Love

KJV John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

HankD

 

Lost people don't "love"
Let me try to explain:
In the NT there are mainly two words used
for love.
1. Phileo: to put in the simplest of terms
is a head love, to be fond of. This is the best any unregenerated heart can do. This is the word Peter used in John 21 when Christ put the question to him, lovest thou me?
2. Agape: this is the word Christ used the
first & second time he asked Peter if he loved him. It's a love that comes from the Father, & the only "true love".
Thats why I say a lost person can't love,
they don't have the Holy Spirit indwelling
to show them how to love as the Father loves.

Hope this helps

 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
4 "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh not evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth:"

~Lorelei

 

Sorry, but I must take exception to the "agape" "phileo" post above. If we actually study out the words in the NT we will see that they are not as cut and dried as the poster suggests.

2 Tim 4.10 uses "agapao" in the statement "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world."

John 3:19 uses "agapao" in "men loved darkness rather than light."

John 12.43 tells us that sinners love "agapao" those who love them.

Could Demas have had a selfless or spiritual love for this present world?

And God loves "phileo" you, John 16.27.

And the Father loves "phileo" the Son in John 5.20.

Dr. Clearwaters used to warn us against trying to make a Greek word "walk on all fours." Trying to draw too stringent a distinction between "agape" and "phileo" is trying to make the words "walk on all fours."

 

Again, I'm taught some more on this site.
It seems I either dig too deep, or not deep enough.
You're right Thomas, I checked over the verses you listed & agree.It can hurt the ego to see you're not as up to par as you think you are .
But Rachel's question remains, can lost people "love". I still have to say the only real love is that which comes from God.

 

Of course lost people can love, they do it all the time. They engage in physical love, emotional love, and even a vague, dim immitation of spiritual love.

The question is not "can lost people love" but "can anybody love, apart from the love of God?"

"Love" is a verb, it is something you do. As in all things, you do it much better when empowered by grace.

[ June 11, 2001: Message edited by: Thomas Cassidy ]

 

I know there are reformed brethren on this board...
Isn't love a part of the "common grace" gifts to man from our Father in heaven?

HankD