Agape Friendship Love

PAUL WILBUR

In John 15:15 , Yeshua calls His disciples together and makes an amazing statement . He says , “ I no longer call you servants , because a servant does not know his master ’ s business . Instead , I call you friends …”

Rabbi Yosef Mitzrachi says that the Hebrew word for friend ( chaver ) has the same root as the word “ connection ” ( chivur ). It is for this reason that a friend is someone “ with a deep connection and a bond of loyalty .”

But there is more to this word than meets the eye .

The Greek word for friendship , philia , is one of the 6 major words in the New Covenant Scriptures that we translate as LOVE , and it is the kind of love that the Greeks seemed to value most . Why is that ? What is it about this form of “ love ” that was so attractive to the Greek mind and their cultural sensitivities ? I read that the Greeks were afraid of the eros or passionate , sexual kind of love because it seemed to have the ability to take over a man ’ s emotions and sensibilities , causing an individual to do and say irrational things . In contrast to eros , where we get the word “ erotic ,” is philia , a lovefriendship which appears to be a “ love ” based on loyalty , trust , and faithfulness .

Proverbs 18:24 says , “ A man of many companions may come to ruin , but there is a friend ( ahav , love or lover ) who sticks closer than a brother .”

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