Ever-Growing Love

Philippians 1:9 “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all judgment.”

Studying the biblical meaning of “love” is always a rewarding time. I came across this short explanation of the above Bible Verse that produces a clear understand of what the “God is love” desires in ever-growing love of His people. The lesson states that Paul’s longing for the Philippian church is eloquently expressed in his prayer for their maturation (development, growth, ripening, and fruition) in the faith. It begins simply with a prayer for their growing love—love that will “abound still more and more.” This phrase is only used two other times: in 1 Thessalonians 4:1and 10. Essentially, the prayer is that their love would never stop increasing. The focus of the ever-increasing love, however, is not emotive reactions or depth of feeling. It is a nonstop, ever-growing love for “knowledge” and “judgment.” And as one might expect, the Holy Spirit’s choice of words is important.

Several Greek words could be translated “knowledge.” This specific choice in Philippians 1:9 is “epignosis”, a term that emphasizes understanding of facts or truth and carries an intensive meaning with a fuller, clearer, more thorough knowledge than mere awareness of data. A person with “epignosis” knows both what and why they have certain facts.

“Judgment” is the translation of “aesthesis”, an unusual term that demands perception, understanding, and discernment of what to do with the knowledge. Both terms are intellectually based and require a growing grasp of information. But both are the product of love—not human standards of high intelligence. If our hearts are right, we love God above all things, as the sum of all excellence and all the attributes which can communicate happiness to intelligent beings. In other words, the Christian loves God with the love of complacency in his attributes, the love of benevolence towards the interest of his kingdom, and the love of gratitude for favors received. We must be “rooted and grounded in love”, speak “the truth in love”, and always be conscious of our relationships so that we “increase” the “edifying of itself in love”.

1 John 4:16“And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”

Love with an ever-growing love.