The Preeminence of Agape Love: "But The Greatest Of These Is Agape"

Common Sense Commentary: "Charity" may have been a proper rendering in 1611 AD, of the Greek word "Agape", but if so, the meaning of "charity" has been so abused and misused by men, for the last 400 years, that I must transliterate the original Greek word Agape to get any semblance of God's true meaning of it, today. Even the word "love" has been perverted to the lowest common denominator ... "Making love", or " I love spaghetti". There are basically two words translated "love" in the New Testament, "agape" and "phileo".
Agape means Godly love and phileo means, essentially, human love.... not sex or spaghetti.

The Apostle Paul, inspired by God, summed up the true meaning of "agape" love in 1 Cor.13. In the King James Version, the translators used "charity" as the meaning of "agape". The meaning of "charity" has changed so completely since 1611 that I will, as I said, simply replace it with the original Greek word "agape", which is a transliteration... or making an English word out of a Greek word.

At the end of 1 Cor.13, the Apostle sums up this divinely inspired masterpiece, in v.13 ..."And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."  So, why is Agape love "greater" that faith or hope?  Because agape love is singularly a Godly characteristic and faith and hope are spiritual, human characteristics. Agape is not a human characteristic. No matter how much a person loves (phileo), that human love cannot reach the level of Godly love (agape). Agape love is not a natural occurrence in the fleshly heart or mind. Human love (phileo) is natural, normal love of a human mother, father, husband, wife, parent, child, or friend. Varying degrees of phileo love is common in almost everyone. But agape can only be experienced by humans as a receiving response to God's agape. We can only agape (love) God as a receptive reaction to His FIRST loving us.  "We love him, because he first loved us." 1 Jn.4:19. God's agape dwells in us only if He dwells in us. We cannot agape others unless God, who IS agape love, dwells in us by His Holy Spirit. "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." 1Jn.4:8. 
 "....God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.' 1Jn.4:16. 

Here is the dynamics of faith, hope and agape love. "For God so loved (agape) the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth (faith) in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (hope)."  Jn.3:16. The agape love of God reached down to humanity when Jesus was "born from above" and was indwelt, by the eternal Christ. "....Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world." Jn.8:23. Mary was the mother of the body of Jesus not the Spirit of eternal Christ.... God, who dwelt in that human body.  It was God, the Father's agape which reached down, in Christ, to redeem humanity. The Holy Spirit is that part of God and Christ which fills and thrills the soul of the person who responds to God's agape by, in turn, reaching up, in faith, not to take God's reaching down hand, but to wilfully give Him ours. "....Faith worketh by agape...." Gal.5:6. We cannot hold on to God; He hold on to us."


So God's agape reaches down, through Jesus, for us, and we, motivated by His loving reach for us, respond, in faith, and accept His offer. The moment His hand, the loving, crucified hand of Jesus, touches our seeking, believing heart and hand, we are born again.  Godly love and our accepting faith have completed a holy circuit which creates in us a heavenly hope, in Christ ... called the blessed hope in Titus 2:13... "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ."


Now, consider this. The reason 1 Cor.13:13 says, "the greatest of these is love", is the fact that love, agape love, is the only one of the three which is exclusively God's. It can only be imparted unto the soul of a receptive, seeking sinner by God's loving grace through the persons believing faith, "For by grace are ye saved through faith ..." God, Himself, is all powerful, all knowing and all present, He does not need either "faith" or "hope". He IS! He KNOWS! He CAN! His agape love does not respond to faith; His love is always there, reaching, convicting, awaiting the response of "whosoever will" believe His word ... and receive His love. It is our faith which must respond to His ever present agape love. Love is more than an attribute of God; it is the very essence of God. "...God IS agape" 1 Jn.4:8.

  "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Heb.11:1. God does not need faith or substance or hope or evidence.  He sees everything, knows everything, and is everywhere. He needs nothing .... but maybe the "pleasure" of our agape love, for which he created us. 
  'Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Rev.4:11. 


Remember to read the word, "charity" as "agape love" in the following verses of 1 Cor.13. RB


Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 

 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 

 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 

  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there beknowledge, it shall vanish away. 

 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 

 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 


 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.