Agapeology

Calvin K. King Th. D.

Description

John 13:35 "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Agapeology is the study of the highest form of love—the love of God to mankind and mankind’s proper response to that love.



Simply put, it’s the study of the love of God to mankind and mankind’s imitation of that love. In this book, Calvin K. King explores how agape love, answers questions such as:



What are the different types of love mentioned in the Bible?

How can we effectively speak and work in love?

How can we help others experience the love of God?

Why must love be the foundation for all that saints do?



The author also highlights how Jesus Christ endured the sufferings of the cross so we would not have to endure the sufferings of hell. It is because of love that he endured the cross. The mocking, taunting, and unbelief proved that the world needed a savior who can deliver people from darkness and sin. This is how agape love thinks.



Gain a newfound appreciation for God’s love for the world and reflect it back to others as you encourage them to walk with the Lord.

Sujets

• Christian Living
• Inspirational
• Philosophie et théologie
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 04 octobre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664274563
• Langue: English

Extrait

AGAPEOLOGY

Understanding and Walking in Divine Love





CALVIN K. KING TH.D








Copyright © 2022 Calvin K. King Th.D.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.



WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
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Bloomington, IN 47403
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-7455-6 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7457-0 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7456-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022914154



WestBow Press rev. date: 10/04/2022



AGAPEOLOGY
the study of the highest form of love—the love of God to mankind and mankind’s proper response to that love. Therefore, it is the study of the love of God to mankind and mankind’s imitation of that love.



CONTENTS
Introduction
I Traits Of Love
II The Way Of Agape
III God Is Love (Theos-Agape)
IV A Fruitful Tree: A Look At The Fruit Of The Spirit
V The Law Of Love: The Application And Walk Of Love

Bibliography



INTRODUCTION
Love, particularly the love of God, is an example of love given from the Almighty that we are to walk in. It is our example of how to love in this world.
Agape love is distinct in the fact that it originated from God. Agape is the highest form of love and is a key element in all other forms of godly love. God is love, so all forms of righteous love come from God. Agape love is the supreme level of all types of godly love, and all other types of godly love are birthed by agape love.
There are different types of love mentioned in the Holy Bible, and we will take a look at each one. God is a God of love, and his actions are based on love. Our love walk is a key element of our walk with God. Every blessing we receive of the Lord is a reflection of his love for us and the salvation which was purchased for us on the cross is the ultimate example of the work of love.
Our actions should be based on love. When we speak love, our words comfort and encourage while standing on the truth of God’s word. When we work in the love of God, our actions can help others and build them up. And when our mind-set is in the love of God, we can effectively speak and work in love, because we know our value. We can be instruments of love because the God in us want everyone to experience the love of God.



I
TRAITS OF LOVE
TRAITS OF AGAPE
First things first. What is agape? Agape is a Greco-Christian word that refers to unconditional love. It is the highest form of love, and from a theological viewpoint it is used to describe the love of God for humankind and humankind’s love for God. This love was created and birthed by God and is unique in that it is the God kind of love. Certain traits can be found in this type of love, which we will discuss.
COMPASSION
One work of love is compassion, which is a sympathy of others’ pain, a sensation of sorrow brought on by the misfortunes of another. Compassion can be called a mixed form of passion, a compounding of love and sorrow. Compassion is a work and trait of love. When love looks at someone’s pain and wants to help, that is compassion. Compassion is always concerned about our well-being, and God is concerned about us.
I want to show you something in the scriptures about compassion.
“And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14).
Notice how compassion always works for the good of those who receive it. Jesus saw the people who followed him, and his love caused him to look at their current well-being and minister to them. His compassion toward this multitude moved him to meet their needs. What was the need that moved Jesus so much? He saw the sick among them and knew God had a better plan for them. These people followed Jesus because they had a desire to be with him, to be in his presence. Jesus saw their sacrifice and their need, and his compassion went to work. Jesus was compassionate toward their sickness, and it caused him to heal them. Just as the Lord showed compassion for the sick in this scripture and for us, he has commanded us to show compassion toward one another.
The Word of God tells us to as well. Let’s look at this in the scripture. “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing, knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:8–9).
These scriptures not only give us a command to show compassion but offer some practical examples of what this compassion should look like. The apostle Peter says in 1 Pet.3:8, we are to “love as brethren.”
We have already discussed how compassion is a work of love. Therefore, we must have the love of God in us to show godly compassion to others. The compassion of the saints is first to have us view one another as family. This is because we all have been baptized in Christ and are part of the same heavenly family, the body of Christ. We are all God’s children, and the love of family should be stronger than the love of strangers.
The scripture says our compassion is to be pitiful. Pitiful in this scripture means to be sympathetic and tenderhearted (full of pity). Compassion sympathizes with the condition of others. Compassion is courteous. Being that compassion is part of love, it is friendly and kind. The effects of compassion described in verse 8 lead to the work of compassion done in verse 9. We must remember that God is love, and to dwell in God is to dwell in God’s love, which produces love for people. We will discuss this later. Godly compassion is not capable of responding to evil with evil; instead, it responds with blessing. Know that God loves all people, and we all have a place in God if we choose it. What is so good about this scripture is that God has pronounced a blessing on those who walk in godly compassion.
EMPATHY
Empathy is the ability to better understand what another person is feeling, thinking, and going through, to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, so to speak, to see things as they see them. This trait requires you to put your own feelings and thoughts aside and see and understand someone else’s pain. Almost everyone is capable of empathy, but not everyone is willing.
Jesus has the ability to show empathy because he walked the earth as a human. Let’s see an example in the Word of God.
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14–16)
Here, Jesus’s ability to empathize with us is laid out. Jesus Christ, our heavenly High Priest sitting at the right hand of God, knows what it is like to be human because he was too. Jesus is both human and divine. His divine side knows firsthand the power and ability of God, and his human side knows how much we need that power of God working in our lives. Jesus’s humanity caused him to suffer in all the ways we do and to be tempted as we are, yet through his divinity, he endured without sin. Scripture tells us that we can come boldly to the throne of grace because our Savior is able to show empathy toward us. He knows and understands what we are going through. With this in mind, we can have full assurance that we can find help in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 4:14–16 tells us we can find grace and mercy in the Lord when we need it. Our high priest is capable of actually being touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Think about it for a moment. When you go to the doctor, you have to explain how you feel, and he or she has to figure out what is wrong with you. When we go to God in prayer in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, our Savior knows exactly how we feel and why we feel that way. He understands our pain and has a word that will minister directly to the need.
Let’s look at the empathy of Jesus at work.
“ When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, and said, ‘Where have ye laid him?’ They say unto him, ‘Lord come and see.’ Jesus wept” (John 11:33–35).
To fully understand this, we have to go to the beginning. Lazarus had died, and Jesus came to see his