The Four Loves

Dathan & Carsten Hamann

The Importance of Love

1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Mark 12:31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.

Introduction & First Distinctions

Gift-Love
Working Father God the Father for Christ the Son How close can we come to Gift-Love for God?

Need-Love
Child running to a parents arms Adults turning to others for company Our love for Christ

Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

Implications of Our Need-Love with Christ

The healthiest, highest and most realistic relationship with Christ
Happiness, strength Longing, needing Jeremiah 31:25 "For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes."

Likeness/Nearness with God?

Likings And Loves For the Sub-human

I Love Strawberries! Two contrasting types of pleasure:
Need-pleasures
water

Love begins to be a demon the moment he begins to be a god Lucifer and his pride

Pleasures of appreciation.
wine

The Four Loves

Storge Philia Eros Agape

Storge

Storge
Affection Family- Mother/Child Most similar to love found in animals Least discriminating of all loves Old or vieux Humblest of all loves Baby talk and kisses Brings out the good the gardener


Strorge blends with other loves Affection does not make the happy home Need-love of Gift-love If you want to be loved be lovable -Ovid Storge cannot be taken for granted Jealousy of affection Mrs. Fidget Pets Dont let love become a demon

Philia

Philia
Modern Conceptions of Friendship Ancient Conceptions of Friendship Un-natural quality Fall of Philia Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Qualities of Philia
Otherworldly, Unnatural quality Friends stance Least jealous Seeking a common truth Sharing a common vision

Relationship Distinctions
Friendship vs. Companionship Friendship vs. Allegiance Friendship vs. Sexual Love Homosexuality

Lovers Question
Which is more powerful, Eros or Philia? Either you two will cease to be lovers but remain forever joint seekers of the same God, the same beauty, the same truth, or else losing all that, you will retain as long as you live the raptures and ardors, all the wonder and the wild desire of Eros.

Unnecessary
Unnecessary Quality the exquisite arbitrariness and irresponsibility of [friendship] Egyptian/Babylonian vs. Greek Philosophers and Mathematicians It has no survival value, rather it is one of those things which gives value to survival.

Between the Sexes?

Apparent discouragement of malefemale friendships Friendship is born of certain circumstances and similarities Descriptions of Educated men and uneducated wives, and vice versa Societal/Educational boundaries

Eros

Eros vs. Venus

Eros
the kind of love which lovers are

Venus
carnal or animally sexual element within Eros

Relationships originating from Eros Which is better? Want of the woman The most appreciative of all pleasures

Relationships originating from Venus Want of a woman Need-pleasure


Obliterates the distinction between giving and receiving Importance of Venus within Eros Brother Ass A divine joke A lovers pinch and masquerade Putting on Nakedness Happiness is not the aim of Eros Dangers

Song of Solomon 4:10 How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice! Ephesians 5:33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Song of Solomon 1:2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth for your love is more delightful than wine. Song of Solomon 8:6 Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.

Agape

Agape
Love is enough? Not a diminishment of other loves Garden

Competition of Loves
Natural loves vs. love of God Unworthy of Replacement God and Half-gods Romantic stance is to be wary of loving people too little Traditional theological stance is to be wary of loving people in excess Augustinian view

Qualities of Agape
To love at all is to be vulnerable If you want to make sure of keeping [your heart] intact, you must give your heart to no onelock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.

Inordinate Love
Relationship and balance It is probably impossible to love any human being simply too much. We may love him too much in proportion to our love for God.

Loyalties?
It is not ultimately a question of whether or not you love God more than others, but what power claims your will True and fulfilling natural loves yield to the standard of Agape

Nature of God
God is love 1 John 4:16 How do we describe this kind of love? Analogy of light Gift-love vs. Need-love Object of love intrinsic lovable qualities

Responses
Temptation to feel Intrinsically lovable Analogy of mirrors Divine love does not substitute itself for the naturalthe natural loves are summoned to become modes of Charity while also remaining the natural loves they were. Transformation not replacement Redemption not substitute

Conclusion
Application? Christ-centric