Unlike agape, which can be extended even to enemies or those who do not reciprocate, phileo thrives in environments of shared trust and loyalty. It is the love that makes friendships flourish, that encourages support and empathy, and that fosters community.
Consult Bible dictionaries, commentaries, and study Bibles that explain symbolic language. These tools can provide historical and theological perspectives that enrich your understanding.
Spend time in prayer, read the Bible regularly, and meet with other believers. These practices deepen your faith and keep your heart aligned with God.
Christians believe that Jesus is God incarnate—God in human flesh. On multiple occasions, Jesus expresses deep emotion, most famously in John 11:35, the shortest verse in the Bible: “Jesus wept.”
The creed carefully avoids both tritheism (the belief in three gods) and modalism (the belief that the Father, Son, and Spirit are merely modes or aspects of one person).