Love stands in the forefront because it is so much a part of God that the Bible says that God is love. The Prophets particularly show forth God’s love and they show it under two figures. There is the figure of conjugal love, which is the love a man has for his wife, or vice-versa (married love). Then, in the figure of paternal love, we see the love of a father for a child. These are two figures that express the love of God by the Prophets, particularly. The Bible speaks of love in various ways.
One is phileo. This is the type of love that people have for one another because they have a mutual interest in things; this is a give-and-take type of love. Agape is stressed in the New Testament and speaks of love that is given by God; it involves sacrifice—the love of giving. The agape kind of love is the greatest expression of God’s love. This love is particularly directed to the elect of God. The Bible says that this love is not traceable to their works or their faith; He just loves. His love is eternal like His love for the Son.