O verdadeiro significado do amor na Bíblia e como honrá-lo
“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. Love never fails.” — 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
This famous passage, often referred to as the “What is love?” verse, sums up the essential meaning of love in the Bible in the most beautiful way.
Este versículo bíblico é frequentemente lido nos casamentos para inspirar e dar força amor verdadeiro que perdura, como o amor maior de Deus para a humanidade.
Let’s look at some common questions related to the meaning of love in the Bible and see if we find some unexpected answers.
Qual é o significado de amor na Bíblia?
There is probably no question more difficult and universally asked than “O que é o amor?”
Since humans have existed, we’ve been looking for the answer. Para um cristão, no entanto, esta resposta é fácil. Podemos encontrar o significado do amor na Bíblia.
“Whoever does not love does not know God because Deus é amor.” — 1 John 4:8
Deus é amor, e o amor vem de Deus. Amar a Deus é fortalecedor, humilhante e libertador. Quando amamos o Senhor, tornamo-nos um reflexo do Seu amor.
Love becomes more than just an emotion – it lays the foundation of our behavior.
Our love for Jesus Christ extends to our love for all of God’s creation.
This brings to mind the passage familiar from Bible study that defines love as the core of all commandments, commonly referred to as the “greatest commandment”:
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” — Matthew 22:37–40
Qual é a palavra grega para amor?
Ao contrário do Antigo Testamento, escrito em hebraico, o Novo Testamento foi originalmente escrito em grego. Na altura, era a língua comum do Império Romano.
Os gregos antigos usavam palavras diferentes para diferentes tipos de amor, whereas in English, we always use the word ‘love,’ which we’ll describe further.
Among the several words for ‘love’ that exist in Greek, it’s commonly believed that four of them were used to describe the meaning of love in the Bible: ágape, phileo, storge e eros. De facto, nem todas estas quatro palavras aparecem na Bíblia. Foi o escritor C. S. Lewis que criou esta classificação.
Only the first two words were actually used in the Bible. However, it can be said that even though the words themselves weren’t used, all of these types of love were described in the Bible, so these four words are a useful way to talk about them.
Como já dissemos, Deus é amor, e todas as outras explicações apenas aprofundam a nossa compreensão de como o amor se manifesta.
Quais são os quatro tipos de amor na Bíblia?
Os quatro tipos de amor na Bíblia são ágape, phileo, storge e eros. Although they might seem different, each of these is proof and an expression of God’s love.
Porque Deus nos ama, amar Deus e aspirar a partilhar o Seu amor através de nós é o significado do amor na Bíblia.
1. Ágape
Amor ágape is the unconditional, highest form of love that exceeds all others. This is a selfless love that doesn’t think of oneself but only seeks the other’s well-being.
Ágape é a empatia e a devoção em ação. It’s the essence of what defines love in Christianity and the fullest meaning of o amor na Bíblia.
It’s God’s love and the love that comes from God.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because He first loved us.” — 1 John 4: 18-19
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” — Corinthians 13:13
2. Phileo
A palavra Phileo, ou amor fraterno, é normalmente utilizada para descrever o afeto profundo entre amigos íntimos.
O nosso fé em Deus une-nos e encoraja a compaixão e o respeito uns pelos outros. Amar os outros é um ponto de definição do cristianismo. Este facto é mencionado muitas vezes na Bíblia.
“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” — Romans 12:10
“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” — Colossians 3:14
3. Storge
O Storge é familiar amorcomo, por exemplo, entre irmãos ou o amor dos pais pelos filhos.
The word itself doesn’t appear in the Bible, but many passages talk about it. Let’s look at two examples of how our love for the Lord and our love for our family are connected.
“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” — Psalm 127:3
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” — Exodus 20:12
4. Eros
A palavra eros é utilizada para descrever amor romântico e o desejo sexual.
The “Song of Songs,” also known as “the Song of Solomon,” is often viewed as an example of this kind of love mentioned in the Bible. It’s told through the voices of two lovers, although some interpret it as an allegory for God’s love for humankind.
Este tipo de amor é uma outra manifestação de serviço a Deus e faz parte da existência humana. A Bíblia diz:
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” — Genesis 2:24
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” — Ephesians 5:25
What’s The Definition Of Love In The Bible?
Entre os quatro tipos de amor que mencionámos, a definição de amor bíblico é o que designamos por ágape. Deus é a sua fonte, e esta é a o verdadeiro significado da palavra amor.
O sacrifício, a generosidade e a bondade são algumas das qualidades que constituem o amor ágape. Significa escolher amar e colocar o bem-estar dos outros em primeiro lugar. Agape isn’t merely about words and feelings – it means doing everything we can to support this love.
To understand the meaning of love in the Bible, let’s look at examples of agape love through God’s word:
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” — 1 John 3:18
Este amor e preocupação deliberados, sem esperar nada em troca, podem manifestar-se de várias maneiras, como podemos ver na Bíblia.
• MAN’S LOVE FOR GOD
No Antigo Testamento, Deus diz-nos para o amarmos a forma como ele nos ama e demonstrá-lo através da obediência aos seus mandamentos.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” — Deuteronomy 6:5
• GOD’S LOVE FOR MAN
Deus amou tanto a humanidade que nos deu o seu filho.
“…and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” — Matthew 3:17
O amor de Jesus Cristo que ele nos deu é a definição do amor ágape: ele sacrificou-se por nós.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” — John 3:16
• MAN’S LOVE FOR MAN
Para mostrar o amor exemplificado por Cristo, é-nos dito que devemos amar os outros da mesma forma.
“I ask that we love one another.” — 2 John 5
“For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'” — Galatians 5:14
“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” — Romans 13:8
Amar a Deus e amar as pessoas significa entregarmo-nos a esse amor. It’s not always easy, and we can be tempted to stray from our path. In times like those, remember the love of Christ and ganhar força com a palavra de Deus:
“‘For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” — Isaiah 54:10
Palavras finais
Among the four kinds of love we mentioned, agape is the highest form of love. Love is one of God’s attributes, and it comes from Him.
O verdadeiro significado do amor na Bíblia é o esforço constante para experimentar e canalizar esse amor através do cuidado, da caridade e da bondade.
Seguindo os exemplos das Escrituras e ajudados pelo Espírito Santo, devemos esforçar-nos por compreender e agir inspirados por este amor.
