Over 20 years ago, I started every morning’s meditation time by focusing on Paul’s important description of the spiritual basis of hope. When I found out that the original Greek version of Romans 5:5 did not contain what was at that time the common word for love but instead used the unusual, archaic word ‘agape,’ I used that word in meditating.
After a few months of doing that, I realized that ‘agape’ had such spiritual depth that it should be used in English versions because the English word ‘love’ has the same meaning as the Greek word that Paul purposely did not use. So the English version of Rom. 5:5 should read: “Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s agape has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Of course, that gives the basis for ‘agape’ referring to a spiritual power that was created in every person’s heart.
Then I began going thru the whole New Testament and copied the scripture passages with ‘agape’ replacing ‘love’ wherever ‘agape’ appeared in the original Greek. That produced quotes like: “Nothing therefore can come between us and the agape of Christ, even if we are troubled or worried, or being persecuted, or lacking food or clothes, or being threatened or even attacked. … For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that exists, nothing still to come, not any power, or height or depth, nor any created thing, can ever come between us and the agape of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:35-39) Then I used all those reworked passages as the basis for my book, The Seven Steps of Agape Prayer.
That practice ended up giving me new insight into the famous verses in Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. I finally was able to see that chapter 13 was actually Paul’s way of explaining to the little Corinthian church what ‘agape’ meant. Before that I had always wondered why Paul felt the need to explain love. Of course, he didn’t. But those Greeks in Corinth must have thought it strange that Paul had kept using an old, unused word to talk to them about spiritual power. So if we mistakingly try translating those passages with the English word ‘love,’ we miss that whole explanation that Paul was giving.
So here is the spiritual impact of what Paul meant in 1 Corinthians 13: “I’m going to show you an even better way. If I speak in tongues of human beings and of angels but I don’t have agape, I’m a clanging gong or a clashing cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and I know all mysteries and everything else, and if I have such complete faith that I can move mountains, but I don’t have agape, I’m nothing. If I give everything that I have and hand over my body to feel good about what I’ve done but I don’t have agape, I receive no benefit whatsoever. Agape is patient, agape is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, it isn’t happy with injustice, but is happy with the truth. Agape puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things. Agape never fails. … Now faith, hope, and agape remain -- these three things -- and the greatest of these is agape.” (1 Cor. 12:31-13:8, 13)
So of course, if we find places in the gospels where ‘agape’ appeared, we get such new understanding as: “I give you a new commandment: have agape for each other. Just as I have agapan you, so you also must agapao each other. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you have agape for each other.” (Jn. 13:34-35)
Then I started seeing in modern writing that where the spiritual meaning of love appeared, we could gain new understanding by substituting ‘agape’ for ‘love.’ So I have reproduced those quotes in the following 23 blog postings.
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