Love in the Family

Greek words for love

1. ἔρως—Eros

A Greek-English Lexicon ἔρως

✪ ἔρως, ωτος, ὁ, acc. ἔρων for ἔρωτα Alex.Aet.3.12, AP9.39 (Musicius): in Ep. and Lyr. usu. ἔρος (q.v.): (ἔραμαι, ἐράω A):—love, mostly of the sexual passion, θηλυκρατὴς ἔ. A.Ch.600 (lyr.); ἐρῶσʼ ἔρωτʼ ἔκδημον E.Hipp.32; ἔ. τινός love for one, S.Tr.433; παίδων E.Ion67: generally, love of a thing, desire for it, πατρῴας γῆς A.Ag.540; δεινὸς εὐκλείας ἔ. Id.Eu.865, etc.; ἔχειν ἔμφυτον ἔρωτα περί τι Pl.Lg.782e; πρὸς τοὺς λόγους Luc.Nigr.Praef.; ἔρωτα σχὼν τῆς Ἑλλάδος τύραννος γενέσθαι Hdt.5.32, ἔ. ἔχει με c. inf., A.Supp.521; θανόντι κείνῳ συνθανεῖν ἔρως μʼ ἔχει S.Fr.953; αὐτοῖς ἦν ἔρως θρόνους ἐᾶσθαι Id.OC367; ἔ. ἐμπίπτει μοι c. inf., A.Ag.341, cf. Th.6.24; εἰς ἔρωτά τινος ἀφικέσθαι, ἐλθεῖν, Antiph.212.3, Anaxil.21.5: pl., loves, amours, ἀλλοτρίων Pi.N.3.30; οὐχ ὅσιοι ἔ. E.Hipp.765 (lyr.); ἔρωτες ἐμᾶς πόλεως Ar.Av.1316 (lyr.), etc.; of dolphins, πρὸς παῖδας Arist.HA631a10: generally, desires, S.Ant.617 lyr.

2. object of love or desire, ἀπρόσικτοι ἔρωτες Pi.N.11.48, cf. Luc.Tim.14.

3. passionate joy, S.Aj.693 (lyr.).

2. στοργή—Storge

A Greek-English Lexicon στοργή

στοργή, ἡ, love, affection, Emp.109.3, Antipho Fr.73; γνησίων πολιτῶν BMus.Inscr.4.481*.9 (Ephesus), cf. CIG2802 (Aphrodisias); ἐχόμενος τῆς εἰς σὲ ἀεὶ στοργῆς POxy.1766.3 (iii A.D.); esp. of parents and children, ἡδύ γε πατὴρ τέκνοισιν, εἰ στοργὴν ἔχοι Philem.200; γονέων πρὸς ἔκγονα σ. Plu.2.1100d, cf. Cic.Att.10.8.9; σ. φυσικὴ πρὸς τὰ τέκνα Demetr.Lac.Herc.1012.44: pl., Man.4.378, etc.

2. rarely sexual love, AP5.165 (Mel.), 190 (Id.), 7.476 (Id.), defixio in Hesperia54.227 no. 9 (iii A.D.).

a. φιλόστοργος—Philostorgos (Romans 12:10)

A Greek-English Lexicon φῐλόστοργος

φῐλόστοργος, ον, (στέργω, στοργή) loving tenderly, affectionate, freq. of family affection, X.Cyr.1.3.2, Theoc.18.13, etc.; of a nurse, Sor.1.88; of horses, Arist.HA611a12; γένος ἀετῶν πρὸς τοὺς τρέφοντας φ. Ael.NA2.40; title of two queens named Athenais, IG22.3426.3, 3428.5; φ. εἰς ἀλλήλους Ep.Rom.12.10; περί τινα Plu.Cleom.1 (dub. constr.); φ. πρὸς τὰ τηλικαῦτα Id.2.608c: Comp., nihil -ότερον Cic.Att.13.9.1: Sup., -οτάτη διαφερόντως πρός τινα OGI331.46 (Pergam., ii B.C.):—τὸ φ., = φιλοστοργία, X.Ages.8.1, Plu.Sol.7; τὸ ποτὶ τὰν πατρίδα φ. Abh. Berl. Akad.1925(5).28 (Cyrene, i B.C./i A.D.). Adv. -γως Arist.HA621a29; εὐσεβῶς τὰ πρὸς τοὺς θεοὺς διακείμενος καὶ φ. πρὸς τοὺς γονεῖς OGI229.6 (Smyrna, iii B.C.), cf. BMus.Inscr.925b12 (Branchidae, i B.C.), Plu.Fab.21; φ. ἔχειν πρός .. J.AJ4.6.8; literae φ. scriptae, Cic.Att.15.17.2: Comp. -ότερον Gp.16.21.6: Sup. -ότατα Iamb.VP7.34.

3. φιλέω—Phileo

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 25.33 φιλέω; φιλία, ας

φιλέωa; φιλία, ας f: to have love or affection for someone or something based on association—‘to love, to have affection for.’ See the discussion of the meaning of φιλέωa and φιλία in 25.43.

4. ἀγάπη—Agape

1 John 4:7–21 CSB

Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.

Observations:

God provides the definition for love.

Love does not produce fear.

Love is the evidence of our belief.

Love does not ignore sin

What is keeping you from loving some of your family members unconditionally?

What sin do you need to repent of so that you can love them unconditionally?

pray for the ability to love

How will you reflect Christ’s love this week in your family?