Agape Love in the Bible

Agape love is the unconditional and sacrificial love that finds its source in God Himself. Unlike affection based on merit or feeling, agape gives freely, seeking the good of the other without expecting anything in return. It is the love with which God loved us in Christ, and it is also the love He calls us to reflect toward our neighbor, the distinguishing mark of the true disciples of Jesus. The Bible defines this love by the supreme gift of the cross. 1 John 3:16 declares, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." Agape, then, is measured not by words but by deeds and sacrifice. John 3:16 proclaims it on the scale of the whole world: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son." Jesus makes this love a new commandment in John 13:34: "That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." This love extends even to enemies, for "if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye?" (Luke 6:32-35). Agape decides to love even before it feels. The most famous portrait of this love is found in 1 Corinthians 13: agape "suffereth long, and is kind; seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked." These verses describe agape as self-giving, service, and faithfulness. To live this love is to serve, to forgive, and to seek the good of others as Christ did for us.