The Highest Form of Love: Understanding Agape

From the Sermon on December 14, 2025

 In a world where the word "love" gets thrown around casually—from our affection for pizza to our feelings for family—there exists a profound form of love that transcends mere emotion. This love, captured in the Greek word agape, represents the pinnacle of what it means to truly care for another person.

 More Than Just a Feeling
 We live in a culture that uses one word for countless contexts. We say "I love my favorite song" and "I love my spouse" with the same vocabulary, yet these feelings are worlds apart. The ancient Greek language understood this distinction, using different words for different types of affection: phileo for friendship, eros for romantic love, storge for familial bonds.
 But agape stands alone.
 This isn't simply an emotion that washes over you. It's not butterflies in your stomach or warm fuzzy feelings. Instead, agape is a deliberate choice—a decision of the will to act in the best interest of another person, even when that person doesn't deserve it, and even when it costs you something personally.
 Read that again: even when that person doesn't deserve it, and even when it costs you something personally.

The Divine Model
 The most famous verse in Scripture provides the perfect illustration of agape in action: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
 Notice the pattern: God loved an undeserving world—a world full of sinners who had turned away from Him. Romans 3:23 reminds us that "all have sinned," yet God's love wasn't contingent on our perfection. His love moved Him to action, to sacrifice, to give His most precious gift.
 This is agape.
 The Apostle Paul understood this personally. In Galatians 2:20, he confessed that Christ "loved me and gave Himself for me." Had Paul earned this affection? Absolutely not. Before his conversion, he had violently persecuted Christians, yet he became the recipient of divine love and the gift of salvation through Christ's sacrifice.

The Call to Imitate
 Understanding God's love for us is comforting and wonderful. But here's where it gets challenging: we're called to love others with this same kind of love.
 First Peter 1:22 instructs believers to "love one another fervently with a pure heart." This isn't a suggestion—it's a command that requires us to extend agape love to our brothers and sisters in Christ, and indeed, to everyone we encounter.
 Perhaps the most difficult teaching on this subject comes from Jesus Himself in Matthew 5:43-45: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you."
 Love your enemies? Bless those who curse you? This seems impossible by human standards. But Jesus explains the reason: "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."
 God doesn't withhold His blessings from those who reject Him. The sunshine falls on everyone. The rain nourishes all fields. This is our model—this is what we're called to imitate.

 Three Keys to Developing Agape Love
 How do we cultivate this seemingly impossible love? Through three essential practices:
 Education: We must learn what the Bible teaches about love. First Thessalonians 4:9 tells us we are "taught by God to love one another." This requires reading Scripture, studying its meaning, listening to biblical teaching, and thinking deeply about its application to our lives.
 Determination: Knowledge alone isn't enough. If you don't want to learn and practice agape, you won't and you can't. This is a choice—a decision of the will. The New Testament repeatedly says "whosoever will," and Jesus invites us to "come." We must determine to develop and maintain this kind of love.
 Imitation: We must actively practice what we've learned, following the divine example. This means loving when it's difficult, sacrificing when it's costly, and seeking the best for others even when they haven't earned it.

Three Relationships Transformed by Agape
 When we embrace agape love, it transforms three crucial relationships:
 Love for the Lost: Every evangelistic effort should be motivated by love for God and love for those who don't know Him. If we truly love someone, we want what's best for them—and what's best is hearing the gospel. This love moves us beyond comfort zones to share the message of salvation.
 Love for the Brethren: First John makes it startlingly clear that if we don't love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we don't truly love God or even know Him. Our attitude toward fellow believers should be characterized by goodwill, not ill will; by sacrifice, not selfishness; by action, not passivity.
 Love for Family: When both spouses love God and each other with agape, no problem is beyond solution. When parents and children all love God and practice agape toward one another, family dysfunction disappears. This kind of love restores trust, rebuilds relationships, and creates permanent joy.

 The Choice Before Us
 First John 5:3 teaches that "this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments." Agape isn't just a feeling—it's obedience. It's a way of life that makes us strong and courageous.
 The question isn't whether we can muster warm feelings toward everyone. The question is whether we'll choose to act in others' best interests, to sacrifice for their good, and to love even when it's undeserved.
 This is the highest form of love. This is agape. And this is the love that never fails.