Then we come across Galatians 5:22–23, where we find the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit. And we find that the first fruit of the Spirit is love!
Galatians 5:22–23: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such, there is no law.”
In other words, Galatians 5:22–23 confirms 1 Corinthians 16:14. As Christians, if we are conformed to God and filled with His Spirit, everything we do should express the character of God; we should bear fruit, and the first fruit is love.
In the new test, what is the word “love in Greek and what does it mean?
In English, we only have one word for love. With this word, we casually describe how we feel about things and people. For instance, we can indiscriminately express our love for ice cream, for our children,, or for our spouse.
The Greek language has seven different words to express the equivalent of the word love.
In the New Testament, we find two Greek words translated as love: Agape and Philia, when they are nouns, and Agapao and Phileo, when they are verbs.
Philia and Phileo come from the root word philos, which means friend or beloved; they indicate a type of feeling, and it can be translated as brotherly love, in the sense of affection between friends or believers.
Agape and Agapao express the concept of supreme and perfect love, and it’s the highest form of love we find in the Bible. It’s not a feeling or an emotion; it’s love by will; it implies serious commitment and responsibility.
Let’s look at the context of Agape and Agapao to better understand this concept. In all Bible verses found in this study, the word translated as love is always Agape,, or a derivative of Agapao in the Greek text.
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LOVE,, ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE?
The Biblical definition and meaning of love are found in:
2 John 1:6: “This is love, that we walk according to His (God’s) commandments. This is the commandment, that,, as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.”
To walk according to God’s commandments means to obey God’s law and live by the principles of His kingdom, as opposed to our personal opinions or the principles we learn from our family or pick up from our society and culture.
HOW DO WE LOVE GOD,, ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE?
John 14:15: “If you love me, keep my commandments.”
Plainly and clearly stated. This is how you love God. By keeping His commandments.
More proof? Here we go, in Jesus’ very own words!
John 15:9: “As the Father loved me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.”
And how can we abide in Jesus’ love?
John 15:10: “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”
John 14:21: “He who has My Commandments and keeps them, it is he who LOVES Me. And he who loves me will be loved by my father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
In other words, God will love someone who keeps His commandments and will not love someone who does not keep His commandments.
Is agape love unconditional love?
Quite the opposite!
Agape Love is actually conditional and based on reciprocity. God loves us if we love God. We love God if God loves us.
The New Covenant is a contract between two parties with clearly stated terms and conditions. If one party fails to keep his part of the Covenant, the other is under no obligation to keep his.
We know that God is an oathkeeper and not a covenantbreaker. There is no sin in God! The party that might fail to comply and keep their part of the Covenant is always mankind.
Jesus gave us two commandments for the New Covenant:
Matthew 22:37–38: “Jesus said to him: ‘You shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.”
Matthew 22:39: “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’.”
Matthew 22:40: “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
