Love: Do We Understand It?

It Is the Essence of All That Is!

 

I am a slow learner. It has taken almost a lifetime to understand what love is — at least a part of what love is — such a vast concept it is. This one-word concept is the most misunderstood of all concepts in the entire world. It has been perverted more than any other word in the languages of all nations throughout history … and no wonder, for upon this very word everything that exists has been founded!

It is no wonder that Satan would attack this term, to besmirch it in whatever ways he can, to hide the brilliant truths encased within its awesome reality. Let us take a look at the root meaning of this word in both secular and scriptural use.

Webster’s New World College Dictionary (M. Agnes and D. Guralnik, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2004) gives several variants of meaning for the word love, some of which are given here:

1. A deep and tender feeling of affection for or attraction or devotion to a person or persons

2. A feeling of brotherhood and good will toward other people

3. A strong, usually passionate affection of one person for another

4. Sexual passion

5. God’s tender regard and concern for all human beings

In the Old Testament the word for love is ahab, or ahabah in the feminine gender. These words are taken from the root word aheb, which means “to love or like,” having a strong emotional attachment to and desire either to possess or be in the presence of the object. This can refer to, based on the context:

1. The love of a man for a woman, or a woman for a man, rooted in sexual desire, such as Isaac for Rebekah (Genesis 24:67)

2. The love between parents and their children, such as Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22:2)

3. The close attachment to a friend, such as Jonathan to David (I Samuel 18:1)

The New Testament has two Greek words that are translated as love: agapao (or agape) and phileo. By far the most often used word is agapao, which has extremely wide implications:

1. The attitude of the Father to the Son (John 17:26), the human race (John 3:16; Romans 5:8), and to the elect (John 14:2)

2.The will of the Father to the elect to show this attitude toward one another (John 13:34), and toward all people (I Thessalonians 3:12; II Peter 1:7)

3. A fruit of the spirit working within the saints (Galatians 5:22)

4. The primary objective of obedience to the commandments (John 14:15-23)

5. The attitude toward others, brethren or those in the world, not as an impulse based on feelings or natural inclinations, which seeks the welfare of all (Romans 15:2), works no ill to anyone (Romans 13:8-10), and seeks opportunity to do good to all, especially to the elect (Galatians 6:10)

6. The concern of a perfect Father toward entirely unworthy people

In brief, love (agapao) infers the preference for someone above all else, as we must prefer the Father first and foremost, even as He prefers us — the firstfruits — above all else. These are just a few of the nuances of the word agape or agapao, so comprehensive a word it is. The seldom used word translated as love is phileo, which generally means “to be a friend of, or have affection for.” The word denotes some personal attachment, having sentiment or feeling towards in contrast to agapao, which does not require emotional attachment. Phileo is never used as a command to love God as is agapao. In John 21:15-17 we see both agapao and phileo used in Jesus’ three questions to Peter, where agapao in His first two questions suggests a love that values and esteems, while phileo in the third question “conveys the thought of cherishing the Object (Jesus) above all else …” (James Strong, The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, edited by J.R. Kohlenberger, III, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001, Greek Dictionary, page 264).

God Is Love

The apostle John — the disciple who is so noted for his understanding of love — makes a profound statement about the depths to which love can approach when he quoted Jesus saying, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for a friend” (John 15:13). Then Jesus went on to define who a friend is: one who keeps His commandments (John 15:14). Of course, Jesus showed the epitome of the meaning of love when He laid down His own life for the redemption of all mankind … but that is just the beginning of exploration into the expansiveness of God’s love for us.

The Universe — Made in Love

The expansiveness of the universe is beyond imagination! An estimate of the number of stars by astronomers has been between 100 billion trillion (1 x 10“The earth is … surrounded in an atmosphere of radiation with cosmic rays coming continually to the earth from all directions; although there may be a slight deflection of the weaker rays by the earth’s magnetic field, there is every indication that our sun is not the source of any appreciable amount of this radiation. The origin, therefore, is from the universe as a whole. The total energy of the cosmic radiation is more than the entire luminous output of all the stars and nebula of the universe combined. Unlimited power is being delivered to everyone’s doorstep.”

The fact that all of the universe is packed with energy, only a bit of it condensed into matter, is echoed by Dewey Larson ( Nothing But Motion, Volume I of a revised and enlarged edition of The Structure of the Physical Universe, North Pacific Publishers, Portland, Oregon, 1979), when he stated:

“The thesis of this present work is that the universe in which we live is not a universe of matter, but a universe of motion, one in which the basic reality is motion, and all physical activities and phenomena, including matter, are merely manifestations of motion. The atom, on this basis, is simply a combination of motion. Radiation is motion, gravitation is motion, an electrical charge is motion, and so on.

“In a universe of motion, one in which everything physical is a manifestation of motion, this uncertainty [of the origin of matter] does not exist, as a specific definition of space and time is implicit in the definition of motion …. Motion is a relation between space and time, and is measured as speed or velocity. In its simplest force, the ‘equation of motion,’ which expresses this definition in mathematical symbols, is v = s/t [v = velocity, s = space, t = time] …. Space and time are simply the two reciprocal aspects of motion and have no other significance.”

What Moray and Larson are saying is that the motion within the sea of energy in the universe is what creates matter … and what creates this motion? God almighty! Scripture states that all things were made through God, by His word (John 1:3), which is motion and frequencies, even as light that shines in darkness (John 1:5) is motion and frequencies.

If there is no motion, there is no space or time. There is nothing.

“And God said, ‘Let there by light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3).

“By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (Hebrews 11:3).

“As it is written, ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’ He is our father in the presence of God, in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls [kaleo, ‘to call aloud’] into being what does not yet exist” (Romans 4:17).

“But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was founded out of water and by water” (II Peter 3:5).

“Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He gave the command and they were created” (Psalm 148:5).

“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth” (Psalm 33:6).

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:1-3).

All of these scriptures reveal that God’s words, commands, and breath brought about material things. Words in the physical realm are frequencies transmitted through the air; metaphorically, these words in the spirit realm are also frequencies, which give rise to the forms of atoms, compounds, rocks and minerals, and living forms and cells, even light. Through love these manifestations of His reality have been made, for God is love. Through His perfection of wisdom, knowledge, and truth He has formed the universe into what it is for specific purposes, the highest of which is to create an environment here on earth for mankind made in His image:

“For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, who has established it, who did not create it in vain, who formed it to be inhabited: ‘I am the Lord, and there is no other’” (Isaiah 45:18; see also Psalm 115:16: “But the earth He has given to the children of men”).

All of this marvelous creative activity the Eternal has performed out of an intense care for us, to prepare a planet just far enough from the sun to sustain human life through carefully managed temperature, light intensity, soil minerals, gravity, and protection from harmful radiation, so that mankind made in His very own image can multiply and prosper, expanding the family of Elohim by multiple billions. We are not aware of such a grand enterprise of love operating anywhere else in the vastness of the universe — though there could be. All we know is what we have been given in His word. Perhaps some day God will surprise us by revealing earth-plane plans that exist throughout the cosmos!

Living Beings — Made in Love

The atoms, compounds, rocks, and minerals that comprise the earth and planets, the sun and stars, the quasars and nebulae are awesome enough, but beyond these wonderful constituents of matter are carbon-based living creatures. These beings number in the trillions here on earth, ranging from single-celled organisms to mighty trees and huge whales. We read about these creations in Genesis 1: grass, herbs, and trees (verse 12); living creatures, birds, and sea creatures (verses 20-21); cattle, creeping things, and beasts (verse 24). Then man himself, made in Elohim’s image, was created, and given the task of exercising dominion over the fish, birds, cattle, and creeping things (Genesis 1:26). And, as we just read in Isaiah 45:18, the earth and its ecosphere were made to be inhabited by these awesome creatures of earth, sky, and sea, and above all by man himself.

David in Psalm 115:16 affirms that the earth has been given by God to the children of men. It is humbling beyond imagination to realize that the very earth upon which we walk was made exclusively for you! It was created so you could live, raise families, and multiply the God kind.

Look at the incredible number and variety of species of plants and animals, birds and fish the Eternal has made, with us as imagers of God having dominion over them all! The following estimates are outlined in www.ourworldindata.org (H. Ritchie, April, 2026).

Taxonomists in 2025 listed 2.17 million species on plant earth, including 1 million insects, over 11,000 birds, over 12,000 reptiles, and over 6,000 mammals. According to Ritchie:

“Researchers have come up with wide-ranging estimates for how many species there are …. This ranges anywhere from 3 to well over 100 million — many orders of magnitude of difference. Some more recent studies estimate that this figure is as much as one trillion.”

Different scientists cite numbers that vary widely, such as around 8.7 million species on earth today. Another scientist estimates 2 to 8 million species, while another estimates 11 million. One expert chose not to give a concrete figure at all! More recent studies suggest that the true number of species worldwide is in the billions.

Disagreements for numbers of species result from even defining what a “species” is. Even in well-known taxonomic groups, such as birds or reptiles, the delineation of species can change over time.

Besides trying to define what a species is, a second challenge is coming up with estimates for groups that are less well-studied than mammals, birds, and reptiles. Most of the disagreement lies in insects, fungi, and other smaller microbial species. Reaching a consensus on such small and inaccessible lifeforms is undoubtedly hard. For example, there are between 6,000 to 7,000 known mammals species, but 350,000 to 400,000 described species of beetles.

The biggest area of uncertainty in species estimates is for bacteria and archaea [single-celled organisms that are not bacteria]. This can range from mere thousands to billions. One expert estimates there are 1 to 6 billion species on Earth, and bacteria make up 70% to 90% of them. Ritchie concludes:

“The honest answer to the question. ‘How many species are there?,’ is that we don’t really know. Estimates span several orders of magnitude, from a few million to billions. Most recent estimates lean towards the higher range. The biggest uncertainty is in the small lifeforms — bacteria and archaea — where we’ve only described a small percentage of the total.”

Clearly the Creator has placed on this earth an incredible array of organisms, ranging from majestic sequoia trees to invisible bacteria and archaea. All of these have been placed on earth because of the unfathomable love the Creator has for life itself, but especially for the love He has for mankind, whose responsibility it is to have dominion over these life forms. From preserving elephants, giraffes, and lions within game refuges, to raising beef, sheep, dairy cattle, and chickens for food, to adding yeast cells for beer and wine production, the eternal Creator shows His unending love to us by making the planet and its life forms to sustain us and amaze us!

Care for Mankind … in Love

The love of the Creator is expressed so clearly by His care for the beings made in His image (Genesis 1:27), made to expand His family of sons of God by the billions! As we have already discussed, He placed the man in a garden setting where He “… made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food” (Genesis 2:9). It was the ideal environment for humans to live, beautiful and luxurious.

As related by Eva Selhub and Alan Logan in Your Brain on Nature (Collins, pages 11 and 12):

“In the 1800s, writers such as Henry David Thoreau and naturalist John Muir voiced their concerns about urban life and described nature as essential to well-being. Thoreau described nature as a calming tonic and creativity booster, a place where ‘my nerves are steadied, my senses and my mind do their office.’ Muir reported that ‘tired, nervous, over-civilized people’ could experience an awakening while wandering in wilderness …. Frederick Law Olmsted … [in] his 1865 federal report on the status of Yosemite National Park stated, ‘If we analyze the operation of scenes of beauty upon the mind, and consider the intimate relation of the mind upon the nervous system and the whole physical economy, the action and reaction which constantly occurs between bodily and mental conditions, the reinvigoration which results from such scenes is readily comprehended.’ The report noted that immersion in nature is favorable to health, vigor, and intellect and ‘that it not only gives pleasure for the time being but increases the subsequent capacity for happiness and the means of securing happiness.’”

Modern studies have shown that “forest bathing” has a profound positive effect on the mental state of people, especially those suffering from depression, and can be more effective than antidepressants, without the horribly negative side effects. Truly the Creator knew what He was doing when He placed mankind within a gorgeous garden setting, with the task of tending and keeping this lovely place … work that was enjoyable and fruitful, so unlike the strife of eking out an existence through sweat and grief outside the garden (Genesis 3:17-19).

Beyond the benefits of the garden of Eden environment for mental health, the garden produced trees giving fruit that was good for food, as well as herbs that were designed for food (Genesis 1:29; 2:9). If God indicates these food crops were good, we can be assured they were nutritionally dense, containing all of the essential vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and other essential nutrients for abundant living — and in the proper balance. This presentation of foods was before the great Flood, for animal meats were not included in mankind’s diet at this time; the environment with its bucolic temperature, radiation, and high oxygen pressure, along with a pleasant lifestyle, did not require a high-protein meat diet. Even then, the post-flood meat menu was limited to clean animals (those with split-hoofs which chewed the cud), fish (having fins and scales), and birds (seed eaters). The Eternal in His great love for His creation desired to maintain the bodies of His creations in prime physical, mental, and spiritual health.

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Thessalonians 5:23).

This is a reflection of III John 2, where Paul states that “… you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”

The Creator looks at the entire existence of each of us to optimize our lives, even in the midst of imperfect environments — especially in cities, removed from the natural creation. Notice the attitude He wishes we have to build that optimal health:

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or “What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:25-34).

We are not to worry about — be in fear of — our food, clothing, and shelter, for if God provides for the birds of the air with their needs, and decks the flowers of the field with their elegant colors, fragrances, and designs — or clothes the grass of the field — then surely He will provide for each of us, the pinnacle of His creation. It is the gentiles who are worried about their needs. Our heavenly Father knows our needs even before we ask for them!

This freedom from fear for our needs is pivotal for us who possess His spirit, for the love that God instructs us to emulate colors our entire health of body, mind, and spirit. Notice the following:

“… casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (I Peter 5:7).

“And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God …” (Philippians 4:6).

“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31).

The depth of the Creator’s love extends to each one of us, for He sustains us through every trial. As Yahweh related to Moses in the wilderness:

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them [the Canaanite tribes] for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Then Yahweh told Joshua not long afterwards:

“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5).

The Ultimate Gift — Love

Having created the universe — and the earth in particular — for mankind to live and prosper, and caring for the pinnacle of His creation by showing him how to live abundantly in body, mind, and spirit, the Creator in His incredible love extended His family to include us! Rather than being content to live for eternity with Himself, His sons of God, angels, and other spirit beings, He emptied Himself of any hint of selfishness by multiplying Himself, as it were. He made us to be just like Him, with the promise to inherit eternal life in the express image of His spirit reality!

Now we are reaching towards the incredible essence of love: building an endless family of the God-kind, replicating indefinitely the reality of Himself, for the future of these sons of God is to be just like Jesus Christ Himself. We are now those sons of God:

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children [sons] of God! Therefore the world does not know us because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children [sons] of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (I John 3:1-2).

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26).

“And because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Galatians 4:6).

The eternal God has a plan to make mankind Gods themselves … just like Jesus Christ. Look at all of the identities of each of us with Jesus in the heavenly spirit realm (For a thorough explanation of each point and scriptural references, see P. W. Syltie, Your incredible future: our future as brothers of Jesus Christ! at www.churchesathome.org):

1. 1. We have an eternal nature.
   2. We are destined to receive rulership over the nations as spirits.
   3. We are to inherit all things.
   4. We receive God’s spirit by baptism and the laying on of hands.
   5. We are spiritual brothers, with the same Father, family, and potential.
   6. We are sent to earth by the Father.
   7. We will reign with the Father on His throne.
   8. We will be worshiped [only Gods are worthy of worship].
   9. We pray directly to the Father.
   10. The Father speaks directly to us.
   11. We endure trials, suffer, and overcome as living sacrifices.
   12. We are ministered to by angels.
   13. We forgive the sins of others.
   14. Christ and the elect are equivalent at the resurrection.
   15. The law is written in our hearts, we do the Father’s will, and we have His mind.
   16. We are given a name that no one else knows.
   17. We are to be examples of Godly living to the world.
   18. There is hope of great glory in the spirit realm after physical death.
   19. We have been sent into the world
   20. We are not of the world.
   21. We are tempted with evil.
   22. We were ordained before the foundation of the world to be sons of God.
   23. We were made a little lower than the angels.
   24. We will be raised by the spirit of the Father in us.
   25. We are joint heirs of salvation.
   26. The kingdom will be given to us.
   27. Jesus did not place Himself above the disciples, but claimed we are a brotherhood.
   28. We are loved equally by the Father.

With our future reality tied so closely to that of Jesus Christ, we can view the love of our heavenly Father more closely — though even then we are limited by our perceptions in the flesh. We are given the instructions to love the Eternal God with all of our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourself (Matthew 22:36-40), and with that instruction we understand that as we draw close to Him in obedience, He will in like manner draw close to us.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8).

“And he [Azariah] went out to meet Asa, and said to him: ‘Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you’” (II Chronicles 15:2).

The love of God extends to the person that is poor [aniy, “poor, weak, afflicted, humble”] and of a contrite spirit [nakeh, “smitten, maimed, dejected”], who trembles at His word (Isaiah 66:2). His love is exemplified by Jesus’ word in Matthew 11:28-30:

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

See the character of the Almighty as well in Isaiah 57:15:

“For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’”

The Father and Jesus Christ exhibit the fruits of the spirit perfectly, for they are filled with love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23), and epitomize “… the spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7).

Beyond granting the fruits of the spirit and the gifts that accompany that spirit, He has given each of us specific gifts with which to serve one another (I Corinthians 12; Romans 12:6-8; I Peter 4:10). The capstone of this spirit is, of course, eternal life itself — sonship in the heavenly realm for the firstfruits of His calling in this age. He has promised, in His love, to reconnect those who have died in the flesh with the spirit reality of becoming a son of God in the resurrection (I Thessalonians 4:15-17; I Corinthians 15:51-52).

In His love these firstfruits will be given eternal life, first as kings and priests to reign on the earth for 1,000 years (Revelation 5;10; 20:4), and then forevermore in whatever capacity He has destined them to be, perhaps even designing new planets amongst the galaxies throughout the universe for our reigning — for of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end (Isaiah 9:7).

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).

“… that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” (I Thessalonians 2:12).

“Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him (James 2:5)?

Yet, though He has called the firstfruits in this age — from Adam to the present — to be raised to eternal sonship in the kingdom of God, in His incredible love for all of humankind made in His image He will not neglect those who are not now, in this age, called to be firstfruits, for He has determined that none of His creation shall be lost from sonship (II Peter 3:9). He has planned a second resurrection of those not raised in the first one (Revelation 20:5). This awesome event will occur in what has been termed the “White Throne Judgment” of Revelation 20:11-15. Only the incorrigibly wicked — those who refuse to repent of their sins and accept the Messiah’s sacrifice for them — will be destroyed in the lake of fire.

The incredible love of the Father and Jesus Christ runs deeper and farther then we can imagine. It caused Him to multiply His own kind and grant them eternal life as His sons forever. He made the earth and its ecosphere so these creations of His could multiply, learn dominion, build families and nations, and ultimately be called into sonship in His family to rule on earth and in the heavens for eternity.

This was all made possible by the love of our Creator. We would not be able to begin to comprend this love had He not made us. We owe everything we are to Him, for without His loving creation I would not be here writing this paper.

Praise be to Him and His love, forever and ever!