I’m currently studying the book of John and I came across something I don’t remember ever noticing before. This verse says the Father loves the Son (no surprise), but I noticed the word translated “love” is the Greek word “phileo.” I tend to think of phileo as a natural human love, while agape, the other word for love we find in the Greek New Testament, is the one I have associated with God’s love. Nowhere will you find phileo defined as “human love” or agape defined as “divine love,” but there is a reason I viewed these words in this way.
Phileo is the feeling of the heart—the affection one finds in close personal relationships or the comraderie that develops when people work closely together to reach a common goal. It is the fondness one expects when relationships are working well. It is also the word used when it talks about people loving places of honor—such a human-sounding love.
Agape is more a decision of the mind to do what is best for another. This is the kind of love God asks us to give to him and to our enemies. It is the kind of love that motivated Jesus to die on the cross for us and is listed in the fruit of the Spirit. While I know there are times when people act on behalf of those they don’t know or are kind to those they don’t like, the level of love God asks for goes beyond what I think we as people can do without him. Loving enemies is not natural. In 1 Thessalonians we are told to not repay anyone evil for evil; instead we are to seek to do good. Revenge is the more likely desire in the face of someone doing evil to me, but God says, “seek to do good.” I do not believe I have this kind of love within me, hence, I have seen agape as divine love.
The New Testament makes it clear that as Christians we are to give both kinds of love, so I really should not have been surprised that God gives both kinds of love. It broadens my thinking of God’s love to realize that it includes feelings of affection. That God’s affection extends beyond his love for the Son to human beings can be seen in the fact that the Gospels indicate that one of the complaints against Jesus was that he was the friend of tax collectors and sinners—he felt affection for them. It personalizes his love for me to know not only does he act in my best interests, but he likes me.
Addendum: When I reached John 16, I found verse 27 makes it explicit that God has affectionate feelings for people. It says, “…for the Father himself has loved you because you have loved me…” Phileo is the word used for “loved” in these verses.