My friend, Joel, responded to the last blog where I asked ‘what is deep love’? He suggested I do a word study, so here I am.
In my brand spanking new Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance where I first had to find the word in a KJV Bible.
And above all things have
fervent charity
among yourselves: for charity shall cover
a multitude of sin.
1 Peter 4:8
The KJV reads ‘deep love’ as ‘fervent charity’. There is only one other time where the original Greek word – that is translated into fervent- is used. That occasion is in Acts 12:5 when Peter was imprisoned. He had been arrested by King Herod who was looking for church members to persecute and kill. All signs pointed to the grim fact that Peter would be killed next. It was in this crisis climate that “...fervent prayer for [Peter] was persistently made to God by the church (assembly) – Amp.” Peter’s episode ended when an Angel appeared and allowed him to walk right out of the jail.
Funny, isn’t it? That the deep and fervent love we’re called to is also described as the urgency needed to help set a captive free. Maybe this is why this intensive love can cover a multitude of sin.
Now, I need to research more about this agape love.
Joel Spencer
22 January 2009 at 10:47 am
Fantastic! It is time that we dig out the deeper truths within the Word. Within them is great wisdom and life!
Nick
26 January 2009 at 3:38 pm
It is only through the power of agape love that I can face people that I feel have wronged me; it only through that same power that I can get over myself long enough to make amends with those I have wronged.