Eight Cars, Chips & Salsa, and Phileo

Last night my good friend Mike and I went to Chiles after I finished work (we only worked for three hours because we only parked eight cars--and valeting eight cars is not a good night, we normally park around twenty). Mike was craving some chips and salsa because he didn't have any when he was overseas this summer.

All that we got at Chiles was chips and salsa, and a couple of waters, and just sat and talked with some guys at the bar. We talked to a guy named Tim who is in town for the weekend and to Joe, the bartender (Joe's a pretty good bartender, I might add). Life circumstances opened up the opportunity and the conversation for Mike and I to share the gospel with Tim, and Joe would join in momentarily. Tim was/is an agnostic who, like most Americans, never gives much thought to the existence of God. Joe had obviously thought through some issues and brought up some good points, such as, if you are going to embrace Christianity, you can't just half-heartedly accept from the Bible what you want to accept, but you must embrace everything that the Bible says. All in all, we had a great, civilized conversation and we were able to share the good news of the salvation that has been offered by God through Christ to all, so that those who repent and believe by the working of the Spirit will be spared from the wrath in the judgment to come. We didn't go to Chiles for the purpose of sharing the gospel (that it is always at the very least, an option), but it is a good reminder to me that we are to be ready to preach the Word, in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2).

And now for my third header topic, the love of God. Now, I have heard people say (far more commonly than I'd like) that agapao is God's special love. I have heard people say that this is the same love that God has for the Son, and that since John uses it in John 3:16, we see that the Father has the same love for the world that He has for the Son. This is an exegetical fallacy par excelence. I have previously posted on how John uses phileo and agapao interchangeably, and today as I read through John 5:16-30 in the Greek Testament I was reminded again of John's literal style. In v. 20 we read "For the Father loves (philei) the Son and He shows to Him all that He Himself does/is doing, and He will show to Him greater works [than] these ones, so that you all will wonder (marvel)" (my translation). John here uses the Greek word phileo to refer to the Father's love for the Son, and elsewhere He uses agapao. Thus, the only conclusion that is reasonable to draw is that John is not using agapao as some special kind of love, but rather in a manner interchangable with phileo--unless you want to make the ridiculous claim that the Father loves the Son in some brotherly manner, and that is why He gives Him life in Himself and the right to judge.