To love (25) (agapao - see related study of noun agape) means to love unconditionally and sacrificially as God Himself loves sinful men (John 3:16), the way He loves the Son (John 3:35, 15:9, 17:23, 24).
Note that agapao is a verb and by its verbal nature calls for action. This quality of love is not an emotion but is an action initiated by a volitional choice.
MacArthur writes that agapao "expresses the purest, noblest form of love, which is volitionally driven, not motivated by superficial appearance, emotional attraction, or sentimental relationship. (MacArthur, John: 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Moody Press) In his commentary on 1 Peter MacArthur says it this way "agapaō expresses the ideal kind of love, that which is exercised by the will rather than emotion, not determined by the beauty or desirability of the object, but by the noble intention of the one who loves."
Wuest - Agapao speaks of a love which is awakened by a sense of value in an object which causes one to prize it. It springs from an apprehension of the preciousness of an object. It is a love of esteem and approbation. The quality of this love is determined by the character of the one who loves, and that of the object loved. (Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament) (See more from Wuest below)
Vine - Love can be known only from the actions it prompts. God’s love is seen in the gift of His Son, 1 John 4:9, 10. But obviously this is not the love of complacency, or affection, that is, it was not drawn out by any excellency in its objects, Ro 5:8 (note). It was an exercise of the divine will in deliberate choice, made without assignable cause save that which lies in the nature of God Himself, cp. Deuteronomy 7:7, 8. Love had its perfect expression among men in the Lord Jesus Christ, 2Co 5:14; Ep 2:4 (note); Ep 3:19 (note); Ep 5:2 (note); Christian love is the fruit of His Spirit in the Christian, Galatians 5:22 (note). Christian love has God for its primary object, and expresses itself first of all in implicit obedience to His commandments, John 14:15, 21, 23; 15:10; 1Jn 2:5; 5:3; 2Jn 6. Self-will, that is, self-pleasing, is the negation of love to God. (Vine, W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson)
Gene Getz says "agapao love—doing what is right and best for someone, even if it involves negative feelings." Just try to do that in your natural strength.
Expositor's Bible Commentary - Agapaō does not denote affection or romantic attachment; it rather denotes caring love, a deliberate attitude of mind that concerns itself with the well-being of the one loved. Self-devotion, not self-satisfaction, is its dominant trait....Paul chooses the verb agapaō to insist that the love of a Christian man for his wife must be a response to and an expression of the love of God in Christ extended to the church.
John Phillips - agapaō, the highest kind of love-spontaneous love, love irrespective of rights. The word carries the idea of "making much of a person." When a wife knows that her husband loves her with this highest kind of love-love irrespective of rights, love that makes so much of her-she feels no resentment over her responsibility to render loyal submission to him. "Husbands, love your wives" is a command (Eph 5:25). We tend to think of love primarily in terms of emotions. That is natural because we are most conscious of love in the realm of emotions. God, however, relates love to the will rather than to emotions. He commands us to love. He commands us to love Him: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength" (Mark 12:30). He commands us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. He commands us to love one another. That is because God is love. Love is the greatest revelation of God. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Obviously if love can be commanded, it does not belong solely to the realm of emotions. The emotions we associate with falling in love sometimes fluctuate. Sometimes they fade away altogether. Emotions need to be cultivated. The word agapē refers to love as a principle. The New Testament reserves another word, phileō, for love as a feeling. Phileō is distinct from love as a fact and is associated instead with the ideas of kissing and fondness. Agapē, not phileō, is always used to describe man's love for God. God does not tell us to be fond of Him; He commands us to love (agapaō) Him. (Exploring Ephesians)
College Press (1 Thessalonians) - agapaō used in the New Testament for self-sacrificial love regardless of the unworthiness of the object.
Wayne Detzler says "The secret of agape love is not what I can get, but rather what I can give." Woe! The pressures on!
Detzler adds that "An early critical commentator on the Christian church was Statius Caecilius, who said of believers: “They know one another by secret marks and signs, and they love one another almost before they know one another.”
Puritan Thomas Watson declared: “Love is the queen of graces. It outshines the others as the sun the … planets.”
Agapao in the perfect tense is translated "beloved" some 7 times (eg two times in Romans 9:25, Ephesians 1:6 of the Son, Colossians 3:12, 1Thessalonians 1:2, 2Thes 2:13 of believers, Revelation 20:9 of the "beloved city", Jerusalem.)
Agapao is love that is…
… commanded of believers (John 13:34, 15:12, 15:17)
… empowered by the Holy Spirit in the heart of the surrendered saint (Gal 5:13, 14, 15, 16, 22)
… commanded of Spirit filled husbands for their wives even as Jesus demonstrated for His bride, the church, giving Himself up for her (Ep 5:25-note) As mysterious as it seems, we simply cannot love our wives like God loves unless we allow God's Spirit to love through us. Remember that the charge to both husband and wife in Ephesians 5 follows after and is intimately related to Paul's command to continually be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18). Simply stated, if husbands are not filled with the Spirit, they cannot demonstate agape love to their wives! They might be able to demonstrate phileo love which is more akin to love of friends, but cannot love with an agapo type love.
… to be given in the same way Spirit filled husbands love their own bodies (Ep 5:28-note)
… the love with which the Father loved the Son and which may be in believers (Jn 17:26)
… a debt we are to always seek to repay but can never fully discharge (Ro 13:8-note)
… taught by God (1Th 4:9-note)
… manifested by specific actions and attitudes (1Cor 13:4, 5, 6, 7, 8 -see notes 13:4 5 6 7 8)
… shown not just by words but by deeds (1Jn 3:17, cf such love in action as a manifestation of genuine faith in James 2:15, 16- note)
… manifested by keeping God's commandments (Jn 14:15, 21, 23, 24)
… the response Jesus called for one to demonstrate to his or her enemies (Mt 5:44-note)
… love calls for one to love one's neighbor as one's self (Mt 19:19)
… love that seeks the recipient's highest good, not activated by virtue in the recipient (undeserved) (Jn 3:16)
… not based on affection, sentiment or emotion but upon a decision of the will
… given or offered even if the love is not received or reciprocated
… love differs from phileo which is based on affection
… love that finds its perfect expression in Jesus Christ and the Cross (Jn 3:16, cp 1Jn 3:16)
… the love of the overcomers in Revelation who did not love their life even to death (Re 12:10-note)
...can have a negative connotation as with Demas who loved this present world (2Ti 4:10) Does that suggest that Demas who actually traveled with Paul was never saved? We can't be absolutely sure but since no one loves the world (1Jn 2:15-16) can love the Father, it is very likely Demas was not genuinely born again.
… love that cannot be manifested by unregenerate individuals in its true Biblical sense of being Spirit enabled. Agapao when used in the context of the unregenerate means generally to have a high esteem for or to take pleasure in something. This type of agapao love is based on one showing a high regard for the object's perceived value or importance as shown in the following passages…
Luke 7:5 of a Roman centurion who loved Israel
Luke 11:43 of Pharisees who loved the front seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places
John 3:19 of unregenerate men who loved the darkness rather than the light
John 12:43 of the men who loved the approval of men rather than the approval God
2 Timothy 4:10 (note) of Demas who loved this present world and as a result deserted Paul and went to Thessalonica
1John 2:15 of those who love the world which indicates they do not possess the love of the Father within them (Compare uses in LXX translation of Ps 4:2, 11:5, 52:3, 4)
2 Peter 2:15 (note) of the false teachers who forsook and went astray from the right way because they like Balaam loved the wages of unrighteousness
Agapao is found 143 times in 110 NT verses in the NAS - See all uses below.
Agapao is found 198 times in the Septuagint (LXX) - See all uses below.
The first use of agapao in the LXX corresponds to the first mention of love in the Bible in the context of Abraham's call to sacrifice Isaac…
And He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love (LXX = agapao) , Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." (Genesis 22:2)
Here are some other representative uses of agapao in the LXX…
You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love (LXX = agapao) your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:18) (Cited in at least 8 NT passages - Matthew 5:43; Matthew 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8)
O love (Lxx = agapao in the aorist imperative) the LORD, all you His godly ones! The LORD preserves the faithful, And fully recompenses the proud doer. (Psalm 31:23)
And the descendants of His servants will inherit it, and those who love His name will dwell in it (Zion). (Psalm 69:36)
Let all who seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee; and let those who love Thy salvation say continually, "Let God be magnified." (Psalm 70:4)
O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day. (Psalm 119:97)
Peter emphasized the primacy of Christian love writing that…
1 Peter 1:22 (note) Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere (unhypocritical, unfeigned, lacking pretense or show and thus genuine) love of the brethren, fervently (ektenes = an athletic term = “striving with all of one’s energy” - used to describe a runner who is moving at maximum output with taut muscles straining and stretching to the limit) love one another from the heart (not just head knowledge, not just with words but with deeds) (Philadelphia is the fruit of the new birth into the family of God.)
1 Peter 4:8 (note) Above all (most important of all), keep fervent (ektenes = an athletic term = “striving with all of one’s energy” - used to describe a runner who is moving at maximum output with taut muscles straining and stretching to the limit) in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. (Comment: One aspect of this "covering" is to overlook sins against one's self if possible, and be ready to forgive as you have been forgiven.)
In his first Epistle, John makes a number of important statements regarding the vital importance of Christian love. including its source, its manifestation, its effect on the one who demonstrates it, etc
Zodhiates - agapáō and phileo are best understood when one carefully analyzes the conversation that the risen Christ had with the Apostle Peter in John 21:15-19. Peter confessed that though he fell short of the supreme and sacrificial love of Christ (agapáō which is a response to His love), he was His real friend (phileo) and wanted to make the interests of Christ his own interests. Since that was the case, the Lord entrusted Peter with the shepherding of His flock.
Kenneth Wuest - agapaō kind which produces the incentive for holy living and sacrificial service. Our Lord used that word when appealing to Peter to go back to his preaching commission. Our Lord said, “If a man love Me (agapaō), he will keep my words” (John 14:23). It is to the degree in which we have this kind of love flooding our souls, that we will live holy lives of self denial in the service of the Lord Jesus. And the secret of the production of this love is in the supernatural operation of the Holy Spirit. And the degree of this operation of the Spirit is dependant upon the yieldedness of the Christian to the ministry of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love (agapē), Paul tells us (Gal. 5:23). He says again, “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Ro 5:5). The secret of Christian service that glorifies the Lord Jesus is in the love which the Holy Spirit produces in the heart of the Christian. The quality of that service is measured by the intensity of the love in the heart of that Christian. The intensity of that love is determined by the degree of yieldedness of that person to the Holy Spirit. Peter, in his first letter (1Peter 1:22), gives us a beautiful illustration of the possibility of the amalgamation of these two kinds of love in one personality. Writing to Christians, he says: “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth, resulting in an unfeigned brotherly love, out of the heart love one another fervently.” Phileo is used first by Peter, and then agapaō. These Christians to whom the apostle was writing, had a fondness, an affection, for one another. It was one Christian heart responding to another Christian heart. They found the Lord Jesus in the heart of a fellow-Christian, and therefore they were fond of that Christian. This was a non-ethical love. Now, Peter exhorts them to saturate this phileo love with the Holy Spirit produced agapaō love, and make that fondness and affection a thing of heaven. It is the amalgamation of the two loves which will result in an ideal Christian experience. Just so, the believer must be careful to see that the phileo fondness he has for the Lord Jesus, is saturated with the agapaō love produced by the Holy Spirit, lest a lack of the latter will result in a Christian experience in which the believer exhibits a great fondness for the Lord Jesus, but manifests little love for Him by a life devoid of earnest obedience and service. Here lies the explanation of why some Christians can sing and pray and testify about their love for the Lord Jesus, and yet their lives do not show a rich, ripe, mature experience. These have much phileo love, little agapaō (ἀγαπαω) and for the reason that they do not live Spirit-controlled lives. The ideal is an amalgamation of the two kinds of love. (Great Truths to Live By)
First, Christian love is evidence of genuine new birth. Conversely, not loving is evidence that one abides in spiritual death and is not born again.
1John 3:10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous. 13 Do not marvel, brethren, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Secondly, Christian love is shown by its sacrificial nature, laying down of one's life.
1John 3:16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Third, Christian love is shown not just by words but by action. Agape love is not so much a feeling as it is an action.
1John 3:17 But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
Fourth, manifesting genuine Christian love in deeds not just words will gives assurance regarding their salvation and confidence in prayer.
1John 3:19 (NLT) It is by our actions (of meeting other's needs) that we know we are living in the truth (that we are "children of God" {1John 3:10} and not "of the evil one" {1John 3:12}, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, 20 even if our hearts condemn us (our tangible evidences of demonstration of love for the brethren provide comfort to us when we feel guilty that we have not loved enough or we have doubts. We can come to Him now in confidence and look forward with confidence to standing before Him some day in the future - see 1John 3:21). For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.
Fifth, belief in Jesus is intimately related to love of the brethren and we are to show Christian love because God commanded us. If we obey we experience a greater sense of His abiding presence in us.
1John 3:23 And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. 24 And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
Sixth, Christian love should continue as it reflects God Who is love and the source of love.
1John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (In simple terms, John explains that if we don't love, we are note believers because the essence of God is love and to fail to demonstrate His love shows we do not belong to His family.)
Seventh, God manifested His love by giving us what we need (propitiation for sins), not what we want and His love is the basis for our life in and through union with Christ…
1John 4:9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Eighth, because of God's love for us we are to love one another.
1John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Ninth, loving others prove God abides in us.
1John 4:12 No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.
Tenth, living a love filled life will result in a God filled life.
1John 4:16 And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ("all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them", NLT)
Eleventh, practicing love gives us confidence that we can stand before the judgment seat of Christ and not fear.
1John 4:17 By this (by abiding in love - e.g., as shown by sacrificial laying down of our life, by meeting our neighbor's need with actions not just words, by keeping God's commandments as in 1John 2:5), love is perfected (as we practice love and manifest God's love, His love is brought to maturity) with us, that we may have confidence (boldness in speech) in the day of judgment (see bema - judgment of believers); because as He is (as Christ is - as we practice a life of love it shows we are like His Son, that we belong to His family, that we can have confidence at the judgment, cp 1John 2:28, 29 which says the same thing in slightly different words, cp 1John 3:1, 2, 3 "we are children of God… we shall be like Him {Jesus}"), so also are we in this world.18 There is no fear (the context is still the day of judgment - that there is no fear because we demonstrate a "perfected" love, a maturing love) in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
Comment: John Piper explains "In other words the reason there is no fear in love is that there is no threat of punishment for being a loving person. When you love someone with real practical deeds, you never hear a warning signal that says, "You're going to get punished for this." Fear is what you feel when you have done something that ought to be punished. But love is never threatened with punishment. So there is no fear in love." see Piper's full sermon Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
Twelfth, love of the brethren shows we genuinely love God and is made possible only because He first loved us.
1John 4:19 We love, because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
Thirteenth, love of God is shown by keeping His commandments and this shows we love the brethren.
1John 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome (because we now have His Spirit to enable us to keep them).
A PRACTICAL DESCRIPTION OF
HOW TO PRACTICE AGAPAO
Wayne Barber has a practical discussion of agapao love in his comments on Ephesians 5 (read full message) - He chose a powerful word that we just take flippantly. We don’t realize how difficult it is. He chose the word agapao. Now let me explain the difference to you. This is the highest form of love there is. It is the word used in John 3:16:"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son." First of all, this is love that is totally unselfish. Do you realize until you are filled with the Spirit of God that you cannot love anybody except in a selfish way? Remember the garments in chapter 4? Don’t get away from that. You have two garments. The Apostle Paul says that you are to put on the right garment. If I put on somebody else’s garment it would look rather ridiculous. I want you to see this, husbands. If you have a wife who is Spirit-filled and she is submitting to you, but you won’t let the Spirit of God empower you, how ridiculous you are going to look in that family. As a matter of fact, consider how you look before God and every other Spirit-filled believer. That is the old man (see discussion of old man or old self), folks. We are not to put that on anymore. God says, "Husbands, love (present imperative= command to love like this EVERY day!) our wives." God set the standard so high it is humanly impossible to do it. Then what is going on in our families? I’ll tell you. We have men who claim to be Christians wearing the old garment and they look stupid when they put it on. We are to put on the new garment. If I am filled with the Spirit of God I am enabled by a divine power. A Person lives within me to do what I cannot do apart from Jesus Christ. That old garment is there when I say, "I’m doing fine. In my marriage everything is super. I’ve got money in the bank and food in the refrigerator. God, I will call you if I ever have a problem." That is the stupidity of that old garment. Now men, understand how to take the bulk of Ephesians in its context and put it in the right place. Therefore Paul says to love. This love is the kind of love that never seeks its own satisfaction. It is not affection answering to affection. This is what a lot of people think. "Well, yes. I could love my wife if she would just love me. If she would show me a little attention I could love her back." No, sir. It is not affection responding to affection. As a matter of fact, it is so unconditional she doesn’t even have to do a thing for us to be commanded to love her. It is love that strives to the highest good of the one loved and will pay any price for it to take place, whatever it is. Whatever is necessary for that person, the highest good, he will pay any price in order to see those needs met, especially the spiritual ones. It is the highest form of love. So the meaning of this tells us that it is selfless, unconditional and committed to the highest good of our wife. God asks us, "Do you want My design? To have a functional family, wives, put yourself up under your husband and let them be the authority in your home. Husbands, you, (commanded by God), love your wife." But make sure you understand the standard of this love. Jesus is the standard of the love life of His children. There is nothing less and certainly there can be nothing more. Ephesians 5:18 says, "be filled (present imperative) with the Spirit." Look in Galatians 5:22. I want to show you something to make sure we understand that this is humanly impossible. It has to be from the strengthening of the Holy Spirit of God in our life. It all has to do with the garments. It all has to do with being strengthened in the inner man. This is what Ephesians is all about. This is the flow of the whole book. Galatians 5:22 says,"But the fruit of the Spirit is love." That is agape. The fruit of the Spirit is not the result of my working it up in my own energy. No. I cannot do that. The fruit of the Spirit comes from the Person living within me. He produces a love that is exactly the divine love of God. It is the same love Jesus had when He came to this earth because it is Jesus in the person of His Spirit manifesting and producing that love in my life. That is the key. Guys, when we come to the meaning of the word, we also see our motivation. It is a command. We also see the mindset we can get into. It is not us, but it is Jesus being Jesus in us. We are commanded to love our wife!
THE MODEL OF THIS LOVE - The second thing I wanted you to see is the model of this love. Remember I told you that Paul is overwhelmed by his salvation. Men listen, you cannot love until you know you are loved. We have already covered that in Ephesians. Once you know you are loved then you can love your wife. You have to know that. You can’t know that until you learn to love Jesus by your obedience. In Ephesians 5:25 look at what he says: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her." Number one, under the model of this love, is Jesus’ love for His church. Paul gives the example of Jesus to the church and the husband to his wife. It is a beautiful parallel.
A SACRIFICIAL LOVE - It was a sacrificial love. I want you to see this first: "just as Christ also loved the church and He gave Himself up for her." The Apostle Paul points to the one supreme act of the Godhead that clears out any doubt that God loves us. The supreme act was not Jesus coming to this earth, but it was Jesus taking our sin upon Himself, going to the cross and dying for all mankind. Jesus Himself said, "Greater love hath no man but to lay down his life for his brother." It is the supreme act of being willing to literally die for the sake of seeing someone else’s desperate needs met if that is what it takes. It is a sacrificial love. Christ’s love for the church was a divine sacrificial act. It is incredible how God says you are to love in the same way Jesus loved. You can do that because of the Spirit of Christ is living within you. It is a sacrificial love. Don’t put what Jesus did for the church in such a realm that you can’t relate to it and bring it down to where we all live. When we are willing to stoop down to the level of saying, "I am dying to myself," humbling ourselves before God and am willing to do what is necessary to meet the needs of my wife, then you are moving into the realm of loving your wife on a divine level with His sacrificial love. Then as husbands we begin to sense the needs in our wives that the Holy Spirit points out and we are willing to do whatever it takes to meet those needs, no matter the costs us, no matter what we have to give up to meet those needs.
A SANCTIFYING LOVE - Secondly, not only was it a sacrificial love, but it was a sanctifying love. Look at Eph 5:26: "that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless." In other words, Jesus did everything that was necessary in order to sanctify the church. In sanctifying her, one day His reward is presenting the church to Himself spotless and clean before Him. What is the parallel you can draw? Well, the word "sanctify" (hagiazo) means to set apart, to put in a class all by itself, to make special by sanctifying. "You mean to tell me that when I begin to be filled with the Spirit of God, wear the right garment and the Holy Spirit of God begins to manifest His presence in me, that the love that God brings forth in and through me, puts my wife into a category that all by itself is unique?" Yes. It is a special place. As a matter of fact, that love actually sanctifies her and keeps her from defilement of any kind in her life. It’s an overwhelming, sanctifying love. Guys, if we could just understand what it means to wear this garment, we would never take it off because it is this love that puts our wives up on the pedestal they deserve to be put on. It is this garment that causes them to be put into a class unique all by themselves. It turns the focus on what God is doing to honor that relationship. Just as a church senses they are special to Christ because of what He has done and because of what He is doing, His love sets them apart in a class all by themselves, so must it be in the husband’s love for his wife. Eph 5:26 goes on to say that Christ cleansed the church by the washing of the water of His word. Let’s put that aside for a minute and just remember what He did for the church was what was needed to be done for the church in order that the church might be sanctified and cleansed. You see, when you love somebody, pure love never wants to see the one loved defiled in any way. You see, guys, when we begin to love our wives with the right garment, it puts them into a class unique and all by themselves, and they feel special. They feel loved. Not only that, it protects them from all the defilement that is out there in the world. If you want to make sure your wife is faithful, love her as Christ loved the church. That puts her into a very special category. She senses that she has all of your love and you will do whatever is necessary. That, in a sense, becomes a protection, a cleansing type, a keeping from being defiled in any way. You see, for a husband to love for his wife is to actually cooperate with Christ in such a way that one day when they stand side by side as sister and brother, she will be presented along with the rest of the bride with her garment clean and spotless. Remember Revelation 19? Each of us is going to be given a garment. Is that corporate righteousness or is that individual righteousness? Folks, if it is individual righteousness, then we have a responsibility that is as grave as anything you have ever heard. My responsibility to my wife is to make sure every day I do nothing that will contribute to her defilement in any way. In a sense, I become a partner with God. I step in alongside in my marriage relationship and say, "I need to help you in the Word. I need to pray for you. I need to do whatever I do to keep you from being defiled in any way whatsoever so that one day we can help each other keep our garments clean and one day we will stand side by side with the Lord Jesus as the whole church is presented to Himself spotless and blameless." Do you realize what that does? Sometimes my wife has to remind me to pray, but it is wonderful when I can remind her. When I love her the way God wants me to love her, it becomes a sanctifying situation in my marriage. It sets her apart, makes her special and protects her from any defilement that is around her. When this garment is on, everything I am doing for her is for the sake of the Lord Jesus and she knows it. Therefore, His name is much mentioned in the process and it becomes a protection around the wife. (Sermon)
Christ-like Love of Husbands - James Scudder - God's love command to husbands is unique. Five times He exhorts husbands to love their wives. But, just what kind of love is this? After careful study, we see that this love is unique, agapao. This type of love could be better defined as commitment: the deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty and propriety. This is the strongest love in the Scriptures. It is more than a love of friendship or phileo. Agapao is the love God had for mankind when He sent Jesus to earth. It is the love Christ has for the church. It is a committed, unconditional, at-all-costs love. It is remarkably different from the type of love-command God has for wives regarding their husbands. This love is an affection or philandros for the husband .....
In their extraordinary book, After Every Wedding Comes a Marriage, Francis and Fred Littauer talk of Fred's determination to show Christlike love even though it took Francis a long time to respond. It is a beautiful example for husbands.
I knew that Fred had changed, but I pretended I didn't notice. One day Fred took my Ford to be fixed and left me his Lincoln. As I got into his car, I saw a 3x5 card taped to the dashboard. On it was printed PRAISE FLO.
For the first time my heart began to melt. I realized that it had been so hard for him to find something good to say about me that he had needed to put up a reminder. I sat in the car and cried.
For one year I resisted Fred's new charm, I tested his sincerity, and I pretended not to notice his changes. I was cold and unresponsive. I was not going to forgive or forget years of emotional neglect so easily.
But Fred was willing to love me unconditionally, expecting nothing in return, and eventually I realized that the change in his life was real.
I knelt down beside my bed and asked God to cause me to fall in love with my husband. When I was willing, He was able.
Men, start changing. Start becoming a loving husband. Your attitude will not be immediately met with kindness. Your wife might not notice for months, even years. But, if you do initiate Christlike love, she eventually will respond in submission. God commands us to love unconditionally. Never does He set conditions for our love. He only commands us to love. (The Love of Marriage)
Agapao - 143x in 110v - Matt. 5:43f, 46; 6:24; 19:19; 22:37, 39; Mk. 10:21; 12:30f, 33; Lk. 6:27, 32, 35; 7:5, 42, 47; 10:27; 11:43; 16:13; Jn. 3:16, 19, 35; 8:42; 10:17; 11:5; 12:43; 13:1, 23, 34; 14:15, 21, 23f, 28, 31; 15:9, 12, 17; 17:23f, 26; 19:26; 21:7, 15f, 20; Rom. 8:28, 37; 9:13, 25; 13:8f; 1 Co. 2:9; 8:3; 2 Co. 9:7; 11:11; 12:15; Gal. 2:20; 5:14; Eph. 1:6; 2:4; 5:2, 25, 28, 33; 6:24; Col. 3:12, 19; 1 Thess. 1:4; 4:9; 2 Thess. 2:13, 16; 2 Tim. 4:8, 10; Heb. 1:9; 12:6; Jas. 1:12; 2:5, 8; 1 Pet. 1:8, 22; 2:17; 3:10; 2 Pet. 2:15; 1 Jn. 2:10, 15; 3:10f, 14, 18, 23; 4:7f, 10ff, 19ff; 5:1f; 2 Jn. 1:1, 5; 3 Jn. 1:1; Jude 1:1; Rev. 1:5; 3:9; 12:11; 20:9
Matthew 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.'
44 "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
46 "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Matthew 19:19 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
Matthew 22:37 And He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'
39 "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'
Mark 10:21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
Mark 12:30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.'
31 "The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
33 AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE'S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
Luke 6:27 "But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
35 "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
Luke 7:5 for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue."
42 "When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?"
47 "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."
Luke 10:27 And he answered, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
Luke 11:43 "Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places.
Luke 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
35 "The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.
John 8:42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.
John 10:17 "For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again.
John 11:5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
John 12:43 for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.
John 13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
23 There was reclining on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.
34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."
23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.
24 "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.
28 "You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
31 but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.
John 15:9 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
17 "This I command you, that you love one another.
John 17:23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
24 "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."
John 19:26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!"
John 21:7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea.
15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My lambs."
16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Shepherd My sheep."
20 Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?"
Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
Romans 9:13 Just as it is written, "JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED."
25 As He says also in Hosea, "I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, 'MY PEOPLE,' AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, 'BELOVED.'"
Romans 13:8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
9 For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
1 Corinthians 2:9 but just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM."
1 Corinthians 8:3 but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.
2 Corinthians 9:7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 11:11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!
2 Corinthians 12:15 I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Galatians 5:14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
Ephesians 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
Ephesians 5:2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;
33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.
Ephesians 6:24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.
Colossians 3:12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.
1 Thessalonians 1:4 knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you;
1 Thessalonians 4:9 Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;
2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace,
2 Timothy 4:8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
10 for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.
Hebrews 1:9 "YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR COMPANIONS."
Hebrews 12:6 FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."
James 1:12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
8 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well.
1 Peter 1:8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,
1 Peter 2:17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
1 Peter 3:10 For, "THE ONE WHO DESIRES LIFE, TO LOVE AND SEE GOOD DAYS, MUST KEEP HIS TONGUE FROM EVIL AND HIS LIPS FROM SPEAKING DECEIT.
2 Peter 2:15 forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
1 John 2:10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 3:10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.
18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
23 This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.
19 We love, because He first loved us.
20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.
1 John 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.
2 John 1:1 The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth,
5 Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.
3 John 1:1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.
Jude 1:1 Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:
Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood--
Revelation 3:9 'Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie-- I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.
Revelation 12:11 "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
Revelation 20:9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
Agapao - 196v in the Septuagint
Gen. 22:2; 24:67; 25:28; 29:18, 20, 30, 32; 34:3; 37:3; 44:20; Exod. 20:6; 21:5; Lev. 19:18, 34; Deut. 4:37; 5:10; 6:5; 7:8f, 13; 10:12, 15, 18f; 11:1, 13, 22; 13:3; 15:16; 19:9; 21:15f; 23:5; 30:6, 16, 20; 32:15; 33:5, 12, 26; Jos. 22:5; 23:11; Jdg. 5:31; 14:16; 16:4, 15; Ruth 4:15; 1 Sam. 1:5; 16:21; 18:16, 20, 22, 28; 20:17; 2 Sam. 1:23; 7:18; 12:24; 13:1, 4, 15, 21; 19:6; 1 Ki. 3:3; 5:1; 10:9; 11:2; 1 Chr. 17:16; 29:17; 2 Chr. 2:11; 9:8; 11:21; 20:7; Neh. 1:5; 13:26; Est. 6:9; Job 19:19; Ps. 4:2; 5:11; 11:5, 7; 18:1; 26:8; 29:6; 31:23; 33:5; 34:12; 37:28; 40:16; 45:7; 47:4; 51:6; 52:3f; 69:36; 70:4; 78:68; 84:11; 87:2; 94:19; 97:10; 99:4; 109:4, 17; 115:18; 119:47f, 97, 113, 119, 127, 132, 140, 159, 163, 165ff; 122:6; 145:20; 146:8; Prov. 3:12; 4:3; 8:17, 21, 36; 9:8; 12:1; 13:24; 15:9, 12, 32; 16:13, 17; 19:8; 20:13; 21:17; 22:11, 14; 28:4, 13, 17; 30:15; Eccl. 5:10; 9:9; Cant. 1:3f, 7; 3:1ff; Isa. 1:23; 3:25; 5:1, 7; 41:8; 43:4; 44:2; 48:14; 51:2; 56:6; 57:8; 60:10; 61:8; 63:9; 66:10; Jer. 2:25; 5:31; 8:2; 11:15; 12:7; 14:10; 31:3; 49:25; Lam. 1:2; Ezek. 16:37; Dan. 4:27; 9:4; Hos. 3:1; 4:18; 8:9, 11f; 9:1, 10, 15; 10:11; 11:1; 12:7; 14:4; Amos 4:5; 5:15; Mic. 6:8; Zech. 8:17, 19; 10:6;
Genesis 22:2 He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you."
Genesis 24:67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
Genesis 25:28 Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Genesis 29:18 Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel."
20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.
30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years.
32 Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben, for she said, "Because the LORD has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me."
Genesis 34:3 He was deeply attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her.
Genesis 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.
Genesis 44:20 "We said to my lord, 'We have an old father and a little child of his old age. Now his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.'
Exodus 20:6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Exodus 21:5 "But if the slave plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,'
Leviticus 19:18 'You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.
34 'The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 4:37 "Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power,
Deuteronomy 5:10 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Deuteronomy 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Deuteronomy 7:8 but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9 "Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
13 "He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock, in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you.
Deuteronomy 10:12 "Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
15 "Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day.
18 "He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.
19 "So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 11:1 "You shall therefore love the LORD your God, and always keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments.
13 "It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul,
22 "For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and hold fast to Him,
Deuteronomy 13:3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 15:16 "It shall come about if he says to you, 'I will not go out from you,' because he loves you and your household, since he fares well with you;
Deuteronomy 19:9 if you carefully observe all this commandment which I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in His ways always-- then you shall add three more cities for yourself, besides these three.
Deuteronomy 21:15 "If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him sons, if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved,
16 then it shall be in the day he wills what he has to his sons, he cannot make the son of the loved the firstborn before the son of the unloved, who is the firstborn.
Deuteronomy 23:5 "Nevertheless, the LORD your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the LORD your God loves you.
Deuteronomy 30:6 "Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.
20 by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."
Deuteronomy 32:15 "But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked-- You are grown fat, thick, and sleek-- Then he forsook God who made him, And scorned the Rock of his salvation.
Deuteronomy 33:5 "And He was king in Jeshurun, When the heads of the people were gathered, The tribes of Israel together.
12 Of Benjamin he said, "May the beloved of the LORD dwell in security by Him, Who shields him all the day, And he dwells between His shoulders."
26 "There is none like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to your help, And through the skies in His majesty.
Joshua 22:5 "Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul."
Joshua 23:11 "So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the LORD your God.
Judges 5:31 "Thus let all Your enemies perish, O LORD; But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might." And the land was undisturbed for forty years.
Judges 14:16 Samson's wife wept before him and said, "You only hate me, and you do not love me; you have propounded a riddle to the sons of my people, and have not told it to me." And he said to her, "Behold, I have not told it to my father or mother; so should I tell you?"
Judges 16:4 After this it came about that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
15 Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have deceived me these three times and have not told me where your great strength is."
Ruth 4:15 "May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him."
1 Samuel 1:5 but to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, but the LORD had closed her womb.
1 Samuel 16:21 Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer.
1 Samuel 18:16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, and he went out and came in before them.
20 Now Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David. When they told Saul, the thing was agreeable to him.
22 Then Saul commanded his servants, "Speak to David secretly, saying, 'Behold, the king delights in you, and all his servants love you; now therefore, become the king's son-in-law.'"
28 When Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him,
1 Samuel 20:17 Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life.
2 Samuel 1:23 "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life, And in their death they were not parted; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.
2 Samuel 7:18 Then David the king went in and sat before the LORD, and he said, "Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?
2 Samuel 12:24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her; and she gave birth to a son, and he named him Solomon. Now the LORD loved him
2 Samuel 13:1 Now it was after this that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon the son of David loved her.
4 He said to him, "O son of the king, why are you so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me?" Then Amnon said to him, "I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom."
15 Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred; for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, "Get up, go away!"
21 Now when King David heard of all these matters, he was very angry.
2 Samuel 19:6 by loving those who hate you, and by hating those who love you. For you have shown today that princes and servants are nothing to you; for I know this day that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased.
1 Kings 3:3 Now Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
1 Kings 5:1 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always been a friend of David.
1 Kings 10:9 "Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the LORD loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness."
1 Kings 11:2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, "You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods." Solomon held fast to these in love.
1 Chronicles 17:16 Then David the king went in and sat before the LORD and said, "Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far?
1 Chronicles 29:17 "Since I know, O my God, that You try the heart and delight in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You.
2 Chronicles 2:11 Then Huram, king of Tyre, answered in a letter sent to Solomon: "Because the LORD loves His people, He has made you king over them."
2 Chronicles 9:8 "Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you, setting you on His throne as king for the LORD your God; because your God loved Israel establishing them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness."
2 Chronicles 11:21 Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom more than all his other wives and concubines. For he had taken eighteen wives and sixty concubines and fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
2 Chronicles 20:7 "Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?
Nehemiah 1:5 I said, "I beseech You, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,
Nehemiah 13:26 "Did not Solomon king of Israel sin regarding these things? Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin.
Esther 6:9 and let the robe and the horse be handed over to one of the king's most noble princes and let them array the man whom the king desires to honor and lead him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him, 'Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.'"
Job 19:19 "All my associates abhor me, And those I love have turned against me.
Psalm 4:2 O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah.
Psalm 5:11 But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You.
Psalm 11:5 The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates.
7 For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face.
Psalm 18:1 For the choir director. A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD, who spoke to the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said, "I love You, O LORD, my strength."
Psalm 26:8 O LORD, I love the habitation of Your house And the place where Your glory dwells.
Psalm 29:6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, And Sirion like a young wild ox.
Psalm 31:23 O love the LORD, all you His godly ones! The LORD preserves the faithful And fully recompenses the proud doer.
Psalm 33:5 He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.
Psalm 34:12 Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good?
Psalm 37:28 For the LORD loves justice And does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.
Psalm 40:16 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let those who love Your salvation say continually, "The LORD be magnified!"
Psalm 45:7 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows.
Psalm 47:4 He chooses our inheritance for us, The glory of Jacob whom He loves. Selah.
Psalm 51:6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
Psalm 52:3 You love evil more than good, Falsehood more than speaking what is right. Selah.
4 You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.
Psalm 69:36 The descendants of His servants will inherit it, And those who love His name will dwell in it.
Psalm 70:4 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; And let those who love Your salvation say continually, "Let God be magnified."
Psalm 78:68 But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved.
Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 87:2 The LORD loves the gates of Zion More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.
Psalm 94:19 When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.
Psalm 97:10 Hate evil, you who love the LORD, Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
Psalm 99:4 The strength of the King loves justice; You have established equity; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
Psalm 109:4 In return for my love they act as my accusers; But I am in prayer.
17 He also loved cursing, so it came to him; And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
Psalm 115:18 But as for us, we will bless the LORD From this time forth and forever. Praise the LORD!
Psalm 119:47 I shall delight in Your commandments, Which I love.
48 And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Your statutes. Zayin.
97 O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.
113 I hate those who are double-minded, But I love Your law.
119 You have removed all the wicked of the earth like dross; Therefore I love Your testimonies.
127 Therefore I love Your commandments Above gold, yes, above fine gold.
132 Turn to me and be gracious to me, After Your manner with those who love Your name.
140 Your word is very pure, Therefore Your servant loves it.
159 Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness.
163 I hate and despise falsehood, But I love Your law.
165 Those who love Your law have great peace, And nothing causes them to stumble.
166 I hope for Your salvation, O LORD, And do Your commandments.
167 My soul keeps Your testimonies, And I love them exceedingly.
Psalm 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you.
Psalm 145:20 The LORD keeps all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy.
Psalm 146:8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous;
Proverbs 3:12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
Proverbs 4:3 When I was a son to my father, Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother,
Proverbs 8:17 "I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me.
21 To endow those who love me with wealth, That I may fill their treasuries.
36 "But he who sins against me injures himself; All those who hate me love death."
Proverbs 9:8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, Reprove a wise man and he will love you.
Proverbs 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid.
Proverbs 13:24 He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.
Proverbs 15:9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But He loves one who pursues righteousness.
12 A scoffer does not love one who reproves him, He will not go to the wise.
32 He who neglects discipline despises himself, But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding.
Proverbs 16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And he who speaks right is loved.
17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who watches his way preserves his life.
Proverbs 19:8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; He who keeps understanding will find good.
Proverbs 20:13 Do not love sleep, or you will become poor; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food.
Proverbs 21:17 He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not become rich.
Proverbs 22:11 He who loves purity of heart And whose speech is gracious, the king is his friend.
14 The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; He who is cursed of the LORD will fall into it.
Proverbs 28:4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, But those who keep the law strive with them.
13 He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.
17 A man who is laden with the guilt of human blood Will be a fugitive until death; let no one support him.
Proverbs 30:15 The leech has two daughters, "Give," "Give." There are three things that will not be satisfied, Four that will not say, "Enough":
Ecclesiastes 5:10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 9:9 Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.
Song of Solomon 1:3 "Your oils have a pleasing fragrance, Your name is like purified oil; Therefore the maidens love you.
4 "Draw me after you and let us run together! The king has brought me into his chambers." "We will rejoice in you and be glad; We will extol your love more than wine. Rightly do they love you."
7 "Tell me, O you whom my soul loves, Where do you pasture your flock, Where do you make it lie down at noon? For why should I be like one who veils herself Beside the flocks of your companions?"
Song of Solomon 3:1 "On my bed night after night I sought him Whom my soul loves; I sought him but did not find him.
2 'I must arise now and go about the city; In the streets and in the squares I must seek him whom my soul loves.' I sought him but did not find him.
3 "The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me, And I said, 'Have you seen him whom my soul loves?'
4 "Scarcely had I left them When I found him whom my soul loves; I held on to him and would not let him go Until I had brought him to my mother's house, And into the room of her who conceived me."
Isaiah 1:23 Your rulers are rebels And companions of thieves; Everyone loves a bribe And chases after rewards. They do not defend the orphan, Nor does the widow's plea come before them.
Isaiah 3:25 Your men will fall by the sword And your mighty ones in battle.
Isaiah 5:1 Let me sing now for my well-beloved A song of my beloved concerning His vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill.
7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel And the men of Judah His delightful plant. Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.
Isaiah 41:8 "But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend,
Isaiah 43:4 "Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.
Isaiah 44:2 Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you, 'Do not fear, O Jacob My servant; And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
Isaiah 48:14 "Assemble, all of you, and listen! Who among them has declared these things? The LORD loves him; he will carry out His good pleasure on Babylon, And His arm will be against the Chaldeans.
Isaiah 51:2 "Look to Abraham your father And to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain; When he was but one I called him, Then I blessed him and multiplied him."
Isaiah 56:6 "Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, To minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD, To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath And holds fast My covenant;
Isaiah 57:8 "Behind the door and the doorpost You have set up your sign; Indeed, far removed from Me, you have uncovered yourself, And have gone up and made your bed wide. And you have made an agreement for yourself with them, You have loved their bed, You have looked on their manhood.
Isaiah 60:10 "Foreigners will build up your walls, And their kings will minister to you; For in My wrath I struck you, And in My favor I have had compassion on you.
Isaiah 61:8 For I, the LORD, love justice, I hate robbery in the burnt offering; And I will faithfully give them their recompense And make an everlasting covenant with them.
Isaiah 63:9 In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.
Isaiah 66:10 "Be joyful with Jerusalem and rejoice for her, all you who love her; Be exceedingly glad with her, all you who mourn over her,
Jeremiah 2:25 "Keep your feet from being unshod And your throat from thirst; But you said, 'It is hopeless! No! For I have loved strangers, And after them I will walk.'
Jeremiah 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?
Jeremiah 8:2 "They will spread them out to the sun, the moon and to all the host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served, and which they have gone after and which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered or buried; they will be as dung on the face of the ground.
Jeremiah 11:15 "What right has My beloved in My house When she has done many vile deeds? Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster, So that you can rejoice?"
Jeremiah 12:7 "I have forsaken My house, I have abandoned My inheritance; I have given the beloved of My soul Into the hand of her enemies.
Jeremiah 14:10 Thus says the LORD to this people, "Even so they have loved to wander; they have not kept their feet in check. Therefore the LORD does not accept them; now He will remember their iniquity and call their sins to account."
Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.
Jeremiah 49:25 "How the city of praise has not been deserted, The town of My joy!
Lamentations 1:2 She weeps bitterly in the night And her tears are on her cheeks; She has none to comfort her Among all her lovers. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; They have become her enemies.
Ezekiel 16:37 therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, even all those whom you loved and all those whom you hated. So I will gather them against you from every direction and expose your nakedness to them that they may see all your nakedness.
Daniel 4:27 'Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you: break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.'
Daniel 9:4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, "Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,
Hosea 3:1 Then the LORD said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."
Hosea 4:18 Their liquor gone, They play the harlot continually; Their rulers dearly love shame.
Hosea 8:9 For they have gone up to Assyria, Like a wild donkey all alone; Ephraim has hired lovers.
11 Since Ephraim has multiplied altars for sin, They have become altars of sinning for him.
12 Though I wrote for him ten thousand precepts of My law, They are regarded as a strange thing.
Hosea 9:1 Do not rejoice, O Israel, with exultation like the nations! For you have played the harlot, forsaking your God. You have loved harlots' earnings on every threshing floor.
10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your forefathers as the earliest fruit on the fig tree in its first season. But they came to Baal-peor and devoted themselves to shame, And they became as detestable as that which they loved.
15 All their evil is at Gilgal; Indeed, I came to hate them there! Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of My house! I will love them no more; All their princes are rebels.
Hosea 10:11 Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh, But I will come over her fair neck with a yoke; I will harness Ephraim, Judah will plow, Jacob will harrow for himself.
Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a youth I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.
Hosea 12:7 A merchant, in whose hands are false balances, He loves to oppress.
Hosea 14:4 I will heal their apostasy, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from them.
Amos 4:5 "Offer a thank offering also from that which is leavened, And proclaim freewill offerings, make them known. For so you love to do, you sons of Israel," Declares the Lord GOD.
Amos 5:15 Hate evil, love good, And establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the LORD God of hosts May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?
Zechariah 8:17 'Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these are what I hate,' declares the LORD."
19 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'The fast of the fourth, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth months will become joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah; so love truth and peace.'
Zechariah 10:6 "I will strengthen the house of Judah, And I will save the house of Joseph, And I will bring them back, Because I have had compassion on them; And they will be as though I had not rejected them, For I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.
Malachi 1:2 "I have loved you," says the LORD. But you say, "How have You loved us?" "Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" declares the LORD. "Yet I have loved Jacob;
Malachi 2:11 "Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD which He loves and has married the daughter of a foreign god.