Four kinds of love

I first told my wife I loved her on Valentine's Day. Although it was early in our relationship, I wanted to tell her sooner. I waited until February 14 to make it a special day to celebrate our love. As a student of Scripture -- Greek in particular, I can tell you the idea of love is more complex than many people realize.

My plan for this column was to write about the four main words that describe the idea of "love" in the Greek language. To my delight, I saw those four words highlighted in a Super Bowl commercial.

Did you see it? New York Life Insurance used these four Greek words in their ad. The Executive Officer and Chairman of the board of directors is Theodore A. Mathas -- a Greek American. He used his language skills to connect love and insurance in a creative way.

The words "philia," "storge," "eros," and "agape," describe different forms of love. These are ancient words we find in the text of the New Testament, and they are words still in use today by Greek speakers.

The word philia is a word to express the kind of love close friends share. Although these affections may run deep, there is no sexual dimension to this term. People who cannot separate the idea of love from sexual intimacy misinterpret King David's love for Jonathan in the Old Testament. This word combined with the word for brother is where we get Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love.

Storge was described in the commercial as a form of affection one has for close family members. The love we share between family members is powerful. This is the love parents have for their children, and the kind brothers and sisters have for one another. Most societies rightly prohibit sexual activity between close relatives.

Eros is the kind of love that leads to sexual intimacy. From a biblical perspective, this is the love a man has for a woman that leads the two to leave their parents' home and cleave to one another. Out of this sexual union, children are produced.

When the word agape was mentioned in the commercial, it was the first time I heard that word discussed without mentioning the love of God. I do agree with their definition. It is a word that shows love as an action. Agape love takes courage, sacrifice, and strength. There were beautiful images of people caring for the weak and terminally ill.

When I think of the love of God, I think about how he loves us even though we fall short in so many ways. We fail in all four categories of love. Yet through it all the love of God never fails. As a Christian, I believe the key to loving others is loving God first, and then letting his love flow from us to other people.

Think about the words of John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." The word agape is the word used in this verse. Jesus faced the cross with courage to make the ultimate sacrifice for us.

Know that you are loved this Valentine's Day -- God loves you.