Love Is Love?

Language is the framework within which thought runs. It’s the structure which helps form and express thought. So, there’s a poverty of thought when one thinks only within one language, especially if that language is English and the thoughts are on love.

Indeed, “Love is love” in English but English lacks the word capacity to fully think through the diversity of loves. This isn’t purely a theoretical challenge on a “dictionary level”. As love is a component of marriage, this is why some are confused about it. Ravi Zacharias explains how…

Written in Greek, the New Testament has four words for the different kinds of love:

  • Agape: the love of God.
  • Storge: the love of a parent to a child.
  • Eros: erotic love.
  • Phileo: the love of a friendship/brother.

And this is how Natural Marriage is the ultimate expression of love. Only in it are all four loves pulled together.
The agape love of God creates a holy marriage which draws a husband and wife together in a phileo friendship and lifetime commitment. This allows for the sacred expression of sex in eros love to each other, which consummates in the act of procreation, through which the expression of storge parental love to their child has the opportunity to unite with the other three loves to give a full expression of the four loves.

As a shallow slogan, love isn’t love but how amazing when it is in marriage.

Image from the Internet.

4 Responses to “ Love Is Love? ”

  1. This post about the four Greek words for types of love – exactly what I needed today, as I write a wedding reception blessing for son and daughter-in-law to be this weekend. Two truly Godly young people – I’m hoping to send encouragement to them and all present. Thank you!

    • You are most welcomed and I trust your son’s wedding is the start of the deepening of all four loves in his life!

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