Agape
Overview
Agape is a Greco-Christian term referring to love, "the highest form of love, charity" and "the love of God for man and of man for God". The word is not to be confused with philēo, storgē, or érōs, which represent brotherly love, familial love, and romantic love respectively. Agape is considered to be the love originating from God or Christ for humankind. In essence, agape is the term that defines God's immeasurable, incomparable love for humankind. It is his ongoing, outgoing, self-sacrificing concern for lost and fallen people. God gives this love without condition, unreservedly to those who are undeserving and inferior to himself.
Etymology
The term agape is derived from the Ancient Greek word ἀγάπη, meaning love. It's the same love that expressions like "love thy neighbor," "Christian love," and "God is love" have as their root. The term was used by early Christian writers in order to denote the self-sacrificing love that God has for humanity, which they were committed to reciprocating and practicing towards God and among one another.
Agape in the New Testament
The concept of agape is extensively discussed in the New Testament, where it refers to the covenant love of God for humans, as well as the human reciprocal love for God. The term necessarily extends to the love of one’s fellow man, as the reciprocal love between God and man is manifested in unselfish love of one another. The word agape is used in its plural form in the New Testament to describe love-feasts, communal meals shared among early Christians that were associated with the celebration of the Eucharist.
Agape in Christianity
In Christianity, agape is considered the most god-like type of love. It is spontaneous, unconditional, and uncaused, meaning it does not depend on any value or worth in the object of love. It is persistent and unchanging. It is the kind of love that God has for us, and which we are commanded to have for one another. It is a sacrificial love, as demonstrated by Christ's sacrifice on the cross. It is a love that gives, not one that seeks its own.
Agape in Modern Psychology
In the context of modern psychology, agape is often used to refer to altruistic love, the kind of love that is selfless and seeks the best for others. It is a caring, giving type of love, one that values the other person's well-being above one's own. It is the kind of love that is patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil, rejoices with the truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, and never fails.