The Love of God in Christ Jesus   Pt  1
Channel: Theophilus Lambo
Date: 2013-06-27

What then is love of God in Christ Jesus? We are told that Christ Jesus came to the world, to teach us unconditional love, to show us unconditional love and demonstrate to us unconditional love, so then, what is unconditional love? As I was meditating on the true meaning of this unconditional love, my eyes caught the following young people write up on the type of love that our modern society today understand by "unconditional love" which is based on human thinking. According to popular opinion, Real, true love is unconditional; all other "kinds" of love are not really love. Most parents and children don't love each other, most people in relationships don't love each other, most people on the planet never experience unconditional love in their entire lives... or at least it sure looks that way.
 To love someone unconditionally, according to them it means that you love the person exactly as they are, exactly as they were before, and exactly as they will be in the future -- because people change all the time, so if you love the person, you will love them even if they become something you disagree with.  I don't seem to agree with this one. How many parents can say that about their children? How many people can say that about their loved one? Love is not about you or your pleasure or your amusement. It's not about what you get out of it or what the other person can give to you. You do not "own" anyone. It's not about you feeling 'proud' to be with someone who always agrees with everything you say and do and never does anything you disagree with. Unconditional love means that the person can just live their life exactly as they choose and you will always be there for them no matter what." This is modern thinking.
  Unconditional love is more of a spiritual thing. It's not bound by physical things, like blood relations and the desire to procreate. It has nothing whatsoever to do with sex. Most people are in relationships because they're horny and/or lonely, even if they genu........
If we do not fully understand the true meaning of love, how then can we give to others what we too don't really understand or ever had?
The philosophers put love under two categories: "need-gift", the type of love that is returned in appreciation for something given. Under this "need-gift" according the Greeks philosophers are four types, namely; affection, friendship, eros and charity. The second type of love is the "Gift-love" exemplified by the type of God's love to humanity. 
Affection is the type of love we experience in fellowship, the love that develop within a group through familiarity and net-working. This type of love has no strings attached as no one really feels committed to the welfare or predicament of another. It affords us free will to be committed or to remain neutral. 
Friendship on the other hand is deep affection or feelings developed for another person based on sharing common goals and aspirations. Friendship among a group commonly referred to as 'committee of friends'. 

3) Agape - unconditional love; the third and highest type of love is "agape", or unconditional love.

Agape love is above philos love and eros love. It is a love that is totally selfless, where a person gives out love to another person even if this act does not benefit her/him in any way. Whether the love given is returned or not, the person continues to love (even without any self-benefit).

It's like you help out a person, even though that person hates you and curses you. Or you take insults from your partner without hitting back, all the while forgiving and praying for your partner to amend her/his ways. Or the famed "unconditional love" that a mother has for her child (her child will always be the most beautiful child in the world to her)................
Or the love we show our parents, taking care of them and helping them in their old age. Just like they took care of us when we were young, it is done with or without benefit in return. It is however sad to notice today that not many children do care about their parents in old age ....................
 If parents invest all their resources on their children, they assumed they are investing against the old age when the children in turn will be able to take care of them when the flesh is weak, but western education without God, has taken that touch of human sympathy from their heart or conscience. As parents, bring up these children to have the fear of God in their heart, let them write the commands in their heart so that they will not depart from them. ................
However, the highest type of agape love is not human at all, but divine - God's unconditional love for us, His children. ...................
God's love was shown to us the most when God the Father sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to his suffering and death on the cross for our salvation. There is no greater love than this. Jesus had no obligation to die for us, but He chose to. It is His gift, His ultimate gift.