The Bible is a book that focuses heavily upon love. In fact, it’s easy to get lost in the various forms of love presented within the text. This ultimate list briefly examines four types of loves displayed in the Bible
The Bible has a lot to say about love, and it’s not always easy to understand.
There are four types of love in the Bible: agape, phileo, eros, and storge. Each type of love has its own characteristics and traits, but they all share one thing—their focus on giving rather than receiving.
Agape love is selfless love that gives without any expectation of getting anything in return. It’s a spiritual love that goes beyond human feelings or emotions and is rooted in God himself.
Phileo is relational/brotherly love, which can be expressed between friends or family members who care deeply for each other but don’t necessarily have deep romantic feelings toward each other (for example: siblings).
Eros refers to romantic or sexual desire between two people who have strong feelings for each other (for example: dating couples).
Storge refers to family-based affection between parents and children or among siblings who are close with one another (for example: siblings who share a room together).
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4 Types Of Love In The Bible
The four loves
- Storge – empathy bond.
- Philia – friend bond.
- Eros – romantic love.
- Agape – unconditional “God” love.
eros love in the bible
Eros is the Greek word for “love,” and it refers to a type of love that is often described as passionate or sexual. It’s the type of love you feel when you fall head over heels for someone, whether they’re your husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend. Eros can also be used to describe the feeling you get when you see someone who catches your eye: “My heart skipped a beat when I saw him.”
In The Simpsons’ episode “Homer’s Phobia,” Homer Simpson becomes scared of being attracted to men after having dinner with his gay coworker John (voiced by John Waters). In one scene, Homer accidentally walks in on John kissing another man in an alleyway and flees from them in terror; this later leads him to believe that he’s gay himself because he was attracted to John at first sight. He decides that he needs help getting rid of any homosexual tendencies before they become too strong and lead him down a path toward sinfulness—and so he begins seeing Dr. Marvin Monroe (voiced by David Hyde Pierce), who specializes in curing such “abnormalities.”
Philia, or brotherly love
Philia, or brotherly love, is the type of love between friends. This is a deep and caring relationship that can last for many years. It’s the kind of friendship that feels like family and where you feel safe sharing anything with your friend because they will always be there for you in good times and bad.
Brotherly love has many characteristics:
- It is unconditional—you do not have to earn it by giving or doing something special because it’s simply given freely without expectation or reward.
- It is long-lasting—it lasts through hard times as well as good ones; it endures even when others might abandon you due to their own self-interests or desire not to get involved in messy situations that could be difficult or unpleasant at times; this type of friendship never ends unless one person dies before another (or if one party chooses not to continue).
- It provides comfort and support during difficult moments in life; someone who cares deeply about another individual will often provide encouragement when needed most—”I’m here for you,” “Let me help,” “Everything will work out just fine.” For example: If your friend loses his job but doesn’t have enough money saved up yet for food until he starts working again soon after being fired from his position then maybe he’ll need financial assistance from some source outside himself (perhaps from family members) until he gets back on his feet again financially speaking so that he won’t starve while waiting those few weeks until starting employment elsewhere once more become available upon completion
Storge, or familial, love
Of all the kinds of love in the Bible, storge (pronounced STOR-gay) is probably the most familiar to us. It’s that feeling you have for your siblings, parents, and grandparents: a kind of familial affection that can grow over time—and sometimes even between people who aren’t related by blood.
Storge is also not romantic; it may be considered “pure” or “selfless” love because it isn’t based on physical attraction or sex. Instead, storge is unconditional and non-romantic. In other words, there are no strings attached; you love someone simply because they’re yours to care about and protect.
Agape, or selfless love
Agape, or selfless love, is the type of love that God has for us. It’s a sacrificial kind of love and is unconditional. Agape means “the highest form of love” and it also has no limitations. While other forms of love can be selfish at times, agape never is. It’s caring for someone out of the goodness of your heart—not because you want something in return or because it will benefit you in any way
Agape is how God loves his people: he gives himself up for them (Romans 5:8). This type of selfless act shows how much he cares about them, even though they are imperfect beings who have sinned heavily against him over the years since they fell into sin after Adam ate from the tree in the garden (Genesis 3).
Love comes in many forms, and one of the joys of life is finding them all.
Love comes in many forms, and one of the joys of life is finding them all.
No matter what your relationship status or circumstances may be, you can find love in your family, friends and relationships with other people—but also from books, music and art. You can even find it in yourself! These forms of love are just the beginning; there are undoubtedly many more forms we haven’t yet discovered.
7 types of love in the bible
The notion of love is actually quite complex. We can love someone in the notion of love and go on to marry and make a life with them. We can love a child unconditionally with our entire sense of self. We can love a parent or a best friend, but in a very different way than we love our significant other. We can show love and compassion for others. We need to figure out what self love means before anything else. Commenting that we love pancakes has a very different connotation when we utter “I love you” for the first time.
Interestingly enough, the solitary word “love” is somehow supposed to encompass all of these emotions and feelings. Perhaps society has taught us to distinguish the various types and degrees of love based on connotations, nuances, or experiences. In contrast, philosophers in ancient Greece made the concept more concrete by breaking it down into various categories. They came up with seven types of love as detailed below:
Eros: Love of the body
This type of love illustrates sexual attraction, physical desire towards others, and a lack of control. It is powerful, passionate, and can dissipate quickly. Relationships that are built solely on Eros love tend to be short-lived.
Philia: Affectionate love
Philia love accounts for the type of love that you feel for parents, siblings, family members, and close friends. This type of love is linked with loyalty, companionship, and trust. Philia love is shared among those who have similar values and experiences. The Greek philosophers considered Philia to be an equal love and valued it higher than Eros love.
Storge: Love of the Child
This type of love describes the unconditional love that parents have for their children. It is defined by unconditional approval, acceptance, and sacrifice. This type of love helps a child to develop through attachment, encouragement, and security.
Agape: Selfless Love
Agape love is representative of universal love. Greek philosophers felt that this is the type of love that people feel for other humans, for nature, and for a higher power. This love can be most easily expressed through meditation, nature, intuition, and spirituality. Agape love can be used interchangeably for charity and care for others.
Ludus: Playful Love
Playful love is defined by flirtatiousness, seduction, and sex without commitment. The focal point of this love is on the experience rather than attraction or feelings. Ludus is evident in the beginning of a relationship and is comprised with elements of play, teasing, and excitement.
Pragma: Long-lasting Love
Long-lasting love is evident in couples who have been together for a long period of time. This type of love continues to develop throughout the years and portrays synchronization and balance. This type of love can only survive with constant maintenance and nurturance.
Philautia: Love of the Self
Self-love is linked with confidence and self-worth and is necessary for a sense of purpose and fitting in. Philautia can be unhealthy and linked to narcissistic behaviors and arrogance, or can be healthy in the sense that we love ourselves before we learn how to love others. Greek philosophers believed that true happiness could only be achieved when one had unconditional love for themselves.
Putting the pieces together
Perhaps we do not break down the concept of love like the ancient Greek philosophers once did. Admittedly, it would likely be very complicated to incorporate these Greek terms into our day to day conversations. However, there are bits and pieces and truths from each one that help to comprise our notion of love today.
One of the things you’ve probably noticed is that these types of love are not mutually exclusive. We don’t love in pieces. We love as people, in all kinds of ways. For example, your romantic relationship might be full of eros (sexual attraction), but to truly achieve pragma (long-lasting love), you also need ludus (playful love), philautia (self-love) and philia (affectionate love). A healthy friendship of course, relies on philia (affectionate or platonic love), but also needs philautia (self-love) and some degree of support from storge (familiar love).
Think about some of the relationships in your life. What do you see? Are there opportunities to strengthen the “loves” you have?
Learning about the types of love can help you to understand how you view love and how you experience love. And when you understand that, relationships begin to make so much more sense. You’ll begin to see the many facets of your relationships. How much love is in your life just might surprise you.