One of the most familiar Greek terms for love is agape. Agape is defined as a love of choice or goodwill. When God penned John 3:16, he used agape to describe the kind of love he demonstrated for humanity by sending his son to live, die and rise again. God chose to love us when we were unworthy of his love. In the same way that God chose to love us when we didn't deserve his love, Christian people should extend love, genuine love, to those who do not deserve our love.
This love of choice begins with choosing to love other Christians. Jesus prayed for the unity of the body so that the outside world would see the love we have for one another and know that God is real. How else could a group a people from such economic, racial and social diversity come together and experience unity unless God had done a work in their lives. Unfortunately, most churches are known more for their business meetings or habits of running off preachers than they are for loving one another and their communities. Once Christian people have begun to practice agape for one another, they should turn their attention outward and demonstrate love of choice for those unloved by society. The church is only limited by its own creativity or fear when it comes to loving the unloved of society.
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