Charity
A New Kind of Love
The Greek word agape, translated as "charity" in the King James Version and as "love" in most modern translations, represents something genuinely new in the ancient world. Classical Greek had several words for love: eros for romantic love, philia for friendship and affection, and storge for family love. But agape was rarely used in secular Greek literature. The early Christians adopted and transformed this word to describe the kind of love that God demonstrates and that he calls his people to practice. This love is not based on the worthiness of its object but flows from the character of the one who loves. It is deliberate, sacrificial, and unconditional.
The Greatest Commandment
Jesus placed love at the center of the entire biblical ethic. When asked which commandment was the greatest, he replied: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40). Jesus expanded the scope of neighborly love in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) and introduced the revolutionary command to love one's enemies (Matthew 5:44). He identified love as the distinguishing mark of his disciples: "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).
Paul's Hymn to Love
The most famous passage on charity in the Bible is 1 Corinthians 13, often called Paul's "hymn to love." Paul wrote this chapter to a church that valued spiritual gifts, speaking in tongues, prophecy, knowledge, above all else. He argues that without love, these gifts are worthless: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal" (1 Corinthians 13:1). He then describes love's character in memorable terms: "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude" (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). The chapter climaxes with the declaration that love is the greatest of the three enduring virtues: "So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13).
God's Love as the Source
The Bible presents God's own love as the foundation and model for all human charity. "God is love," John declares (1 John 4:8, 16). This love was demonstrated supremely in the sending of his Son: "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him" (1 John 4:9). Paul writes that "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Divine love is not a response to human lovability but an initiative that reaches out to the undeserving. Human charity, at its best, is a reflection and imitation of this divine love.
Charity in Practice
The New Testament is full of practical instructions about how charity should be lived out. Paul instructs believers to "owe no one anything, except to love each other" (Romans 13:8) and to "do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:10). James insists that genuine faith produces charitable action: "If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?" (James 2:15-16). John puts it bluntly: "If anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?" (1 John 3:17).
From KJV "Charity" to Modern "Love"
The King James Version uses "charity" to translate agape in 26 instances, beginning with 1 Corinthians 8:1. Modern translations universally render the same word as "love," which better captures the breadth of the original Greek. The English word "charity" has narrowed over the centuries to mean primarily almsgiving or benevolent giving, whereas agape encompasses the full range of selfless, God-like love. Understanding this shift helps modern readers appreciate that when the KJV speaks of "charity," it is describing the highest form of love, not merely charitable donations.
Biblical Context
Agape appears throughout the New Testament. It is the word Jesus uses in the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-39) and the new commandment (John 13:34). Paul uses it 75 times in his letters, most memorably in 1 Corinthians 13 and Romans 5:8. John uses it 30 times, especially in 1 John (1 John 4:7-21). It also appears in Hebrews, Peter, and Jude. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word hesed (covenant love, steadfast love) provides the theological foundation for the New Testament concept of agape.
Theological Significance
Charity (agape) is the supreme Christian virtue because it reflects the very nature of God. Unlike faith and hope, which will one day give way to sight and fulfillment, love is eternal (1 Corinthians 13:8-13). The entire law is fulfilled in love (Romans 13:10; Galatians 5:14). Christian ethics is ultimately grounded not in rules but in the character of a loving God who calls his people to love as he loves. The command to love one's enemies (Matthew 5:44) reveals that agape transcends natural affection and human reciprocity, making it the most distinctively Christian quality.
Historical Background
The word agape was relatively rare in pre-Christian Greek literature, appearing only a few times in secular texts. The Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) used it to translate the Hebrew ahab, giving it biblical roots. Early Christians took this largely unused word and filled it with new meaning, making it the definitive term for Christian love. The Latin Vulgate translated agape variously as dilectio and caritas (from which English 'charity' derives). The shift from 'charity' to 'love' in modern English translations reflects the narrowing of the English word 'charity' over time and the desire to capture the full meaning of agape for contemporary readers.