love

   The nature of love is an important topic for Christian philosophers for two reasons: (1) Scripture teaches that God is love (1 John 4: 16), a love shown supremely in the incarnation; (2) love for God and for each other is commanded of all people (Luke 10: 27). Concerning (1), philosophical discussion has revolved around the question of whether God must love everyone maximally, or whether it is possible for him to have a special degree or kind of love for selected individuals; those Christian philosophers that believe in the impassibility of God have also had to explain how God's love may be squared with his lacking passions, and those that believe in Hell have had to explain how his love may be reconciled with sending some to permanent damnation. Concerning (2), Christian philosophers have debated what precise type of love is commanded of Christians. C. S. Lewis famously isolated four different types of love: eros, storge, philia and agape, with the last of these being the one that Christians must show to all, even if the first three loves are definitely lacking. A supplementary question is this: if love is an emotion how can it be commanded?

   See goodness, perfect; Hell; impassibility; incarnation; Lewis, Clive Staples

   Further reading: Carson 2000; Geisler 1973; Kierkegaard 1995; Lewis, C. S. 1947; Nygren 1982; Singer 1984-7; Vanhoozer 2001