Below are samplings of positive uses of the New Testament word phileō which are translated as our English word, love. The second list is samplings of the New Testament word philos which are translated as our English word, friend.
(Phileō)
John 5:20 For the Father loves (phileō) the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.
John 11:3 So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love (phileō) is sick.”
John 16:27 For the Father Himself loves (phileō) you, because you have loved (phileō) Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.
John 20:2 So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved (phileō), and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
I Corinthians 16:22 If anyone does not love (phileō) the Lord, he is to be accursed.
Titus 3:15 All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love (phileō) us in the faith. Grace be with you all.
Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love (phileō), I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
These verses tell us:
- That God loves His Son, Jesus, with phileō.
- That God loves us with phileō.
- That Jesus phileō those who followed Him, then and now.
- That Jesus disciplines those He is in phileō with.
(Philos)
Matthew 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend (philos) of tax collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.
Luke 12:4 I say to you, My friends (philos), do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do.
John 11:11 This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend (philos) Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.”
John 15:13-15 Greater love (agape) has no one than this that one lay down his life for his friends (philos). You are My friends (philos) if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends (philos), for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
James 2:23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend (philos) of God.
III John 1:15 Peace be to you. The friends (philos) greet you. Greet the friends (philos) by name.
These verses tell us:
- That Jesus is a friend (philos) of sinners.
- That Lazarus was phileō by Jesus and Lazarus was Jesus’ philos.
- That we are Jesus’ philos.
- That a philos will lay down his life because of agapaō.
This was shocking to me! If agape is the highest form of love and God is only agape love, then what am I supposed to do with all these verses? Do God and Jesus still have to work on getting from the level of philos to that of agape? If they do, we are all in trouble!
These verses also tell us:
- That if we do not phileō God, then we are to be cursed.
- That Abraham was a philos to God.
- That we are to be philos with each other.
If Jesus is my friend, then philos must be on the same plane or level as agape because God is agape, but He is also philos. That is why He is able to lay down His life for us! Hallelujah! Can you imagine? We are not only to love God with a dearly love, agapaō, but we are supposed to love God with affection, kindness, and fondness (phileō). I am not being irreverent. God said it, not me! If we don’t “like” Him, we are to be treated as cursed.
This in no way implies a lack of reverence or awe. On the contrary, it broadens our understanding and responsibility of how we are to love God and to love each other, which brings us to another group of trees in our hike in the forest.
Discussion
What do you think of the concept that God likes (phileō) Jesus? That God likes (phileō) you? What do you think of the concept that you are commanded to like (phileō) God?
One Another Living 