. . . love – Galatians 5: 22

The Greek people and the Greek language are full of love. This is so much so that they even have several words for love. There is philia which is the brotherly love shared and shown among friends and comrades. There is storge which is the family love exhibited between members of the same family. And, of course, there is eros which is romantic or sexual love.

Given these three choices, Paul uses none of them to describe the first fruit of the Spirit. The word he uses is agape. Agape love is a self-less and self-sacrificing love which seeks the highest good of its beloved. Agapes love is not motivated by emotions. It is not based on reciprocation. It has nothing to do with merit. It is extended primarily because the person loved is a creation of God and is, thereby, automatically worthy of love. It is a shadow of the love with which God loves us.

The other types of love have something in it for the one who does the loving. In philia, you get a bosom buddy. With stoge, you feel the support of your family. Through eros, you get physical and emotional pleasure. When it comes to agape, there is nothing particularly in it for you other than the satisfaction of knowing you can value what God values because He values it.

No wonder such love is a fruit of the Spirit. No wonder it is the first one named. How else can we love the unlovable, love without seeking a return and love without limits or conditions except by the power of the Holy Spirit? Paul is big on love. We see that in 1 Corinthians 13 where love is elevated above faith and hope. Paul takes his cue from Jesus because Jesus, too, was big on love. He said love would be the trait by which His disciples would be known. He furthermore declared that the two greatest commandments involved the love of God and the love of your neighbor. Both Paul and Jesus took their cues from God because He is so big on love that God is love.