Love One Another – Sunday, October 09, 1983
The most basic commandment in Christianity is that we love one another. Jesus said on this and on our love for God hang all the laws and the prophets. But if love is such a desired virtue, why is it so difficult to attain? Part of the difficulty may lie in our definition of love.
No word in our language has been so misused and abused. It is used to describe the most exalted forms of adoration, awe and respect as the love of God. But then we speak of love in rather everyday experiences such as loving ice cream or chocolate cake. The word love is even twisted and deformed to describe the most sordid kinds of lustful desires. Surely these experiences and others we categorize under love are not the same emotion.
What then is love? No definition can be all-inclusive, but a closer analysis might clarify what we mean.
The ancient Greek philosophers described three kinds of love. They spoke of Eros which they defined as romantic love. Romantic love at its best is a beautiful thing, but the Greeks recognized that this was not the only kind of love in the world.
They spoke also of brotherly love. This is the love that inspires fraternities, social gatherings, ethnic and national pride. Brotherly love does much good in the world. It can warm our hearts and make us feel secure among our friends. But this form of love likewise has limitations. It is usually restricted to those who are similar to us and it excludes those who are different. They are out of the brotherhood.
There is a love that transcends these limitations. The Greeks named it agape.1 Agape asks nothing in return for the love it gives. It does not require that the recipient of love be beautiful, desirable or even friendly. Agape is for enemies as well as friends.
This kind of love does not come easily. It may take a lifetime to achieve. It is the most unselfish of virtues. And though not easy, it is possible, and the rewards that come from practicing this principle are worth any effort to attain it.
As with other forms of love, the definition is in the doing. The Savior knew this, and so He made His life an example that we might follow. He loved His enemies, did good to those who hated him, and prayed for those who persecuted him. And He left us the commandment, “Love one another as I have loved you.”2
Agape, an unselfish Christlike care, concern and love for each other, it the only way we will ever find peace—peace in our own hearts, peace among neighbors and peace for this war-weary world.
1 Webster’s Third New International Dictionary Unabridged, G. and C. Merriam Co. Springfield, MA, 1976. p 39
2 New Testament, John 13:34
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October 09, 1983
Broadcast Number 2,825