It has a wonderful warmth and is exceptionally tender. But it is much more than that. It is the kind of love that continues to function even when one or both of the marriage partners do things that violate their trust in each other. Forgiveness plays a major role in agapic love. And this love keeps on doing loving acts even when the emotions are bent out of shape.
Commitment lies at the core of agapic love.
It is the glue that holds marriage partners together when the way is rough. That is why Paul says that this is a love that lasts forever and can withstand almost anything. The marriage vows in a Christian marriage clearly have agapic love in mind when the bride and groom promise to be faithful to each other in all circumstances of life. Sometimes Christian couples come to the awful realization that their marriage is broken beyond repair. But those who marry in the Lord and who maintain a vital faith in Christ have every reason to count on having a stable and rewarding marriage.