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Christian Love as Choice or Emotion in Biblical Perspective

Christian love, often understood as agape in the New Testament, is presented in scripture as both a deliberate choice and a profound emotion, with theological traditions emphasizing different aspects of this complex concept. The Greek word agape itself, when compared to phileo (another Greek word for love), suggests a love that involves "judgment and deliberate choice" rather than merely an emotional attachment [5].

The biblical understanding of love is deeply rooted in God's character and actions. Ephesians 1:4 states that God "chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love" [3]. This divine choice, made "according to the good pleasure of his desire," precedes human existence and demonstrates a foundational, volitional aspect of love [4]. Similarly, God's love for humanity is described as immutable and infinite, serving as the basis for the security of believers [11]. This divine love is not portrayed as a fleeting feeling but as a steadfast commitment.

The sacrificial nature of Christ's love exemplifies this chosen, active dimension. Ephesians 5:2 exhorts believers to "walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour" [2]. This act of self-giving is a demonstration of love that goes beyond mere sentiment, serving as a model for Christian conduct [13]. Christ's love is shown in his willingness to give up his own desires for the good of others [12].

Theological traditions have explored the interplay between love as choice and emotion. Charles Hodge, one theologian, distinguishes between love as a "mere feeling or emotion" and love as an intentional act. one tradition argues that an involuntary emotional state, being "beyond the control of a moral agent," cannot possess moral character [9]. For Hodge, true moral love must involve the "intention or choice of the mind" [9]. This perspective underscores the idea that Christian love is not simply a passive experience but an active engagement of the will.

Augustine, in City of God, notes that the terms "love" (amor) and "regard" (dilectio) are used interchangeably in Scripture to describe both good and evil affections [14]. He emphasizes that a "good will" is characterized by the resolve "to love God, and to love his neighbor as himself, not according to man but according to God" [14]. This highlights the directed and intentional nature of virtuous love.

Thomas Aquinas, representing scholastic theology, also addresses the nature of love, particularly in the context of divine election. He posits that predestination presupposes election, and election, in turn, presupposes love [10]. For Aquinas, love is a fundamental aspect of God's plan, as "nothing is directed towards an end unless the will for that end already exists" [10]. He further distinguishes between loving something as a "subsisting good" (wishing well to it) and loving something as an "accidental or inherent good" (wishing it for another) [15]. This framework suggests that love, especially divine love, involves a deliberate orientation towards the good.

While emphasizing choice, the Bible also acknowledges the emotional aspect of love. The Easton's Bible Dictionary defines "affection" as feeling or emotion, noting references to "vile affections" (Rom. 1:26) and "inordinate affection" (Col. 3:5) [1]. Christians are exhorted to "set their affections on things above" (Col. 3:2), indicating that emotions, when rightly directed, are a part of spiritual life [1]. The dictionary also points to a distinction between "natural and spiritual or gracious affections" [1]. This suggests that while emotions are inherent to human experience, spiritual love involves a transformation and redirection of these feelings.

Love is frequently listed alongside faith and hope as essential elements of Christian character [7, 16]. Paul's description of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 emphasizes its active qualities: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" [12]. These characteristics are not merely passive feelings but require conscious effort and a deliberate orientation of one's will.

Love for Christ, for instance, is manifested through concrete actions such as seeking him, obeying him, ministering to him, preferring him above all others, and taking up the cross for him [6]. These are not simply emotional responses but volitional acts of devotion. Matthew Henry, a Puritan commentator, describes love to God as directed towards the "primum amabile—the first and chief of all amiable beings and objects," which involves both a recognition of God's excellence and a life of obedience [17].

Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, connects love for God with love for one's neighbor, stating that a life "framed in best accordance with the will of God, and the requirements of his Law," is one that is "most advantageous to our brethren" [8]. This perspective underscores that love, while originating in a divine choice and involving human will, finds its expression in tangible actions that benefit others. The Christian understanding of love, therefore, integrates both the deliberate, volitional aspect and the emotional dimension, with the former often guiding and shaping the latter in conformity to God's character and commands.

Sources

  1. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Affection — Feeling or emotion. Mention is made of "vile affections" (Rom. 1:26) and "inordinate affection" (Col. 3:5). Christians are exhorted to set their affections on things above (Col. 3:2). There is a distinction between natural and spiritual or gracious affections (Ezek. 33:32).”
  2. Ephesians “Ephesians 5:2 (KJV) — And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”
  3. Ephesians “Ephesians 1:4 (NASB) — just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love”
  4. Ephesians “having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire, -- Ephesians 1:5”
  5. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Love — This word seems to require explanation only in the case of its use by our Lord in his interview with "Simon, the son of Jonas," after his resurrection (John 21:16, 17). When our Lord says, "Lovest thou me?" he uses the Greek word agapas; and when Simon answers, he uses the Greek word philo, i.e., "I love." This is the usage in the first and second questions put by our Lord; but in the third our Lord uses Simon's word. The distinction between these two Greek words is thus fitly described by Trench:, "Agapan has more of judgment and deliberate choice; philein ha”
  6. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Love to Christ — Exhibited by God -- Mt 17:5; Joh 5:20. Exhibited by saints -- 1Pe 1:8. His personal excellence is deserving of -- Song 5:9-16. His love to us a motive to -- 2Co 5:14. Manifested in Seeking him. -- Song 3:2. Obeying him. -- Joh 14:15,21,23. Ministering to him. -- Mt 27:55; 25:40. Preferring him to all others. -- Mt 10:37. Taking up the cross for Him. -- Mt 10:38. A characteristic of saints -- Song 1:4. An evidence of adoption -- Joh 8:42. Should be Sincere. -- Eph 6:24. With the soul. -- Song 1:7. In proportion to our mercies. -- Lu 7:47. Supreme. -- ”
  7. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Hope — One of the three main elements of Christian character (1 Cor. 13:13). It is joined to faith and love, and is opposed to seeing or possessing (Rom. 8:24; 1 John 3:2). "Hope is an essential and fundamental element of Christian life, so essential indeed, that, like faith and love, it can itself designate the essence of Christianity (1 Pet. 3:15; Heb. 10:23). In it the whole glory of the Christian vocation is centred (Eph. 1:18; 4:4)." Unbelievers are without this hope (Eph. 2:12; 1 Thess. 4:13). Christ is the actual object of the believer's hope, because it is in”
  8. CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 44: of justice and equity towards men is prescribed as the means which we are to employ in testifying a pious fear of God, if we truly possess it. 54. Let us therefore hold, that our life will be framed in best accordance with the will of God, and the requirements of his Law, when it is, in every respect, most advantageous to our brethren. But in the whole Law, there is not one syllable which lays down a rule as to what man is to do or avoid for the advantage of his own carnal nature. And, indeed, since men are naturally prone to exces”
  9. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 5: bad. “If any outward action or state of the feeling exists, in opposition to the intention or choice of the mind, it cannot by any possibility have moral character. Whatever is beyond the control of a moral agent, he cannot be responsible for.” 23 23 Ibid. p. 164. “Love may, and often does exist, as every one knows, in the form of a mere feeling or emotion. . . . This emotion or feeling, as we are all aware, is purely an involuntary state of mind. Because it is a phenomenon of the sensibility, and of course a passive state of mind, it has ”
  10. theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part (Prima Pars), Of Predestination, Art. 4: Article: Whether the predestined are chosen by God? [*"Eligantur."] I answer that, Predestination presupposes election in the order of reason; and election presupposes love. The reason of this is that predestination, as stated above (Article [1]), is a part of providence. Now providence, as also prudence, is the plan existing in the intellect directing the ordering of some things towards an end; as was proved above (Question [22], Article [2]). But nothing is directed towards an end unless the will for that end alre”
  11. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 107: .) Nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. ( Romans viii. 35-39 .) He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? ( Romans vii. 32 .) The whole argument of the Apostle in Romans v. 1-1l , and especially throughout the eighth chapter , is founded upon this infinite and immutable love of God to his people. From this he argues their absolute security for time and eternity. Because He thus loved them He gave his Son for the”
  12. 1 Corinthians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Corinthians 13:4: 13:4-7 This description of Christian love emphasizes the willingness to give up one’s own desires for the good of others (see also 8:1–10:33; Rom 5:6-8; 15:3; 2 Cor 8:9; Phil 2:4-8).”
  13. Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 5:2: 5:2 Christ’s love is shown especially in his offering himself as a sacrifice for us (cp. 5:25; John 15:13; Rom 5:8). Christian love is motivated by and modeled after Christ’s sacrificial love (see Phil 2:5-8). • Paul draws on Old Testament imagery, where the smell of a burning sacrifice was a pleasing aroma to God (see Lev 1:9; 2:2; cp. Rom 12:1).”
  14. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 7.--THAT THE WORDS LOVE AND REGARD (AMOR AND DILECTIO) ARE IN SCRIPTURE USED INDIFFERENTLY OF GOOD AND EVIL AFFECTION. (part 1): He who resolves to love God, and to love his neighbor as himself, not according to man but according to God, is on account of this love said to be of a good will; and this is in Scripture more commonly called charity, but it is also, even in the same books, called love. For the apostle says that the man to be elected as a ruler of the people must be a lover of good.(1) And when the Lord Himself had aske”
  15. theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part (Prima Pars), Of the Love or Dilection of the Angels, Art. 3: Article: Whether the angel loves himself with both natural love, and love of choice? I answer that, Since the object of love is good, and good is to be found both in substance and in accident, as is clear from Ethic. i, 6, a thing may be loved in two ways; first of all as a subsisting good; and secondly as an accidental or inherent good. That is loved as a subsisting good, which is so loved that we wish well to it. But that which we wish unto another, is loved as an accidental or inherent good: ”
  16. 1 Corinthians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 13:13: And now [in this present life] abideth faith, hope, charity - These three supply the place of that direct vision which no human embodied spirit can have; these abide or remain for the present state. Faith, by which we apprehend spiritual blessings, and walk with God. Hope, by which we view and expect eternal blessedness, and pass through things temporal so as not to lose those which are eternal. Charity or love, by which we show forth the virtues of the grace which we receive by faith in living a life of obedience to God, and of good will and usefulness to m”
  17. 1 John (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on 1 John 4:17: The apostle, having thus excited and enforced sacred love from the great pattern and motive of it, the love that is and dwells in God himself, proceeds to recommend it further by other considerations; and he recommends it in both the branches of it, both as love to God, and love to our brother or Christian neighbour. I. As love to God, to the primum amabile - the first and chief of all amiable beings and objects, who has the confluence of all beauty, excellence, and loveliness, in himself, and confers on all other beings whatever renders them good and amiable. Lov”
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