The Missing Love
The Greek language has several words that can be translated ‘love’ into English. CS Lewis famously spoke of four of them. Other websites add others. The New Testament is famous for speaking of ‘Agape’ love and, some would say, contrasting it with ‘phileo’ love… both of which appear frequently in its pages.
But there is one love that is famously, or infamously, missing from the New Testament… in its positive form. There is a Greek word for love that is only there when the NT says it is missing.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Being filled with all unrighteousness,
fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers,
without natural affection,
implacable, unmerciful:
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Romans 1:28-32
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection,
trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:
from such turn away.
II Timothy 3:1-5
This Greek word is
G794 (Strong)
ἄστοργος
astorgos
as'-tor-gos
From G1 (as a negative particle) and a presumed derivative of στέργω stergō (to cherish affectionately); hard hearted towards kindred: - without natural affection.
Total KJV occurrences: 2
And, as the Strong’s shows, it only occurs twice in the New Testament… both times not as ‘stergo’, but as ‘astorgos’… ‘without… natural affection’. If something is not historical we can call it ‘ahistorical’. If life emerges from non-life we can call that ‘abiogenesis’. When a fool says in his heart that there is no God, we can call him an ‘atheist’.
And when this most basic form of love is missing from a person or society we are forced to use the word ‘astorgos’… ‘without natural affection’.
Eros, Phileo, and misplaced loves
Not every love is always good. At least, not every time we use the English or Greek words for it… we might have to speak differently if we were really speaking of the root concept of ‘love’ as implicit in the nature of God.
But all of our human loves… our sexual love… our family love… our buddy buddy loves… these all can be misplaced. The wife can be sexually attracted to some guy at work. The friend we love like a brother can (like a brother) be a very bad influence in our lives.
So eros (sexual love) and phileo (brotherly love) both have proper objects, and improper.
Agape
Not so agape. As expressed in Scripture, Agape love is a selfless love that wishes the best for its object. Which may mean destruction.
Storge
Natural affection, on the other hand, is not something that we should be able to be without. Thus the word ‘natural’. In the ‘natural’ course of things, a mother loves her child. This kind of love is the building block, not for high culture, or great spiritual awakenings, but for, well, nature. For actually managing to have and raise children.
Sitting around the fire together with your family is ‘storge’. (Eros comes later in the evening.) Making a conscious decision to do what is right for your family, regardless of the cost, is Agape. Jumping out against someone attacking them is storge. Asking a friend over to play chess is phileo. Playing chess with your six year old is storge. (Unless they are really good at chess, or you are seriously bad.)
Conclusion
Sin is its own punishment. That’s the way God created the world. Sure, from time to time He does some pretty heavy direct intervention, but normally sinners reap the reward of their sins by… reaping the results of the sin. Scripture clearly outlines the descent of a society into utter depravity.
And one aspect of utter depravity is for a society to be… without natural affection. Mothers asking ‘doctors’ to murder their children, that is utter depravity. Society allowing it in law is utter depravity. Cheering the murder of children… utter depravity.
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Thanks again, God Bless, Soli Deo gloria,
Von
Links
The Abolitionist
I’m against Child Murder.
Great piece, in many ways!
If we are to obey the first commandment and love God above all else, then we absolutely need to understand that "love" really means.