What is love? This is a question that was posed to me the other day by my fiancé. I decided to do a search on it and see what came up. When you search this question on google, there are several different results. One that stood out to me was an article on the HuffPost, “What Is Love? A Philosophy of Life.” They state, “Love is the most powerful emotion a human being can experience.” They continue to say that the word “Love” is an expression of affection towards someone, or is a human virtue that is based on compassion, affection, and kindness, which is said to be the purest kind of love.

After doing more searching, I also found there are 6 different Greek words for Love. The first is “Eros,” which is sexual passion. They believed this form of love was to be dangerous, fiery, and irrational, because it could possess you. The second is “Philia,” or a deep friendship. This form of love was more valued than the others, for it was deep friendship that was formed between brothers. This love was based on loyalty – a sacrificing love. The third is “Ludus” – playful love. The Greeks thought of this love to be between children. The fourth is “Agape,” a love for everyone. “Agape” was translated into Latin as caritas, or charity. The fifth was “Pragma,” which was longstanding love. This was a love that developed between married couples and was based on patience and understanding. The last was “Philautia,” or a love for yourself.

Love is said to be many things by many different people. Everyone has their own perception of what love is. Nicholas Sparks has described and has talked about love in every one of his novels. In the Notebook, he states, “The best love is the kind that awakens the soul; that makes us reach for more, that plants the fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.” Another has shown and described love, and this character was “Winnie the Pooh.” This character has brought life and laughter to children for many years. One of my favorite quotes is and will always be, “If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I would never have to live without you.” This is such a beautiful picture of everlasting love.

One story of everlasting love was the greatest of all – the story of Christ. Christ was sacrificed for all of mankind, so anyone who believes on Him can have everlasting life. This kind of love is so incredibly meaningful. I believe this is why the Greeks valued this kind of love so much. The Scriptures talk about this all through the New Testament. One has been called the love verse, which is stated in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. I feel God gave this guideline, so we know what love is and how to demonstrate it.

Another verse that many will look to is 1 John 4:7-12. It is stated, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” Many may ask what this has to do with love? I will tell you right now – it has everything to do with love. It is because it is part of God’s nature. Love first came to be when God created the world and mankind. It all came from Him. Also, love was shown through His divine plan through Christ. I believe this is the world’s greatest demonstration of love of all time.

Here are the links to the articles I read and mentioned. They are really good reads, and I suggest you check them out.

What is Love? A Philosophy of Life

The Ancient Greeks’ 6 Words for Love

God is Love