What have you learned in your life about love?

Love is more than Just a feeling.

Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity. (1 Corinthians 13:13 KJV)

So, I will answer the question I asked you in the last chapter. What is the real work of faith? The answer is love, and love is the work of faith.However, how does the principle of Love work? We need to define the word, love. And in this definition, we will get what honest love is and how to work the principles of love.

When Christians define love, we have a habit of making love symbolize everything. I love cake. Instead of saying I am fond of cake. I love this music; it means I like performing and dramatic action. I love how you make me feel—instead, a statement to an emotion of fondness.

Moreover, the misinterpreted affection of love is an animated object that can never receive significance, and we don’t understand what the person is trying to tell us. The fondness for the person or inanimate objects doesn’t draw you to get into a relationship with the person or inanimate. And you are confused by what they are saying to you. I mean, can you have a connection with cake, music, or a performance? No, of course, you can enjoy the pleasure of the objects without using mindfulness. You don’t have a relationship with these objects or inanimate objects. We have a relationship with people and with God.

However, with pets, you will care for them and show fondness toward them. Nevertheless, what is the feeling you have towards them? It is a form of love. In Hebrew, there are many meanings of love. But only in Greek do we understand the true meaning of the word love. In Hebrew, the name Loves definition as one that shows a fondness for someone like a friend or in a sexual sense. Simply we are fear that’s why we perceive because God was feared, so he was only a feared friend to keep at a distance:“Therefore thou shalt love [Great fondness of God in fear] the Lord…(Deuteronomy 6:5 KJV)” (the word used here is in the Hebrew אָהַב ’ahab (pronounced ahʹhab) is love like a friend.[1] This word is the same in Peter used when he told the Lord he loved him φιλέω in the Greek phileo (pronounced fil-ehʹ-o) to be a friend or fond of a person).[2]

 In the Old Testament, you could only fear the Lord God. However, in Greek, the new meaning of how God wanted to love, and with the rejuvenated heart through salvation, there was a new form of Love that Christ Jesus introduced, and that was the complete form of love, which is where the Royal law of love gives new meaning to the word love.

In Greek, there are several meanings of love that we will study. We will explore them, starting with the most critical first unconditional love. The first word in Greek is ἀγάπη agapē (pronounced ag-ah’-pay), which is from the word ἀγαπάω apapaō (pronounced ag-ap-ahʹ-o), defined as to love; however, ἀγάπη agapē is as affection or benevolence; specifically, or plural a love feast or charity.[3]

The word love has several meanings, and it deals with the fleshly or carnal type of love, the soulish kind of love, and the spiritual style of love. The Greek word θέλω thelō (pronounced thel’-o):- means to delight in or to desire in anticipation of love.[4] Then there is the Greek word ἔρως  Eros (pronounced erōs):- is the meaning of falling in love in a sexual sense, or humankind of love.[5]

The Kinds love’s you could find fondness

Meanwhile, phileo is of the soulish nature of being found. Here is some example of having the soulish form of fondness. Notice that all are using the word liking.

1. Philagathos (fil-ag’-ath-os) fond of good, that is, a promoter of virtue:- the love of good men.
2. Philadelphia (fil-ad-el-fee’-ah) fraternal affection:- brotherly love.
3. Philandros (fil’-an-dros) fondness of your husband.
4. Philanthrōpia (fil-an-thro-pee’-ah) fondness of humankind: – a love of philanthropy.
5. Philarguria (fil-ar-goo-ree’-ah): – Love of money.
6. Philautos (fil’-ow-tos) fond of self: – lover of own self.
7.  Philēdonos (fil-ay’-don-os) fond of pleasure, that is, voluptuous: – lover of fun.
8. Philoteknos (fil-ot-ek-nos) is a fondness of one’s children (maternal).
9. Philippos (fil’-ip-pos) fond of horses: -a Love of horses.
10. Philoproteou (filʹ-op-rote-yooʹ-o):-to be fond of being first (ambitious of distinction).
11. Philotheos (fil-oth’-eh-os) is fond of God, pious: – lover of God.
12. Philologos (fil-ol’-og-os) fond of words: – a lover of talking.
13. Philoneikos (fil-on’-i-kos) fondness of strife, that is, disputatious: – a love of contentious.
14. Philoxenos (fil-ox’-en-os) fondness of guests that is, hospitable: – lover hospitality.
15. Philosophos (fil-os’-of-os) fondness of wisdom: – a lover of philosopher.
16. Philotimeomai (fil-ot-im-eh’-om-ahee) is a fondness of honor: – a love of labor.

Once again, the Greek that is firmly dealing with soulish love. The Greek word φιλέω phileo (pronounced fil-ehʹ-o): – defined as a fondness in the feeling of liking a person that has several terms of tenderness, which are as follows:[6] As you see, the difference is that when we say I love chocolate. You are only really saying I like this pleasure of chocolate (Philēdonos [fil-ay’-don-os] fond of fun fond). People in history report, “I am falling in love with you.” You are saying: “I like them.” (Philandros [fil’-an-dros] fondness of your husband). All the religious people in the house say amen when they say, “I love God.” No, you only like God with (Philotheos [fil-oth’-eh-os] fond of God, that is, piously enjoying God.)

It is Greek ἀγάπη agapē (pronounced ag-ah’-pay) that best suits unconditional love is what the Royal law of love refers to, another word about love.[7] Still, the Greek word used to state in the scripture: “Thou shalt love” (the name is the Greek word ἀγαπάω apapaō [pronounced ag-ap-ahʹ-o] defined as to love in a social or moral sense, which comes

In comparison, the Hebrew word עָגַב ʻâgav (pronounced aw-gabʹ) is defined as to breathe after that is to love worshipped as a lover.[8] So, the name is too beloved, but the concept is not the Greek word love φιλέω phileo, which is to be fond of one’s self. In the commandment, it demands that we “love our neighbor as thyself.”(James 2:8 KJV)

Now we can understand the principle of the Royal law of love. You can do this spiritual law without Christ Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. But, why can we love God with all our hearts, mind, and soul? And do the second like the first, which this commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself?

Because our love has conditions, rules, and hidden agendas, we can love ourselves; that’s easy. We love ourselves so much that we would kill ourselves for the shame, dishonor, or violation done to us. However, when we kill ourselves, we care how that would impact others around us.

What does love to have to do with anything?

You are learning the spiritual law of love. The law of love is found in the Epistle of James chapter two, verse eight in the Amplified Bible, but also reading poems nine and ten gives us a clue: “If indeed you [really] fulfill the royal law following the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as [you love] yourself, you do well. But if you show servile regard (prejudice, favoritism) for people, you commit sin and are rebuked and convicted by the law as violators and offenders. For whosoever keeps the law [as a] whole but stumbles and offends in one [single instance] has become guilty of [breaking] all of it.” 

Those who act in prejudice and favoritism are not following this spiritual law. When you operate in bias just because of a person’s skin color or belief, God will throw a monkey wrench into that bondage machine. The word says its mode of operation. Prejudice: – a noun that means when people have a rigid opinion not based on truth or experience around an ethnic group. This kind of judgment shows another form of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, in which we prejudge others with no logical reason for what is truth.

I remember when I was in the Portsmouth Public School System segregation in 1969, and they started discrimination in all the schools in 1969. When I was a young boy, the school desegregation program began in 1958; however, the schools in the South, having resisted desegregation, caused problems with their mayors because of Jim Crow laws. Eleven years later, all schools started desegregation, and children were sent to Lakeview Elementary School when I started the third grade.

One day as I was walking down the hall. I passed a group of boys,’ and they looked at me funny and pointed at my rear end. They did this every day, so I finally came up to them in the playground and asked, “What was funny?”

One boy with red hair and freckles said, “You must be one of the monkeys without a tail.” I asked my mom why white people think that black people are monkeys. She said, “That was what the Southern believed about us since we came from Africa.” The Dutch and Portuguese Sailors told the Europeans, and American’s that they cut off our tails because we were monkeys.

The story was a fairy tale:“How a race of people, the Cainites, who were from the ‘Great Flood’ hide in the Ark-Of-Noah clothed as monkeys. Because they deceive God and the prophet Noah, their skin turns dark, and they grow tails.”

They were bringing to light this factor of the prejudices of my people. We must study the true nature of the royal law of love found in James chapter two, verse eight. Learning this supernatural (spiritual) law of love, you see the evidence that a person has God-type faith when working in God-type love.

Remember, in chapter one, we discussed the two laws working together to create the law of righteousness. Meet the second part of this law, called righteousness. Now, the royal law of law states: “If thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well.”(James 2:8 KJV)

If you say you love God and have respect or prejudice, then you are a liar. Because if you love yourself more than your neighbor, then you don’t love God! Owe no man anything, but to love one another, for he that loves another hath fulfilled the law. “Love doesn’t work badly toward his neighbor; thus, love fulfills of the natural and spiritual laws.”(1 John 4:9-17 KJV)  To fulfill the divine law and to love the “self” must be put to death.

Because the work is loving your neighbor, and the result, according to the scriptures, is serving your neighbor. Moreover, your neighbor is the person you show mercy to in the act of love.

The royal law of love will never work ill, which the word sick means your action will not result in suffering, distress, to act in hostility or unfriendliness, and your response will not be unpropitious: an ill omen. The treatment towards another person will not be up to the standards of kindness toward another person: ill-treatment is defined as scarily or difficult to an evil act, disaster, or harm.

The True Meaning of Love.

Something that causes suffering, or the Greek word κακός Kakos (pronounced kak-os) a primary word: that is, (subjectively) depraved, or (objectively) injurious: – harmful, evil, harm, ill.[9] Operate in the law of faith and the royal law of love, which will keep you God’s righteousness, bringing peace, and strengthen you in joy in the Holy Spirit.

The precepts of the royal law of love can be found and studied in 1 Corinthians chapter thirteen, verses four through eight, which these verses will be in the Amplified Version Plus notes:

“Love endures long and is patient and kind; Love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly.

Love (God’s Love in us) does not insist on its rights or its way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

 Love bears up under anything, and everything that comes is ever ready to believe the best of every person. Its hopes aren’t diminished under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

 Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete, or comes to an end]. As for prophecy (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].”

There is the gift of speaking what God has revealed, but revelation from God stops. There is the gift of speaking in other languages, but it will stop by myself. There is the gift of knowledge, but it becomes worthless and powerless.

Beware of all my charismatic brothers and sisters because you may have all of these gifts. However, if you don’t have love, your pew-jumping, running around the church, and tongue-talking self will be worthless to God in heaven.

The word love in bold describes the agape (pronounced ag-ah’-pay). This kind of love is unconditional, and this kind of love has a deep affection or benevolence toward all humankind. This word love is defined explicitly as a love feast because you may find yourself sitting beside a drunk. I am praying for them through that hangover.

The reason people have a problem with Christianity is simple. We only show love when it benefits us. Jesus said to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”—Luke 14:12-14

The Spirit of God can sober them up, and that kind of love is conditional. Jesus Christ paid for this feast already. The love feast is inside of you through the fruit of the Spirit.

We must cultivate our love of unconditionally embracing others as Christ embraced us. We need to throw a love feast party for some undeserving soul. So, get out the party hats and balloons. Blow the birthday horns. Invite the most unlovable slob other than yourself. Throw them a love feast!

*From Chapter 10 of the Book “A Tree Called Morality.”

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[1] (Strong, 1890 [Public Domain]) H157

[2] (Strong, 1890 [Public Domain]) G5368

[3] (Strong, 1890 [Public Domain]) G26 [G25]

[4] (Strong, 1890 [Public Domain]) G2309

[5] (Random House Publisher Group, 1833)

[6] (Strong, 1890 [Public Domain]) 1]G5358 2]G5362 3]G5363 4]G5364 5]G G5368 6]G5367 7]G5369 8]G5383  9]G5376 10]G5383 11]G5377 12]G5378 13]G5380 14]G5382 15]G5386 16]G5389

[7] (Strong, 1890 [Public Domain]) G25

[8] (Strong, 1890 [Public Domain]) H5689

[9] (Strong, 1890 [Public Domain]) G2556