I Love Ice Cream…Maybe Not
I have a few pet peeves such as being late, asking how are you doing when you don’t actually care, and saying I love ice cream. The last one may sound a bit odd so let me explain.
Merriam-Webster defines love as:
Noun: Strong affection, admiration, attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion.
Verb: To Cherish, to actively desire, to take pleasure in.
While some of us may love (or actively desire and take pleasure in) having a bowl of Blue Bell, when it comes to Biblical love, there’s actually three levels or kinds with Agape being the most amazing. Agape is also why hearing I love ice cream gets under my skin a bit and why I think we should use terms other than love to express what we are feeling.
The three Loves in the Bible are Agape, Philo, and Eros. Let’s take them in reverse order:
Eros. This is a physical, intimate love such as that between a husband and a wife. Eros is an amazing gift given to us by God as a component of marriage. It is in part what is meant in Genesis 2:24 when God, speaking of marriage, said, “they shall become one flesh.”
Philo (Philéo). This type of love is a brotherly love, a friendship love. It is why Philadelphia is often referred to as the city of Brotherly Love. We can have Philo feelings for many people. And while we may really like ice cream, since it’s an inanimate object which can’t express any feelings, you technically can’t love (Philo) ice cream.
Agape. This is the most amazing love which can be expressed. It is the unconditional love one has for another. It is selfless, and sacrificial and the deepest love you can express or at least try to express. Agape love is why Jesus came to earth, it why he allowed himself to be crucified, it is why he was resurrected, and it why the Holy Spirit was sent. Agape love is the love God has for us and it is a love that can’t be expressed any more or any less. No matter what we do to try and prove that wrong, God has already made it clear, he will love us still…
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. - Romans 5:6-11
When you experience God’s Agape love, it is difficult, at least it is for me, to use the word love toward anything else but my love for God. I adore my wife, I cherish my kids, and I do my best to express Agape love for them. And while I really like ice cream sundaes, I don’t love ice cream and it’s why saying ‘I Love Ice Cream’ is a pet peeve of mine.
And he said to him, “You shall love [Agape] the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love [Agape] your neighbor as yourself. - Matthew 22:37, 38