Agape Love In Christianity

Love is one of the most important elements in Christianity. Although there are many different definitions of the word love, people use the word to mean a strong desire or liking, romance, benevolence, giving, or even sexual intercourse. In Christianity, the word love includes serving the welfare of others. Such love is often called an agape love. Some people often recognize it as “Christian love.” Agape love, in the Greek language, means to act consciously and to choose to love someone without expecting anything in return from them, even though the result of the action may bring inconvenience, discomfort, or even death to the giver (Love Feast (Agape), n.d.). In other words, agape love is also a sacrificial love. This love is not an emotional or impetuous love but rather a more purposeful love. This kind of love is the kind Jesus referred to in Matthew 22:39, and it is the kind he wants us to apply to our daily life by loving others.

In Luke 10:30-35, Jesus described how a good Samaritan helped a Jewish man who was robbed, beaten, and left half dead while on his way to Jericho from Jerusalem. Although the Samaritan did not have any responsibility to stop and help the Jewish man--as the Samaritans were the enemies of Jew--he stopped and risked his own life to help him. He even helped the Jew at a level beyond anything that might have been considered usual care. The Samaritan brought the Jewish man to an inn and asked the inn keeper to take care of the Jew. Furthermore, he promised the inn keeper to pay all of his treatment costs. The story shows the meaning of loving others as ourselves. The Samaritan man demonstrated agape love. He loved the Jewish man as if he would want to be treated in the same circumstance; he loved the Jewish man as if he was part of his own