SCRIPTURE READING: Romans 5: 6-8, 1 John 4:7-12
EXPOSITION:
The Greek language has at least four different meanings for the English word, “love” – “Phileo”, “Storge”, “Eros” and “Agape”. Phileo is viewed as the brotherly or friendly kind of love. The Storge is described as the kind of love/affection that naturally occurs between parents and children, whereas the Eros is described as the kind of love that is based on sexual feelings or passion. The Agape, on the other hand, is widely known as the unconditional kind of love; that kind of love that has no strings attached.
These various understandings of love help us to understand the different dimensions of love. It is very important to understand this especially in this time and age where sex is confusedly used to depict the embodiment of love.
In our first scripture reading, we are reminded of how Christ laid down His life for us even when we were still living in sin. The Message Bible puts it this way: “but God put His love on the line for us by offering His son in a sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.” This seems quite hard to understand, isn’t it? “We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice”, but how about a God dying for a mortal “who is of no use whatever to him”? This act of God is a true demonstration of the agape kind of love.
Today is St. Valentine’s Day. It is not a day to drink oneself to stupor or engage in a sexual escapade or perversity but a time to sit back and reflect deeply on God’s love for mankind. Yes, He loved us when we were not worthy of His Love.
Again, it is a time to replicate and demonstrate this love of God unto others. So He commands us, “love one another, just as I love you” (John 15:12).
PRAYER:
Lord, teach me how to love.
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