He Said, She Said, He Saysعينة

In 1960, C. S. Lewis wrote a book titled The Four Loves in which he explored the concept of love from the perspective of a believer.

Ultimately, he focused on four types of love and elaborated on their meaning:

Storge – The empathy bond. This is the feeling that one would have towards those that they are bonded with by chance. The love that a parent would have for their child would be a prime example. Storge is considered to be the most natural and genuine love possible. It comes without being forced, it is the result of fondness and familiarity, can transcend nearly anything. A parent does not care what their child has done, they will still love them because they are their child.

Philia – The love shared between close friends. They often share common values/interests. Lewis wrote that friendship is the least natural of the loves. Humans don’t need friendship, yet this is where philia gains its power. We don’t need friendship, but we choose it. We yearn for it. We decide to pursue it. Think about the beautiful examples in the Bible of philia. Jonathan and David, Amis and Amiles, Roland and Oliver, or Pylades and Orestes.

Eros – The romantic love. Eros is a beautiful love that draws people to spend their lives with one another, but eros is neutral. It can be good or evil, depending on the circumstances and the individuals involved in it. The experience of being in love can be profoundly joyous as well as profoundly stressful. It requires work, but it also provides fulfillment.

Agape – Unconditional love. The strongest, most pure, most real love that exists is also the most unfathomable to people. Love in its purest form comes without conditions, expectations, or limits. It goes against humans' self-centered nature. This is the way that God loves us. This is the greatest of the four loves, as it has been filtered through the Holy Spirit. God gave his Son so that we may have redemption. God loves us despite our transgressions.

We as people view much of our love and affection as conditional. If you do this, I will do that. If this happens, then I will respond in this manner.

But God doesn’t keep score. He doesn’t keep tabs on love, He just loves.

Unconditionally.