will do what Jesus taught. John 14:15,23
If a person has material resources and the love (agape) of God within him, his heart will take care of his brother who is in need. 1 John 3:17
Just as Christ through love (agape) acted on behalf of the church, so too the Christian husband is to be motivated by love (agape) to act on behalf of his wife. Ephesians 5:25-29.
If it were not enough that the proactive nature of agape has the power to rise above its environment, it can also empower passion and friendship! For example, when a spouse chooses to speak and act toward the mate with agape, this creates the loving environment in which eros and phileo can thrive! Although the proactive spouse might even perceive the other spouse as being unkind or rude, additional problems can be prevented by responding out of agape while the power of agape works at nurturing the growth of the other forms of love!
Jesus taught his disciples that the world would know that they his people if they would show agape toward one another. John 13:35
It is not a knee jerk reaction nor just a responsive feeling to how I've been treated, agape is capable of acting in a hostile environment where there are no warm fuzzy feelings. For example, Jesus' teaching that we should agape our enemies is intended to show the boundless nature of the Christian commitment toward seeking another's well-being. Luke 6:35
The New Testament is full of examples and teachings illustrating the nature of agape as well as teaching designed to train the disciple's heart to be shaped by agape. A few examples illustrating the active nature of agape include:
Knowing that sinful man would kill His Son, but also knowing that without Jesus we were doomed, God loved (agape) us by sending his Son. John 3:16
Those who love (agape) Jesus will do what Jesus taught. John 14:15,23
If a person has material resources and the love (agape) of God within him, his heart will take care of his brother who is in need. 1 John 3:17
Just as Christ through love (agape) acted on behalf of the church, so too the Christian husband is to be motivated by love (agape) to act on behalf of his wife. Ephesians 5:25-29.
If it were not enough that the proactive nature of agape has the power to rise above its environment, it can also empower passion and friendship! For example, when a spouse chooses to speak and act toward the mate with agape, this creates the loving environment in which eros and phileo can thrive! Although the proactive spouse might even perceive the other spouse as being unkind or rude, additional problems can be prevented by responding out of agape while the power of agape works at nurturing the growth of the other forms of love!
Jesus taught his disciples that the world would know that they his people if they would show agape toward one another. John 13:35
Agapé - Difficulties
Agapic lovers are often spiritual or religious people who view their partners as blessings, and wish to take care of them. Agapic lovers will remain faithful to their partners to avoid causing them pain, and will often wait patiently for their partners after a break-up. Marriage and children are sacred trusts, and sex is a gift between two people. Agapic love is unconditional. Agapic lovers can eventually grow to feel they have been taken advantage of, and feel they've been used. The advantage of agapic love is its generosity. The disadvantage is its guilt-tripping nature. In its deviant form, agape becomes martyrdom.
