Open_Love_in_The_Life_of_the_Lord_Jesus_Christ[1]
Open Love in The Life of the Lord Jesus Christ
An appropriate beginning for this discussion is to define “love” as used in the Old Testaments and “love” as used in the New Testament. I cannot help but notice the differences in the contextual usage. I can though agree here that Thomson intends for his readers to incorporate love as contextually used in the New Testament, although this discussion uses human relationships from love as contextualized in the Old Testament Scripture, Proverbs 27:5-6.
This discussion is not intended to be an argument on context and meaning. Therefore, our discussion will incorporate a mutual understanding of intent and proceed with due diligence.
Thomson says:
“The Christian’s inner life alternates between two realities. At any given moment he is either filled with God’s agape love and moving in the direction of maturity in that love, or he is lacking agape love and moving in the direction of spiritual stagnation.”[1]
Let us first look at the meaning of love in the Old Testament and then the New Testament with an eye on contrasting their main differences.
Love in the Old Testament: In the ot the verb ‘to love’ (Heb. ’ahab) and its cognates cover the full range of meanings the English word ‘love’ has, including love for God (Exod. 20:6; Ps. 40:17) and the love God has for his people (Hos. 3:1; Deut. 7:13). This latter sense of love, God’s love for his people in the covenant context, is often expressed by the term ‘steadfast love’ (Heb. ḥesed). God’s steadfast love is a sign of his fidelity.
A review of some texts will indicate the wide range of meaning ‘love’ has. It can be used to describe physical love between the sexes, as well as sexual concupiscence (Gen. 34:3; Judg. 16:4, 15; 2 Sam. 13:4, 15; see also Song of Sol.). The description of love between the sexes transcending the purely physical is also common (Gen. 24:67; 29:20: ‘So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her’). The Hebrew word can refer to love within a family (Gen. 22:2; 25:28; Ruth 4:15); among friends (Ps. 38:12; Jer. 20:4-6); and between superior and inferior or slave and master (Deut. 15:16). Especially significant is the command that Israel love the foreigner or stranger, and the rationale for such action (Lev. 19:34: ‘The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God’; also Deut. 10:19). Additionally, Israel is instructed to love the neighbor, namely, the fellow Israelite (Lev. 19:18). [2]
In the OT, love has a variety of meanings which includes a component for human love, sexual desire and God’s love to His people.
160 אַהֲבָה, אַהֲבָה [’ahabah /a·hab·aw/] n f. F of 158; TWOT 29c; GK 173 and 174; 40 occurrences; AV translates as “love” 40 times. 1 love. 1a human love for human object. 1a1 of man toward man. 1a2 of man toward himself. 1a3 between man and woman. 1a4 sexual desire. 2 God’s love to His people.[3]
Achtemeir in the above citing describes the scriptural references of both God’s love and human sexual desire being the same root word.
A distinctively exclusive meaning for love is described in the New Testament Greek where agape love describes the love that God has for man and the love that God commands that man has for God and others. Swanson describes a love that is based on a regarded value of the loved:
26 ἀγαπάω (agapaō): vb.; ≡ DBLHebr 170; Str 25; TDNT 1.21—1. LN 25.43 love, (Jn 13:34–35); 2. LN 25.44 show love, demonstrate love (1Jn 3:17); 3. LN 25.104 take pleasure in, to love based on its regarded value (Jn 12:43)[4]
Four Kinds of Human Relationship:
There are four ways in which one who has some kind of relationship with another
may be said to be associated with him, surface or intimate, whether his interaction be short-term or long-term, bare acquaintance or kindred. These four kinds of human relation ship are experienced by believers and unbelievers alike, but only the believer has access to the unconditional agape love which God has designed for the best relationships. The four relationships are revealed in Proverbs 27:5-6:[5]
5 Open rebuke is better than secret love. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitfulc. [7]
Open Unloving is described by “Open rebuke….” This relationship type refers to an individual who openly rebukes someone and has an unloving heart. Their intent is unloving and is shown in the rebuke given in an open and obvious manner.
Closed Loving is described by “ …secret love…” This relationship type refers to the individual who does not openly express themselves and at the same time has a loving heart. The scripture contrast these two whereby open and unloving is better than closed and loving. The point being made is that one is helped by the one who tells the truth even if it is done in a rebuking manner.
Closed Unloving is described by “ …but the kisses of the enemy are deceitful.” This relationship gives no indication that it is unloving, that is the deceit, and at the same time has an unloving heart toward the individual. Its deceit is masked by their “kisses.”
Open Loving is described by “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; …” This relationship
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[1] Rich Thomson, Biblical Counseling Ministries, Inc., The Heart of Man and the Mental Disorders, Alief, Texas 2004, page 379
ot Old Testament
Heb. Hebrew
[2]Paul J. Achtemeier, Publishers Harper & Row and Society of Biblical Literature, Harper's Bible Dictionary, Includes Index., 1st ed. (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985), 578.
n n: noun
f f: feminine
TWOT Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
GK Goodrick-Kohlenberger
AV Authorized Version
[3]James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Text of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurrence of Each Word in Regular Order., electronic ed. (Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996), H160.
vb. verb
DBLHebr Swanson, A Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains: Hebrew (Old Testament)
Str Strong’s Lexicon
TDNT Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
LN Louw-Nida Greek-English Lexicon
[4]James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Greek (New Testament), electronic ed. (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), GGK26.
c deceitful: or, earnest, or, frequent
5 Rich Thomson, Biblical Counseling Ministries, Inc., The Heart of Man and the Mental Disorders, Alief, Texas 2004, page 393
[7]The Holy Bible : King James Version., electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version. (Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995), Pr 27:5-6.