What Does Love Mean?

[Edwin]

When I say, "I love you," what do I mean. I could mean several things. If the love is the Agape type, it is unconditional love. It means that I love you no matter what you are like, or what you have done to me. It is God's type of love that He expresses to us when we don't deserve it.

If love is the Eros type, it is the intimate and sensual love. This is the love that is expressed with sexual feelings and the sexual act. This is the love that only the husband and the wife are to express to each other.

If love is the Philia type, then that love is expressed with friendship. That love simply means that you and I are friends. It is shown by being friendly.

If love is the Storge type, then that love is expressed with affection. One of the predictions of the end times is that people will be without natural affection. Affection is what a mother cow has for her baby calf. We have affection for each other in our family setting, father, son, father, daughter, mother, daughter, mother, son, and other relationships where there are natural feelings of kindness for each other.

I think in a healthy marriage, each marriage partner has each type of love, and expresses each. A husband and wife should have an unconditional love for each other that would cause them to love whether deserved or not, whether returned or not. A husband and wife in a healthy marriage should have intimate relations in which they are sexually attracted to each other, and in which they enjoy the touching, feeling, the sexual act, and all that goes along with the warm physical feelings that come with that. A husband and wife should be each other's best friends. Friendship is important in marriage. A husband and wife should have natural affection also that involves all family relationships. There should be affection and the showing of affection one to the other.

[red]

I think love from lust isnt longlasting and usually brings chaos later on. Then there would be jealousy. Love according to the Bible in 1 corinthians 13 talks about all the positive about love. But i cant help it be jealous a bit to my partner. It only means how crazy you are in love.

[Edwin]

It is interesting that lust is not only sexual desire, but it is also any appetite that is out of control. If I cannot help but over eat on a regular basis, I am guilty of lust. I lust after food. The alcoholics are guilty of lust as well as having an addiction. Lust, I think, is a strong desire that is not controlled. The children of Israel lusted for the quail that God sent them. They ate too much of it, and God killed many of them in judgement for their lust. We usually think of lust in connection with sexual desire. A man lusts after a woman. He should have her, but he must have her, and he is guilty of lust. The same goes for a woman who lusts after a man, although we usually think of a man lusting after a woman. You are right in that lust is a little bit of the eros description of love. It is the love that involves sexual desire and is sensual. That love is "I love you, and I have to have sex with you!" I think there is a fine line between the eros love that is legitimately expressed in a marriage one couple with another, and what is actually defined as lust. In the Bible one time lust was in connection with food, which also might be gluttony, and at other times it is sexual desire, not one marriage partner for the other, but a man lusting after a woman, wanting to commit adultery or fornication. All the forms of love are important, and they have their place. It is important in the marriage not only to have the sexual desire, but the desire to be friends, also the affectionate part of love is important, as well as God's love that loves unconditonally. God expects marriage partners to be sexually attracted to each other, because that is the way He made us. He also wants us to be friendly, affectionate, and love no matter what!

[crisipicada]

Our emotion is a good motivator. If we feel so excited with things we do, we can really accomplish it because we are motivated by our emotion to do that or this.

If you love someone, you always desire what is good for him or her. But it does not mean that it will always smooth in the long run. If there are misunderstanding with both of you, it is a test of both of you whether you give up or not for him or her. When you past that test in life, that means you are growing and maturing and really wanted to work out your relationship. I do believe that true love will always have peace at heart, peace to people around you, you wont struggle deep in your heart or no guilt at all. Love is God and GOd is love, and so, it is important to love God because he is the source of it.

[Edwin]

Yes, emotions are good motivators. We are emotional beings and it is natural to express emotions and to be affected by emotions. Yes, true love, God's love is selfless. It is not self seeking. I Corinthians 13 gives a good picture of the true kind of love that is of God's origin. Yes, life will not always be smooth sailing, and there will be misunderstanding, but with love we can conquor all!